It’s Spring. Time to Inspect Your Roof!

Keeping your roof in good repair is an important investment in your house. one of the easiest ways to stay on top of problems is to periodically inspect your roof.

 

Here’s a guide to how to quickly do it yourself and what you can expect if you decide to hire a professional roof inspector.

 

Do it yourself visual inspection

Every homeowner should be comfortable with a do-it-yourself visual inspection of the roof. This can be completed pretty quickly.

 

First, circle your house from the outside looking at your roof. Make sure that it is free of debris of any kind.  Also, check that there are no spots that appear to be sagging, bulging, or miscolored.

 

Second, using your windows, or perhaps by walking even further away from your house, you will want to check any spots you can’t see from the ground.  You are looking for the same kinds of concerns: sags, bulges, debris, or discoloration.

 

Depending on your comfort with ladders and being on the roof, check joints, seams and the edges of the roof near the gutter. You should see no evidence of standing water. At the gutters, there should be a clear space between them and the roof, so that water is dropping into gutters and not flowing in.

 

Working with a professional inspector

 

If you have specific concerns about your roof, such as a leak, sags, bulges, debris, or discoloration, or even wide portions of the roof you can’t see yourself, it’s time to hire a professional.

 

A professional inspector will give you a thorough and comprehensive review of the condition of your entire roof.

 

This professional roofer will be looking at a few things you simply can’t see from the ground:

 

  • Structural inspection – the professional will check all of the parts of your roof – where it joins with chimneys and vents, gutters, and even the frame supporting your roof
  • Material inspection – the Professional will look at the quality of the shingles or other roofing material used to make sure they’ve been standing up to the elements. Additionally they will check the amount of shingle aggregate (the “pebbles” from your shingles) that is collecting in your downspouts as evidence of the age and effectiveness of your roof material
  • Workmanship inspection – The professional will check that shingles gutters and chimneys were installed correctly with good workmanship so that there’s no exposure to the elements.
  • Interior inspection – finally a professional will check inside all the areas covered by a roof to make sure there’s no sign of material defects or water intrusion.

 

It’s a wise investment to periodically get a professional roof inspection.

 

Leave a Reply