Roof inspection

What you can see, and what is hidden

The signs you notice from inside the house or from the ground are real, but they are only the surface of the story. An inspection separates what you can observe from what has to be inferred, and from the areas that simply are not accessible without getting onto the roof.

Pipe boots: a small gap, a slow leak

Plumbing vents pass through the roof through sealed boots. The rubber collar around a pipe boot cracks as it ages, and a tight seal is the only thing keeping that tiny gap from becoming a slow leak. A crack here is easy to miss from the ground and worth asking about.

Step flashing and valley drainage are different

Step flashing is the layered metal where a roof meets a wall, guiding water past the junction instead of behind it. Valley drainage is separate: it is where two roof planes meet and collect the most water on the roof. They are different mechanisms in different places, and an inspection looks at both rather than treating them as the same.

Sheathing hidden under the coverings

The sheathing beneath shingles or metal is what fasteners anchor into. It is not visible from above until the covering is lifted, so its condition is inferred from the signs around it: soft spots, sagging, or stains underneath. An inspection can flag where to look, not promise what is hidden without access.

Granule loss versus cosmetic algae

Granules washing into the gutters can mean the protective surface is wearing thin. Dark streaks, on the other hand, are often algae and can be cosmetic. Knowing the difference keeps you from treating a stain as a problem or missing the loss that matters.

Attic condensation versus rain entry

Moisture in the attic does not always mean rain is getting through the roof. Condensation from warm, humid air hitting a cold underside can look like a leak. An inspection considers where the moisture is and when it appears before assuming the roof itself is the path.

Wind creases and hail uncertainty

Wind can crease a shingle and hail can bruise it, but the marks are not always clear, and a photo alone does not diagnose the cause or promise an insurance outcome. An inspection describes what is observed and what is uncertain, so you can decide what to do without a guess dressed up as certainty.

Observation, inference, and what is not accessible

A useful inspection is honest about three things: what was directly observed, what was inferred from the signs, and what could not be checked without access. That distinction matters because it tells you how much weight each finding carries.

What you can do with the findings

Not every finding means work. After an inspection, the options are usually to monitor and watch, schedule maintenance, or plan separately scoped work. An inspection does not promise remaining roof life or a written report of a fixed format; it gives you a clearer picture to choose from.