The honest answer is that you often cannot tell from the ground, and that is precisely why this area attracts people who will tell you that you can.

What you can check safely: granules accumulating in gutters and at downspout outlets after a storm; shingle debris in the yard; dents on soft metal like gutters, downspouts, vents and any aluminum trim, which take hail impressions readily and are a good proxy for what hit the roof; and any new ceiling stain, however small.

What needs someone on the roof: whether shingles have lifted and resealed out of position, and whether hail has bruised the mat. Both are genuine covered damage and both are close to invisible from the ground, which is why a documented inspection after a significant storm is worth doing even when nothing is leaking.

One caution worth more than the rest: claims have deadlines. Hail damage that does not leak for two years is often uninsurable by the time it does, because the event is outside the reporting window. Inspect after the storm, not after the leak.

Architectural asphalt shingles are what most Michigan homes have and what most will have again. They are cost-effective, every crew knows how to install them, repairs are straightforward, and a good one has a long service life. Their weakness is wind uplift at the edges and hail bruising.

Standing seam metal lasts substantially longer, sheds snow well, and handles wind better than anything else in common use. It costs considerably more up front, it is less forgiving of a poor installation, and hail can dent it cosmetically without affecting performance — which some people mind and some do not.

Synthetic slate and shake give the look of slate or cedar at a fraction of the weight, which matters because real slate needs framing most houses do not have. It is a premium product and it looks it — several of the roofs in the gallery above are synthetic slate.

The recommendation depends on how long you plan to be in the house, what the neighborhood supports, and what the framing will carry. Anyone who recommends the same system to everyone is selling rather than advising.

A roof that failed noticeably earlier than it should have was usually cooked from underneath. An attic without adequate intake and exhaust ventilation runs hot, and the heat degrades the asphalt from the back where nobody looks.

The same deficiency causes ice dams in winter. Heat escaping into the attic warms the roof deck, snow melts, the water runs down to the cold overhang and refreezes, and the ridge of ice that builds up holds meltwater on the roof until it backs up under the shingles. The National Roofing Contractors Association is explicit that this is a heat-loss problem rather than a roofing problem.

Which means the fix is mostly not on the roof: air-seal the ceiling first, then insulate properly, then ventilate so any remaining heat is flushed out. Replacing shingles over an unventilated attic buys you another roof with the same lifespan. We cover the interior side of this in depth on our winter damage guide.

A repair is usually the right answer when the damage is localized, the roof otherwise has meaningful life left, and matching material is available. A single failed pipe boot or a section of lifted shingles is a repair, not a reason to replace a roof, and any contractor who tells you otherwise on a roof with years left in it is worth a second opinion.

Replacement becomes the honest answer when damage is spread across multiple slopes, when the roof is near the end of its service life anyway, when there are already two layers up there, or when the deck underneath has deteriorated. Patching a roof that is about to need replacing means paying twice.

Matching is the practical constraint people underestimate. Shingle lines change and colors weather, so a repair on a fifteen-year-old roof will be visible even when it is executed perfectly. That is a cosmetic decision rather than a performance one, but you should get to make it knowingly.