What Homeowners Should Know About Roof Inspections

A roof inspection is the cheapest thing in roofing and the most frequently skipped. It is also the item most often used as a pretext for a sales call, which has made a lot of people reasonably suspicious of it. Both things are true, and the difference comes down to what actually gets done and what you receive at the end.

What a real inspection covers

Someone should be on the roof, or at minimum have close visual access to every slope. A walk around the perimeter with binoculars is a courtesy check, not an inspection. The scope should include:

• Surface condition on every slope - granule loss, curling, cracking, blistering, evidence of hail or wind damage. Slopes age at different rates, so one being fine tells you little about another.
• All flashings and penetrations - chimneys, pipe boots, vents, skylights, wall transitions, valleys. This is where most leaks start, so it should be where most of the time goes.
• Edge details and drainage - drip edge, fascia and soffit condition, gutter attachment and slope, whether water is leaving the roof properly.
• The attic, where access allows - the underside of the deck, staining, insulation condition, and whether the ventilation intake is genuinely open.
• Ventilation balance - intake versus exhaust. Deficient here and the roof will not reach its rated life regardless of the shingle.

What the report should contain

A verbal summary at the truck is not a report. What you should get:

• Photographs of every condition noted, so you can see it rather than take it on faith.
• Findings prioritized - what needs attention now, what to plan for, what to monitor.
• A realistic remaining service life estimate.
• A clear statement of overall condition, including when that statement is "this roof is fine."

That documentation has uses beyond the immediate decision. It is a dated record of condition, which matters for insurance, for warranty questions, and for a property sale.

How often

Annually for most properties. Twice a year - spring and fall - for roofs past fifteen years, and for properties under heavy tree cover. Plus after any significant hail or high-wind event, whether or not damage is visible from the ground, because hail damage frequently is not.

Home inspection versus roof inspection

A general home inspection covers the roof at a high level, usually from the ground or the edge, as one of dozens of systems. It will catch obvious problems and will not catch subtle ones. If you are buying a house and the roof is a material part of the decision, a roofing-specific inspection gives you remaining service life and a scoped repair estimate - the things you can actually use in a negotiation.

When it is worth paying for one immediately

• Before buying or selling a property.
• After a hail or high-wind event in your area.
• When a roof passes fifteen years, to establish a baseline and a plan.
• Before a large interior project, so you are not finishing a ceiling under a roof that is about to leak on it.
• On commercial property, ahead of budget season - a documented condition report is what capital planning runs on.