The roof of your home is one of the essential parts of your home. It protects you and your family from the elements. It keeps water out, and it makes the interior of your home more comfortable. Ensuring that it is in good condition can help you maintain its quality for years, or even decades, to come. A roof inspector can’t just look at the roof and say, “Hey, this needs to be replaced.” Sometimes the shingles are fine, but other issues need to be addressed before you replace the roof. These issues could cost you thousands of dollars if overlooked.
If you own a home, you know that while it’s essential to take care of the inside, the outside is equally important. However, most people don’t pay much attention to their roofs. But what do you need to know about your roof? How can you tell if it’s in good condition?
Roof inspections can be stressful and confusing, especially for first timers. As a professional roofer, I see many homeowners and contractors who aren’t prepared for what is about to happen, don’t know what to expect, or simply don’t know what questions to ask. This can lead to an incomplete or inaccurate report leading to costly mistakes and the potential need for expensive repairs down the road.
We’ve put together a checklist of common roofing issues to help you identify potential concerns before they become serious problems.
Why Do You Need a Roof Inspection?
For a variety of reasons, you might engage a professional roof inspector to do a roof check. For example, you may have discovered a leak and want to ensure it isn’t coming from the roof. Or perhaps your neighborhood has just seen heavy winds, and you want to inspect the roof for debris or damage.
1. Your attic’s ventilation
When a roofing contractor arrives at your house, the first thing they should inspect is your attic. They look up there to make sure your attic is adequately vented so it can breathe.
Your roof may suffer if your attic is not adequately aired. The trapped cold and hot air will severely reduce the life of your roof.
The importance of adequate attic ventilation to your roof investment cannot be stressed. Learn how good attic ventilation impacts your roof and house in this article.
2. Check leaks or interior water stains Visible on the Roof
This one should go without saying, but your roofing contractor will inspect for any leaks creating water stains on your ceiling. Once they’ve determined that you leak, they’ll look into what’s causing it.
When they locate it, they will either repair it or, if the damage is severe, they will propose a replacement. Read our post on the six most frequent roof leaks to discover more about the usual issues that a roofing contractor encounters.
3. Roofing Layer Counts
When your roofing contractor first arrives to check the roof, they will determine the number of layers. If the condition is considered severe enough to necessitate a roof replacement, your roof, and any additional layers will be removed.
If there are many levels, your roof replacement estimate will include the number of layers that must be removed. Check out this article about the roof tear-off procedure to discover more about how a roofing contractor rips off a roof.
4. Check Roof Decking
When your contractor goes on your roof, they’ll look at the decking. They’ll see if the ground is squishy or firm beneath their feet.
They’ll also inspect your decking to verify if the nails are still securely fastened. Be aware that your contractor may not always be able to tell if your decking is in good condition simply by walking on it.
Most of the time, they must inspect the roof’s condition after the shingles have been removed. If the integrity of your decking is damaged, your contractor will be required to repair that portion of decking throughout the roof replacement procedure.
How Often Should You Schedule a Roof Inspection?
A roof check should ideally be scheduled at least once a year. It is advisable to handle this chore in the early fall or early spring before rain and snow increase. By doing regular inspections, you may detect roofing problems early on and save costly repairs later.
If you just acquired a home and the roof was last examined when it was erected, you should arrange a roof inspection, especially if you waived the home inspection during the buying process. Your roof may be functioning on borrowed time after ten years or more without a professional roof inspection.
Roof Inspections Cost?
Roofing inspections typically cost roughly $210. However, depending on the scope of the examination, the form of your roof, and the kind of roofing material, the cost might range from $75 to $800.
Physical Roof Inspection
A physical roof inspection will require someone to climb onto the roof to conduct the check. This is the most basic sort of roof inspection, and it is primarily based on aesthetics. A physical roof check will typically approx. cost between $50-100 and $200-250.
Drone Roof Inspection
When climbing onto the roof is too dangerous, homeowners might request a drone roof inspection. The drone flies around the outside of the home, filming or photographing it. This sort of examination is often performed when the roof is exceptionally steep or impassable. A drone roof assessment will cost you between $200-$400.
Roof Inspection by Infrared
Infrared roof examinations are more expensive than standard roof inspections. Professional inspectors use infrared technology to check for symptoms of deterioration that are generally invisible to the human eye, such as microscopic fractures and leaks. An infrared roof check will typically cost between $450-$650.
What’s Included in a Roof Inspection?
A roof inspector will go over every aspect of a roof. They include the structural support, the stability of the roofing material, and any symptoms of damage throughout the ceiling and walls.
Structural Inspection
- Cracked, splintered, or rotted rafters or trusses
- Missing/damaged collar bands
- Sagging ceilings
- Lost/damaged rafter timbers
- Exterior walls that are tilting or leaning
While on the roof, the inspector will examine the condition of your soffit, fascia, and gutters. If you have any skylights, chimneys, or vents, they will inspect the grout, seals, and exterior for indications of deterioration.
Home Inspections vs. Roof Inspections
When comparing house inspections and roof inspections, the two activities are in two different leagues, but they may be combined. Because the roof is a vital element of the home, almost all home inspections include a comprehensive roof check. However, it will not be as concentrated as a specialist roof inspection.
A regular home inspection will cover all three components of the roof examination. However, house inspections frequently skip searching for pests and leave it up to the homeowner to do so. Roof inspections, on the other hand, consider bugs to be one of their primary worries. Furthermore, you are unlikely to be able to request drone or infrared inspection solutions.
Conclusion
You can’t afford to overlook any mistakes and errors as a roofing contractor in Greensboro, Winston Salem, and Triad area. Whether it’s an emergency repair or a thorough maintenance inspection, your team must inspect every aspect of your client’s property. The inspection procedure should never be rushed. They should also check for red flags that might influence the remainder of the house and its value. Here are eleven items they should always check for during inspections to know what to search for in their clients’ homes.