Roof Inspections 101: What You Should Expect

After a hurricane it is time to get your roof inspected

The hurricane season in 2020 was one for the record books, with 12 named storms, including Eta, which made landfall in South Florida not once, but twice in November. Now that hurricane season is over, it’s time to get your roof inspected to make sure that it didn’t incur damage during this most unusual hurricane season.

Epic Roofing & Exteriors recommends that homeowners get their roof inspected at least once a year even if your area of southwest Florida wasn’t too impacted by storms. Most homeowners don’t think about their roofs until there is a problem or a weather event hits and they are concerned about damage. But it makes sense to examine your roof when the weather isn’t too dreadful to catch potential problems before a major storm moves through. If your roof is missing flashing around skylights or is rotting due to moisture and humidity getting beneath your shingles, it could be an expensive fix if not caught sooner rather than later.

Storms that rage through southwest Florida can exacerbate existing problems by throwing high winds and heavy rainfall at them. And let’s face it, it is much easier to correct a roofing problem when the weather is nice, and you catch it early.

What do roof inspectors look for?

At Epic Roofing & Exteriors, our roof inspectors will schedule a time to examine your roof. We look for missing or damaged roofing material, missing or damaged flashing, mold or mildew, blisters and buckling, exposed nails, sagging, damaged fascia boards, dry rot, or other structural issues. We also inspect the interior of your home, especially the attic.

It is important to hire a professional to come out and inspect your roof. Some roof damage is easy to spot from the ground, like missing or damaged shingles or tile, but other problems will only be visible to a professional who knows what they are looking for.

Structural issues

The first thing an inspector will look for is structural issues like uneven surfaces or obvious sagging. If there are areas of your roof where water pools after a rainstorm, it is probable that water and moisture have worked their way beneath your shingles and tiles and have damaged the plywood beneath. If this problem isn’t fixed quickly, it can cause problems in the interior of your home. Water can get inside your attic, destroy your insulation, and ruin ceilings and walls.

Roof inspectors also will check around your skylights and chimneys to make sure the flashing around them is still in place and the masonry of the chimney isn’t crumbling. When inspectors walk your roof, they will look for signs that your home doesn’t have enough roof ventilation. When an attic isn’t ventilated properly, too much moisture and heat can create condensation buildup in your attic and cause rot, mold, and mildew which can negatively affect the life of your roofing material.

Roofing materials

It is important, after a major storm, to inspect your roof for missing or damaged shingles or tiles. When shingles are at the end of their life, they start to buckle or curl. Inspectors will not only inspect the materials on your roof but check your downspouts and gutters for granules that show that your shingles are deteriorating. High winds can knock off roofing tiles and shingles, so inspectors will look closely for missing roofing material and exposed nails. They also check the waterproof seals around your vents, skylights, and along roof valleys to make sure they are still intact and not leaking.

Interior inspection

When our inspectors are done examining the roof, they will move inside and look for holes in the roof, which is evidenced by light streaming into your attic, damaged insulation, water stains, mold, and mildew. They also look for water stains and bubbling paint on ceilings and walls that might be caused by water leaking in from your roof. It is important to catch these things before they become a major problem. It doesn’t hurt for you, the homeowner, to get up in your attic periodically to make sure everything is in order and to keep an eye out for obvious signs of leaks.

Once our inspection is completed, we let you know what we’ve found. If a problem is discovered, we work with you to come up with a plan to remediate the problem. That could mean replacing a few missing or damaged tiles or shingles or a full tear-off and roof replacement. When we replace your roof, we make sure that it has the proper waterproofing material beneath your roofing materials and that any structural issues are fixed before the installation begins.

Please give Epic Roofing & Exteriors a call for a free estimate and to find out more about what our residential roofing inspections entail. 

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