Has your roof begun to display signs of age and neglect? If so, in order to prevent costly repairs or severe damage to your house, it is probably time to schedule a professional roofing inspection. Roughly speaking, it is recommended that homeowners have their roofs inspected once a year, but more frequent inspections may be needed for other circumstances, such as storms or making your home ready for sale.
It is never a safe idea to get up by yourself on your roof. (Don’t do that. It isn’t worth the risk.) And do you know what to look for or how to fix it? Probably not. That’s why you must always leave the professionals with roof inspections.
We consulted with the roofing experts at Cavalry Roofing in Raleigh North Carolina about what a typical roof inspection consists of, these are the following services that are normally done during an inspection:
Exterior inspection
The roofing inspector will be searching for some factors while they are on your roof. Cracked or broken tiles can allow the intrusion of water and should be replaced. The inspector may want to find shingles that are losing granules, shingles that are curling up at the edges, shingles that are becoming unglued, or areas with missing shingles when looking at asphalt tiles. If an excessive amount of loose shingle granules are found in your gutters, this is a warning that your shingles are being worn away. Granules give added weight to your shingles and shield them from ultraviolet rays.
The roofing specialist looks at the house from a rooftop ladder. Different roofing materials would allow closer inspection. For example, your inspector can walk along a shingle roof of asphalt but only walk on a tile roof if needed.
Because it can be extremely dangerous to walk improperly on the roof and potentially damage your roof’s tiles and seams, you should not try to do so.
Interior inspection
For confirmation of water penetration, the second thing a roofer can do is check the house’s interior. They’ll search the attic for signs of decay, leakage, mold, and moisture in some cases. Any gaps in your roof will be found by searching for rays of light entering from the outside. In order to stop heat loss, your inspector will also recommend that you add insulation if your home does not have it.
Possible Repair Estimate
The professional inspecting your home would provide an estimation based on the extent of damage to your roof, the cost of repair materials, and labor upon completion of the inspection. Suppose the inspection was requested in connection with the pending sale of real estate. In that case, a report describing the condition of the roof, any suggested repairs, and their approximate costs should be sent to both the buying and selling parties.
Final Thoughts
Roof leaks will wreak havoc on your home and the issues that come with them. The repair work becomes more difficult if leaks are not handled quickly, potentially involve extensive water damage and mold remediation.