What Does a Roof Inspection Actually Check?

Roof inspections vary enormously in what they involve, and the difference between a thorough one and a walk-around is not visible in the price. Knowing the sequence lets you tell them apart. Inglewood Roofing Services performs full inspections and gives you the photographs at (424) 732-2269.

It should start inside

The attic tells you more about a roof than the surface does, and an inspector who never goes up there has skipped the most informative part.

What gets looked for: daylight visible through the deck, staining on the underside of the sheathing, rusted nail points, damp or compressed insulation, and the condition of the framing. Old stains and active moisture look different, and distinguishing them is the difference between a leak you have and a leak you had.

Ventilation gets assessed here too. Inadequate intake or exhaust cooks the underside of the roof and shortens its life, and it is a common finding on houses of a certain age around here where soffit vents were painted shut or blocked with insulation.

Then the surface, slope by slope

On asphalt, the inspector is looking at granule coverage, curling, cupping, cracking and any lifted or missing shingles. Coverage is assessed per slope rather than overall, because sun exposure differs so much between them.

On tile, the count of broken, slipped and cracked pieces, and crucially the condition of the underlayment where it can be seen. On low-slope sections, the seams, the condition of any coating, evidence of ponding and whether the drains are clear.

Foot traffic damage gets noted as well, since previous work by other trades on a tile roof frequently leaves a trail of cracked pieces nobody reported.

The details, which is where the leaks are

Most of the inspector's time belongs here. Pipe boots for cracked collars. Flashing where the roof meets a wall, a chimney or a parapet. Valleys, where water concentrates. Skylight perimeters. Any penetration for a vent, a fan, a satellite mount or a solar attachment.

Sealant is checked everywhere it appears, because sealant is a maintenance item rather than a permanent detail, and a roof relying on sealant where flashing should be doing the work is a roof with a scheduled failure.

Solar installations get particular attention in this area. Mounting penetrations are numerous, they were made by an installer whose trade is electrical rather than roofing, and they are a common source of leaks that get blamed on the roof.

Drainage and edges

Gutters, downspouts, scuppers and drains are part of the roof rather than an accessory to it. Blocked drainage backs water up under the covering, and on a low-slope roof it adds weight the structure was not designed to carry.

Edge metal, drip edge and fascia condition all get recorded. Dry rot at the eave and fascia is common on older homes here and it is usually the visible end of a longer-running water problem rather than a paint issue.

What a good report looks like

Photographs of every finding, with enough context to see where on the roof it is. Findings separated into what needs attention now, what should be planned for, and what is fine. An estimate of remaining service life with the reasoning behind it.

What it should not be is a single verdict with a quote attached. An inspection that produces only the recommendation to replace, with no itemized findings and no photographs, has not told you anything you can evaluate.

Ask for the report in writing before any work is discussed. A contractor confident in their findings has no problem separating the two.

How often, and when

Every couple of years is reasonable for a roof in good condition, and annually once it is past the middle of its expected life. Also worth doing after any significant wind event, after work by another trade that involved the roof, and before buying a property.

Before a solar installation is the one people miss. Putting a twenty-year system on a roof with five years left is an expensive sequence, because removing and resetting the array to replace the roof underneath costs a great deal more than doing the roof first.

Walking the roof, and when it should not happen

Some roofs should not be walked. Tile cracks under foot traffic, aged membranes can be damaged by it, and steep or brittle surfaces are a safety matter. A good inspector uses ladders, edges, binoculars, a drone or attic access rather than insisting on walking everything.

If somebody walks your tile roof casually, ask afterward whether anything broke. The honest answer is often yes, and a professional will tell you and replace what they damaged rather than leaving it for the next inspection to find.