Home / Roof Inspection
There is a wide gap between what the industry calls a roof inspection and what is useful to a homeowner. At one end, a contractor drives by, looks at the roof from the sidewalk, and tells you it looks like it has some life left. At the other end, you receive a written report with photographs, component-by-component condition notes, an estimate of remaining service life, and a prioritized list separating what needs attention now from what can wait two seasons.
Only the second one has value in a real estate transaction, an insurance claim, or a maintenance budget. It is also the only one that helps you make a decision, because a roof is not a single object in one condition — it is an assembly of components aging at different rates. The shingles may have twelve years left while the vent boots have two and the chimney flashing has zero.
Granule loss is the primary aging indicator on asphalt shingles. Granules are the UV shield; once they are gone the asphalt mat degrades quickly. We look for bald patches, check gutters for accumulated granules, and assess flexibility — a shingle at end of life cracks when lifted rather than bending. We also look at nail placement and exposure patterns, which reveal whether the original installation was done correctly.
Every transition gets examined individually: chimney step and counter flashing, skylight assemblies, plumbing vent boots, roof-to-wall junctions, kickout presence, valley condition, and drip edge. This is where the majority of leaks originate, so it receives the majority of inspection time.
Where attic access exists, the underside of the deck tells a story the top surface cannot. Staining, delamination, rusted nail shanks, soft spots, and daylight all get documented. A roof can look serviceable from above while the sheathing beneath it is failing from condensation.
We check for balanced intake and exhaust, blocked soffit vents, bath and dryer fans terminating into the attic rather than through the roof, and insulation pushed into soffit bays where it strangles airflow. In Seattle this section of the report is frequently the most consequential one, because attic moisture problems masquerade as roof problems and get misdiagnosed for years.
Gutter slope and attachment, downspout discharge location, fascia and soffit condition, and evidence of overflow staining. Where downspouts dump against a foundation, the roof is functioning correctly and still causing damage.
Extent, location, species character, and — more importantly — the conditions producing it: overhanging limbs, permanent shade, poor drying, debris accumulation. Removing moss without changing the conditions means removing it again in two years.
A documented roof condition report removes the largest single unknown from a buyer's mind and takes the roof off the negotiating table. Discovering a decking problem during your buyer's inspection is the most expensive possible time to discover it, because you are negotiating from a position with no leverage and no time.
General home inspectors are competent generalists, but roof assessment is frequently the weakest section of a general inspection, sometimes performed from a ladder at the eave or from the ground. On a house where the roof is the major variable, a specialist inspection is worth the separate fee.
Storm damage is often invisible from the ground. Shingles that broke their sealant strips look completely normal until the next sustained wind drives rain underneath. Post-storm documentation also establishes a timeline that matters for insurance.
Most Seattle asphalt roofs enter their decline phase between years 15 and 22. Annual inspection through that window catches component failures — boots, flashing, valleys — while they are still cheap repairs rather than deck replacements.
A roofing contractor inspecting your roof has an obvious incentive to find work. Pretending otherwise would be insulting. So here is how we handle it.
Findings are documented with photographs, so you can see the condition yourself rather than taking our word for it. Recommendations are separated into three tiers — act now, plan for within two years, monitor — because collapsing everything into urgent is a sales tactic rather than an assessment. And when a roof has meaningful life left, the report says so in writing, including an estimated remaining service life, even though that is the version that generates no immediate revenue.
If you want a second opinion on a replacement quote you have already received, that is a completely legitimate reason to call, and we will tell you when the other quote is reasonable. A roof that genuinely needs replacing will still need replacing when you are ready. A roof that does not should not be sold one.
A written document with photographs covering roof surface condition and granule loss, every flashing and penetration, decking assessed from the attic where accessible, ventilation and insulation, drainage, and moss or biological growth. Findings are separated into act now, plan within two years, and monitor.
Yes. General home inspectors are competent generalists, but roof assessment is often the weakest section of a general inspection and is sometimes performed from a ladder at the eave or from the ground rather than on the roof surface itself.
Most Seattle asphalt roofs enter their decline phase between years 15 and 22. Annual inspection through that window catches component failures such as vent boots, flashing, and valleys while they are still inexpensive repairs rather than deck replacements.
It removes the largest unknown from a buyer's mind and takes the roof off the negotiating table. Discovering a decking problem during your buyer's inspection is the most expensive possible time to find it, because you are negotiating with no leverage and no time.
Yes, in writing, including an estimated remaining service life. Findings are documented photographically so you can evaluate the condition yourself rather than taking our word for it.
That is a completely legitimate reason to call, and we will tell you when the other quote is reasonable.
We measure in person, walk the roof, check the attic, and give you a written fixed quote — not a satellite guess.
