If you're about to buy a home or your home has just been through a serious storm, then it's a good idea to have a professional roofer come do an inspection. However, there are also times when a brief, DIY roof inspection may be sufficient. Maybe you're casually looking at a home, not quite sure if you're even interested in putting in an offer yet. Or perhaps your roof is a few years old, and you're just wondering how it's doing overall. Here are the key steps you can take to perform a basic, DIY roof inspection and note any damage that may warrant a call to your roof repair company.
Check for moisture in the attic
Start inside your home. Go into your attic, or if your attic is too tight, simply stick your head up there. Pay attention to how the air feels. Is it moist and overly humid? Also, take a look around. Do you see any moldy spots or any areas where there are drops of moisture on the insulation? If so, there is probably a roof leak somewhere. There's no need to go further and pinpoint the location of the leak. Your roof repair contractor can do that as a part of their process.
Look for lifted shingles
Missing shingles should definitely catch your attention and prompt a call to the roofer. But so should shingles that are lifted along the bottom. It's fairly easy to spot these if you squat until your eye level is flat across the roof. From this angle, you should be able to tell, fairly easily, if the shingles are lifting off the roof deck. Lifted shingles can cause leaks if the wind blows rain at the right angle, so don't ignore them because they're still technically in place.
Pay attention to the metal components
When looking at the roof, don't just focus on the shingles. Pay close attention to all metal components since this is often where damage begins. Is the flashing around the chimney peeling? Is the bottom of a roof valley lifted? If so, you will want to call a roofer as soon as possible. Water can seep beneath damaged metal flashing and cause bigger problems, such as rot in the roof deck.
As long as you're checking for the key issues above, you're doing a reasonable job of inspecting your roof. Make sure you also have a professional inspection from time to time.
Contact a residential roofing service to learn more.
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