How To Check Your Roof Without Getting On It
Almost everything worth noticing can be seen from the ground and from inside the house.
Please stay off the roof. Falls are the most common serious injury in this trade among people who do it every day, and a homeowner in ordinary shoes on a hot surface is a far worse bet. Everything below can be done with your feet on the ground.
From the ground, ideally with binoculars
- Shingles that are cupping, curling at the corners, or missing tabs
- Bald patches where the granules have worn away, often below a valley
- Ridges and hips, which weather first
- Flashing at chimneys, walls and vents, which is where most leaks actually start
- Anything sagging along a roof line that used to be straight
In the gutters
A cup of granules after a storm is normal. Persistent granule accumulation is a roof shedding its protection faster than it should.
From inside
Go into the attic on a bright day with the lights off and look for daylight. Then look for staining on the underside of the deck, damp insulation, or a musty smell. Water travels along framing before it drops, so a stain on a ceiling is rarely under the hole.
After a storm
Look, note the date, and photograph anything you find. Timing matters if a claim follows. What you should not do is go up to check, and you should be equally wary of anyone who knocks on the door offering to.
Want somebody to take a look?
Sunbelt Roofing Co covers this every week in Phoenix.