What you actually receive
The deliverable is a report, not a verdict. It names the roof systems on the building, gives each section a condition rating with the observations behind it, places every photograph on a roof plan, and ends with a repair list in the order we would do the work.
That order matters more than the list. A roof usually has more findings than budget, and the question is never whether everything should be fixed but which items cannot wait. A lifted lap at a drain and a rusting fastener in the middle of the field are both findings. Only one of them is about to put water in the building.
What we do not do on the visit
We do not price the repairs while standing on the roof, and we do not open the assembly without asking first. Core samples make holes, holes are patched, and the patching is part of the job. Where we think a core or a moisture survey is the only way to answer a question that matters to your decision, we say so, explain what it would cost and let you decide.
We also do not write findings we did not see. Where a section could not be reached safely, the report says so and says why, rather than rating it from the parapet.
When people book one
The common triggers are a purchase or a refinance where someone wants the roof characterized, a budget cycle where a capital line needs defending, a storm that may or may not have done something, a warranty that requires documented inspections, and a leak that has already started. The last one is the most expensive place to begin.
Common questions
Can I be on the roof while you inspect it?
You are welcome to, and on a first visit it is usually worth it. Standing at a failed lap while someone explains it tells you more than reading about it later.
- You hear which findings we are sure about and which we are not
- Access has to be safe for both of us
- Wet membrane, frost, high wind and heat change that judgment on the day
- Where the building has its own access rules, they govern
If the roof is not somewhere we would send an untrained person, we will say so and walk you through the findings on the photographs instead. Nothing in the report depends on your having been up there. Say when you book if you want to come.
What is the difference between an inspection and a roof survey?
The words are used loosely across the industry, so ask what is actually being done. In general an inspection is a visual assessment and a survey adds a measurement technique on top.
- An inspection walks the roof and records the surface, the details and the drainage
- A survey adds infrared scanning, moisture readings or core samples
- An inspection tells you the condition of what can be seen
- A survey tells you what is happening inside the assembly
That second question matters when you are choosing between repair, restoration and replacement. Most buildings start with an inspection, and testing is added when the visual evidence raises a question the surface cannot answer. Ask for both to be quoted separately.
What do you need from me before the visit?
Less than people expect. The address, a contact who can let us in, and whatever you know about the roof: its age, its type and whether anything is leaking now.
- Send drawings, previous reports, repair invoices and warranty documents if you have them
- Old paperwork often answers a question the surface cannot
- Tell us how the roof is reached and what key, permit or lift is needed
- Tell us the hours when we cannot be on site
A visit that arrives to a locked hatch costs you a second visit, so access is worth settling early. If you do not know the roof type or the area, that is fine. Establishing it is part of the job, not a condition of booking.
Will the inspection tell me whether to repair or replace the roof?
It will give you the evidence and our view of it, but a visual inspection alone often cannot settle it. Repair against replacement turns on what lives under the membrane.
- The insulation, the deck and how many layers are already installed
- Where the surface evidence points one way clearly, the conclusion is not in doubt
- Widespread splitting on a roof well past its expected life is one such case
- Where it does not, the responsible answer is to open the roof
Core samples establish layer count and deck condition at specific points and are inexpensive relative to what they inform. A moisture survey shows how much insulation is wet, which decides whether a restoration coating is reasonable or a waste of money. We will say which is worth doing.
Do I need an inspection if the roof is not leaking?
A roof that is not leaking is the best time to inspect one, because everything found is still cheap to fix.
- Water reaching a ceiling tile has usually been in the assembly a while
- It has moved sideways from where it entered and soaked insulation on the way
- The repair is then larger than the original defect
- A dated record supports a warranty claim, a storm claim or a reserve study
- It also supports a sale or a refinance where a lender asks about the roof
The exception is a roof just replaced and under a maintenance agreement that already includes inspections. Check what you are paying for before you buy it twice. Otherwise book the walk while the findings are still repairs.