Welcome back! Last week we talked about decks, and now, we’re ready to discuss roofs. As always, there’s no substitute for a well-trained inspector being on site and seeing the condition of the structure firsthand, but this week?s episode presents a high-level, general overview of what’s involved in our roof inspections. Let’s get started!

Roofs generally fit into two categories: pitched and flat. Most of the residential structures we inspect have pitched roofs. We mentioned in Episode 2 that we start inspecting a particular aspect of the structure by first observing its condition generally; so when it comes to the roof, we initially assess its overall condition. Maybe chalk it up to my years of experience in construction, but I will walk just about every roof I can. Of course, there are safety exceptions; I won’t walk a roof if I don’t feel safe doing so.There are many different types of residential roofs. We see tile, metal shingles, wood shingles, and the most common asphalt shingles. The images below show a roof in poor condition. You can see the missing shingles in the image on the right; you can even see the shingle nails from the under-layers. A roof in this condition is prone to leakage, which is one of the main concerns in roofing. As we’ve seen in previous episodes, water being in unexpected places is a major problem.

When we’re inspecting a roof, we are looking at covering; fasteners; deck sheathing; slope and underlayment; ice barrier; drip edge; presence of an offset pattern; roof valley flashing; nail penetration into the deck sheathing; and flashing areas. When we are inspecting the roof covering, we will first check to see if there are multiple layers of shingles installed. Having multiple shingle layers isn’t bad, per se, but it does warrant closer inspection of certain areas of the roof. In particular, when a roofing layer is installed, the flashing must be redone.The roof is a critical part of the inspection because it plays a major role in protecting the inside of the structure from weather and water, and repairs can be very expensive. It’s for these reasons that we are particularly diligent when inspecting a roof. This applies to the roof of the main structure and also roofing on any other structure on the property, such as a detached garage, a shed, or an outbuilding.

 We will definitely be referring Steve to our family and friends.

Thanks for joining us this week! The roof is a very important topic in the home inspection. We?ve only scratched the surface here, but we covered the most significant points in broad strokes. Remember, the best way to learn more from your home inspector is to ask questions! Were always available.

Thank you for your support and stay tuned for our next episode!