Education
Learn Before You Call.
Free homeowner education on roofing conditions, storm damage, contractor vetting, materials, and field records, built to be the Texas roofing authority homeowners can actually learn from. Know what you’re looking at before a contractor shows up.
Updated September 15, 2026
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Storm & Insurance
Storm Damage GuideHail & Insurance GuideWhat the Storm Left BehindSpot a Storm ChaserHail Damage AtlasAll Topics
Roofing education organized by topic
What You Can Find Out Free
Shepherd AI measures your roof from satellite imagery, checks NOAA hail records for your address, and gives a planning range. No phone number, no form, no callback.
Blog & Field Notes
Notes from real roofs. What I found, what it meant, and what the homeowner did next. New notes each month. Search by topic or by your city.
Updated MonthlyStorm Damage Guide
What to do after hail or wind. Which surfaces show damage first, why documentation timing matters, and where insurance boundaries begin.
Storm ResponseHail Damage & Insurance Guide
What hail actually does to a roof, how adjusters evaluate it, and the documentation that protects your position before anyone files anything.
Choosing a Roofing Contractor
A verification-first guide covering credentials to check, red flags to recognize, questions to ask before signing, and how written scope protects you.
Contractor VettingHow to Spot a Storm Chaser
The scripts, the paperwork traps, and the pressure tactics that follow Texas hail. Learn the warning signs before someone knocks on your door.
How I Inspect a Roof
My step-by-step process for assessing a roof for hail damage.
Storm ResponseRoof Cost Factors
What actually drives repair and replacement cost in Texas: the physical factors, the deductible law, and why quotes differ.
Contractor VettingRoof Maintenance Guide
Why upkeep decides roof lifespan: NRCA inspection cadence, the 2 to 4 year tune-up rhythm, and how maintenance protects your warranty.
Contractor VettingRoofing Materials Guide
Asphalt shingles, metal roofing, tile, flat systems, and impact-resistant options. Texas climate context, HOA considerations, and long-term cost guidance.
MaterialsRoofing System Anatomy
Every layer of a roof explained for homeowners and installers, decking, underlayment, drip edge, impact ratings, ventilation, and FORTIFIED systems, with the code and spec behind each part.
Roofing 101Flashing & Penetrations
Where roofs actually leak: chimneys, crickets, sidewalls, headwalls, valleys, pipe boots, skylights and dormers, one at a time, with the flashing detail and the code lap for each.
Roofing 101Attic Ventilation Guide
Soffit intake, ridge vents, box vents, turbines, gable vents and powered fans, and the 1:150 and 1:300 rules that size them. What a hot attic does to a Texas roof.
Roofing 101Roof Edges & Drainage
Eaves, rakes, drip edge and the lap that differs between them, gutter apron, fascia, gutters and downspouts. Where the water goes, and what fails when it does not.
Roofing 101Deck, Underlayment & Leak Barrier
The three layers under your shingles: the wood deck, the underlayment and the leak barrier. What the code asks for by roof slope, and what to ask before they are covered.
Roofing 101Permits & Codes by City
Does a re-roof need a permit in Round Rock, Austin, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander or San Marcos? Fees, registration and the adopted code edition for 13 Central Texas cities, from their own ordinances.
Roofing 101Anatomy of a Roofing Estimate
Every line of a roofing estimate explained in the order the roof is built: squares and waste, materials by layer, add-ons, permits, the two warranties, and the red flags that end the conversation.
Roofing 101Hail Damage Atlas
What hail does to asphalt, metal, tile, wood and flat roofs, the size at which each is damaged, the five look-alikes, the test square method and the Texas claim clock, sourced to the engineering literature.
Roofing 101FAQ Hub
Common homeowner questions on roofing, painting, repairs, storms, and insurance, answered plainly.
Most PopularRoofing Glossary
Plain-language definitions of 125 common roofing terms.
Storm ResponseField Records
What a roof and property condition record looks like. Zone structure, categories, example condition notes, and how organized documentation supports better decisions.
DocumentationWhat the Storm Left Behind
The complete field guide to post-storm property documentation. What to check, photograph, and record before any contractor conversation.
Storm ResponseEducation First Policy
Why we publish everything free.
Education comes first
The Roof Shepherd’s model starts with education. A homeowner who understands their roof condition before speaking to a contractor makes better decisions, asks better questions, and is harder to mislead. The education hub exists to shift that power balance, not as a lead magnet, but as a genuine resource. Use it freely. Call when ready.
New in Education
Hail damage & the insurance process
What Actually Happens After Hail Hits Your Roof
The claim process from documentation through payment, including RCV vs. ACV policies, how insurers depreciate a roof (the used car analogy), what to do when they underpay, and your right to invoke appraisal under Texas SB 458. One of the most important things a Texas homeowner can read before storm season.
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