March 27, 2026
You moved to the Lowcountry a few years ago, bought a brand-new home in Nexton or Cane Bay, and figured your roof would be the last thing you would need to worry about. The house was new. The builder gave you a warranty. Everything looked perfect on closing day.
Then a hailstorm rolls through Summerville. A neighbor mentions they got a whole new roof from their insurance company. Someone knocks on your door offering a free inspection. And now you are wondering: does my 2019, 2020, or 2021 home actually need a roof inspection? Is this hail damage thing real, or is someone trying to sell me something I do not need?
This guide is for you. We will walk through why newer homes still need inspections, what your builder warranty actually covers (and what it does not), how hail damage works in Summerville’s newest subdivisions, and what to do if you think your roof has been hit.
If you want a straight answer right now, call Right Hand Roofing at (843) 696-9307. Owner Tristan Carter provides honest, no-pressure roof inspections for Nexton, Cane Bay, and all of greater Summerville.
There is a common assumption that a home built in 2019, 2020, or 2021 should not have roof problems yet. That assumption is understandable — but it is wrong. Here is why newer Lowcountry homes are not immune to roof issues.
Production home builders work on tight margins. The roofing materials installed on most new construction homes in Nexton and Cane Bay meet minimum code requirements, but they are not always the highest-performing products available. Builder-grade shingles may have lower wind ratings, thinner construction, or limited algae resistance compared to the upgraded products a homeowner might choose during a reroof.
This does not mean your builder did anything wrong. It means the materials were selected to meet code at the lowest reasonable cost — standard practice in production homebuilding. But those materials may not perform as long or as well as you assumed they would.
The Summerville area experiences hailstorms that damage roofing materials in ways you cannot see from the ground. Hail impact bruises shingles by displacing granules and fracturing the fiberglass mat underneath. This damage is only visible up close, and sometimes only to a trained eye.
A roof can sustain significant hail damage during a single storm event and look completely normal from your driveway. Without a professional inspection, that damage goes undetected and unrepaired — shortening your roof’s lifespan by years.
New construction homes settle during their first few years. This normal process can cause slight shifts in the roof structure that affect flashing, valleys, and transition points. A home that was perfectly sealed on day one may develop small vulnerabilities as it settles — particularly around chimneys, vent pipes, skylights, and wall-to-roof transitions.
Flashing — the metal pieces that seal joints and transitions on your roof — is one of the most common failure points, even on newer homes. Improperly installed or thin-gauge flashing can fail within a few years, especially under the thermal cycling and heavy rain exposure the Lowcountry delivers. Flashing failures cause leaks that are often attributed to other causes, delaying proper repair.
Most production home builders in the Nexton and Cane Bay developments provide a warranty that includes some level of roof coverage. Understanding the limits of that warranty is critical.
The critical takeaway is this: your builder warranty does not cover the most common type of roof damage in Summerville, which is hail and wind damage from storms. That falls to your homeowner’s insurance policy. And your insurance company has a time limit on when you can file a claim after damage occurs.
Even if you have had no visible problems, professional roof inspections at specific intervals catch issues before they become expensive.
At the five-year mark, your home has been through enough Lowcountry weather to show its first signs of wear. A professional inspection at this point should evaluate:
For homes built in 2019 through 2021 in Nexton and Cane Bay, the five-year inspection window is now. If you have not had your roof professionally inspected, this is the time.
The 10-year mark is when most builder structural warranties expire and when builder-grade materials begin showing their age. This inspection should be comprehensive and include everything in the five-year inspection plus a detailed assessment of remaining roof life, attic inspection for any signs of past or active leaks, ventilation system evaluation, and documentation of current roof condition for insurance purposes.
Having a documented baseline of your roof’s condition at the 10-year mark is valuable if you need to file an insurance claim later. It establishes what damage existed (or did not exist) at a known point in time.
If you live in Nexton, Cane Bay, Carnes Crossroads, or other Summerville-area subdivisions, hail damage to your roof is not hypothetical — it is statistically likely.
The greater Summerville area sits in a region that experiences multiple hail-producing storms per year. These storms often produce hailstones ranging from pea-sized to quarter-sized or larger. Even small hail can damage roofing materials, particularly builder-grade shingles that may have thinner profiles and less impact resistance than premium products.
