Most roof inspections fail at the attic. We check the underside of the sheathing with a moisture meter and an infrared scan, because mid-century modern homes from the 1950s and 1960s hide rot behind finished ceilings.
Findings change with what's overhead: three-tab and architectural asphalt shingles, cedar shake and wood shake, slate, clay or concrete tile, standing-seam and corrugated metal panels, and low-slope TPO, EPDM, PVC membrane, or built-up roof systems each fail differently.
Hot, dry summers and strong afternoon winds flake sealant and lift tabs along the rake; winter storm systems then seep under the flashing and wick into the deck. That cycle drives most of the roof estimate numbers we write.
What's Included
A full roof inspection of the field course, ridge cap, hip, valley, gable, rake, verge, and overhang, with drone imagery wherever the pitch is too steep to walk.Attic-side checks with a moisture meter and infrared scan for rot, decay, and wet sheathing on plywood or OSB decking.Ventilation review at the ridge vent, soffit vent, attic fan, and insulation, because a hot roof deck cooks asphalt shingle from underneath.Flashing and penetration checks at chimney flashing, step flashing, counter-flashing, apron flashing, pipe boot, vent boot, skylight, dormer, and parapet transitions.Gutter, downspout, fascia, and soffit review, since overflow at the eave is where rot and fascia decay usually start.A written report with dated photos, plus a roof estimate broken into line items for tear-off, underlayment, flashing, and debris haul-off.A building code review covering drip edge and ice-and-water shield, with claim-ready documentation that includes the storm date and scope an adjuster expects.
Signs You Need Roof Inspection
Granule loss shows up as a handful of grit at the bottom of the downspout after a windy week, which means the shingle mat is exposed to UV.Curled, buckled, or missing shingle tabs along the field course, which is end-of-life wear rather than a stain.Brown water stains on attic sheathing or a soft spot near the chimney, telling you water is wicking along the deck.A dip in the roofline you can see from the street, which points to a failing rafter, truss, or ridge beam instead of the shingle.Old tar, mastic, or roof cement smeared around a pipe boot, which is a patch that has already failed once.Hail bruising on metal panels after a storm, or an ice dam at the eave that backed meltwater up under the courses.
Our Roof Inspection Process
We set a ladder at the perimeter and check the roofline, gutter line, fascia, and soffit for sag or settlement before we go up.On the rooftop we map the field course, ridge, hips, and valleys, clip into a safety harness on steep pitch, and fly drone imagery over anything we can't safely walk.In the attic we read the underlayment from below with a moisture meter and infrared scan, looking for rusted nails, stained sheathing, and wet insulation.We lift suspect shingle with a pry bar and check for an overdriven nail or a dried caulk bead at the counter-flashing, then reseal what can be mended instead of tearing off a whole slope.A roofing square per slope tells us the size, and we write a line-item roof estimate the same day: tear-off, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water shield, flashing, fasteners, and dumpster or debris removal.You get the written report with photos, a straight repair-versus-replace call, and the storm date and scope notes your adjuster needs before the claim deadline.