Residential · Inspection
A roof inspection that ends in a documented report
A residential roof inspection is a photo-documented assessment of the whole roof assembly: surface, flashings, penetrations, drainage, and the attic where accessible. It is for homeowners who suspect damage, are buying or selling, or simply don't know what shape the roof is in. It ends in a written report that separates urgent problems from maintenance items, storm indicators, and normal aging.
Scope
What the inspection covers
The assembly, not just the shingles. A roof fails at its details far more often than in its field, so the details get the attention.
Roof surface and materials
Condition of the visible system (wear, damage, fastening, sealing), checked up close where safe access allows, not judged from the curb.Flashings and penetrations
Chimneys, valleys, skylights, vents, and wall junctions: the details where most residential leaks start.Drainage
Gutters, downspouts, and valleys: whether water leaves the roof the way the assembly assumes it does.Attic and ventilation
Where the attic is accessible: sheathing condition, moisture signs, insulation contact, and whether intake and exhaust ventilation are balanced.Interior indicators
Stains, peeling paint, and damp spots inside the house get traced back toward their likely entry points, not just noted.Photo documentation
Every finding is photographed where it sits. The report shows you the condition instead of asking you to take anyone's word for it.
The visit
How the inspection runs
You stay on the ground the whole time. Working at height with proper access is our job.
Scheduling and access
We confirm what access the inspection needs (attic entry, gate codes, pets) and what it doesn't. You don't need to prepare the roof.
You receive: A confirmed appointment and a clear list of what we'll need.
Exterior and roof-level review
The inspector works the perimeter, then the roof itself where conditions allow safe access, documenting the surface and every detail point.
Attic check
Where the attic is accessible, the inspection continues from underneath, often where the earliest evidence lives.
Written findings
Findings are compiled into a written report with photos, categorized by what they mean, not a punch list designed to alarm.
You receive: The photo-backed condition report.
Walkthrough
We go through the report with you, answer questions, and lay out options where action is warranted, including the option to do nothing yet.
You receive: A clear next step you chose with the evidence in front of you.
Some conditions are beyond any inspection’s reach: what sits under intact roofing can only be confirmed by opening it, and the report says so where it applies rather than guessing.
The report
Four categories, kept separate
The value of the report is in what it refuses to blur together.
Urgent
Active leaks or conditions likely to admit water soon. These come with a recommended action and an explanation of what happens if they wait.Maintenance
Items that are not leaking today but will shorten the roof's service life if ignored: sealant failures, debris, minor flashing wear.Storm indicators
Findings consistent with hail or wind events, documented as evidence with dates and photos, stated plainly and without speculation.Normal aging
What is simply the roof being its age. A report that never uses this category is a sales document, not an inspection.
If the findings point to work, the report links straight into the next decision: targeted repair when the problem is local, replacement when the assembly is done, or the storm restoration process when the evidence points to a weather event.
Timing
When an inspection is worth booking
After wind or hail
Storm damage is often invisible from the ground and gets worse quietly. Documenting condition close to the event date protects you either way.Buying or selling
A documented roof condition removes the biggest exterior unknown from the transaction, for either side of it.Something showed up inside
A ceiling stain, a damp smell in the attic, paint lifting near an exterior wall: interior evidence means the clock is already running.You inherited an unknown roof
New house, no records, unknown age. One report converts the roof from a standing worry into a known quantity with a timeline.Before other exterior work
Solar, gutters, painting, an addition: anything that touches or depends on the roof goes better when the roof's condition is known first.On a schedule
Roofs age faster at the details than in the field. A periodic look at the flashings and sealants catches small failures while they're still small.
FAQ
Inspection questions
Does an inspection commit me to hiring you?
No. The report is yours, and it is written to stand on its own: categories, photos, and findings you could hand to any contractor. If action is warranted, we will tell you what we would do and why, and the decision stays yours.
Do I need to be home for it?
For the exterior, not necessarily; we need safe access to the property. The attic check and the findings walkthrough work better with you there, and the walkthrough is where most of the value lands, so we recommend it.
Can I just send you photos instead?
Photos help us triage and are worth sending, especially of interior stains. But a phone screen cannot show what is under a lifted shingle or behind a flashing, so photos narrow the question; they don’t answer it.
Will you get on the roof?
Where conditions allow safe access, yes; that is where the details live. Where pitch, height, or surface conditions make walking the roof unsafe, the inspection uses other safe access methods and the report notes exactly what was and wasn’t directly examined.
What if you find nothing wrong?
Then the report says so, and that is a good outcome: you get a documented baseline and a realistic picture of what to watch as the roof ages. An inspection that must find problems to justify itself isn’t an inspection.
Start with the building
Ready for a straight answer on the roof?
Request the inspection and get the condition in writing, or call first and describe what you're seeing.