Major hail events in recent years have affected thousands of homes across Dorchester and Berkeley counties. Entire neighborhoods in Nexton and Cane Bay have qualified for insurance-covered roof replacements following these events.
This is the part that surprises most homeowners. Hail damage does not look like what you might expect. There are no holes. There are no missing shingles. From the ground, a hail-damaged roof looks completely normal.
What hail actually does is more subtle and more damaging over time:
A trained inspector identifies these signs by examining the roof up close, not from 30 feet away on the ground. This is why professional inspections matter.
Filing an insurance claim for roof damage on a newer home follows the same process as any home, but there are a few things specific to your situation.
Start with an independent roof inspection from a licensed contractor — not a storm chaser who knocked on your door. A reputable contractor will document the damage with photos, identify the likely cause (hail, wind, etc.), and provide a detailed report you can use when filing your claim. Right Hand Roofing provides free inspections for this purpose.
Contact your homeowner’s insurance company to file a claim based on the inspection findings. Your policy has a time limit for filing after damage occurs, typically one to two years in South Carolina, though this varies by policy. Do not wait.
Your insurance company will send an adjuster to inspect the roof independently. Having your contractor present during this inspection is valuable — they can point out damage the adjuster might miss and ensure the scope of damage is fully documented.
If the claim is approved, your insurance company will issue payment for the repair or replacement minus your deductible. On newer homes, depreciation may be minimal since the roof has not aged significantly, which can work in your favor.
Insurance companies can deny claims for damage that is too old or that was not reported in a timely manner. If your home has been through hailstorms and you have never had the roof inspected, you may be approaching or past the window for filing a legitimate claim. Getting an inspection now protects your ability to file if damage exists.
When Right Hand Roofing inspects a newer home in Nexton or Cane Bay, we conduct a thorough evaluation that goes far beyond what any homeowner can assess from ground level.
This inspection is free, thorough, and comes with an honest assessment. If your roof is fine, we will tell you. If there is damage, we will show you the evidence and explain your options.
No. A home built in 2019 has been through six years of Lowcountry weather, including multiple hail events. The five-year mark is actually the ideal time for your first professional inspection. Builder-grade materials can show wear sooner than you expect, and hail damage has nothing to do with roof age — it happens to new and old roofs equally.
You probably cannot tell from the ground. Hail damage on shingles requires a close-up inspection to identify granule loss, mat bruising, and sealant damage. The only reliable way to know is a professional inspection. Call us at (843) 696-9307 for a free roof inspection.
No. Builder warranties explicitly exclude weather damage including hail and wind. Hail damage is covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy, not your builder’s warranty. These are two completely separate coverage types.
Yes, as long as the damage occurred within your policy’s filing window, typically one to two years from the date of the storm event. Having a professional inspection and documentation of the damage is essential for a successful claim. The newer your roof, the less depreciation the insurance company applies, which can work in your favor.
Some may be, but many are not. Out-of-state storm chasers often appear in Summerville neighborhoods after major weather events, offering free inspections as a way to sign you up for a roof replacement. Before working with any roofing company, verify they hold a valid South Carolina contractor’s license, carry adequate insurance, and have a local presence. Right Hand Roofing is a licensed SC contractor (License #65625) with roots in the Summerville community.
Then you get peace of mind and a documented baseline of your roof’s condition. A clean inspection report is valuable because it establishes a known starting point. If a hailstorm hits next month, you have documentation proving any new damage was not pre-existing. There is no downside to a professional inspection.
Your Nexton or Cane Bay home is likely the largest investment you have made. The roof protecting that investment deserves professional attention, even if it is only a few years old. Hail damage does not wait for your roof to get old, your builder warranty does not cover weather damage, and your insurance claim window has a deadline.
Right Hand Roofing is an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor (ID: 244515), licensed in South Carolina (License #65625), a BBB member, and carries $1M+ in insurance coverage. Owner Tristan Carter and our team provide honest assessments — no pressure, no games.
Ready to find out what is really going on with your roof?
Professional roofing contractor serving Charleston, Summerville & the Lowcountry. Call (843) 696-9307
