A Good Home Inspector Will Easily Uncover These Common Roofing Fails

Every week, the detail-oriented folks at Green Scene Home Inspections will give CandysDirt.com readers an education in inspection. Want to see what they see? Tune in  for “Upon Closer Inspection.”

When you’re buying a home, the major areas of consideration are the roof, plumbing, electricity, hvac, and the foundation. We call these the “Big 5,” so if something is amiss, you may have costly repairs on your hands at some point.

This week we have some of our Inspectors coming to you from the rooftops of Dallas-Fort Worth with some common roofing issues.

Can’t See That From The Ground

Here, Inspector Brian points out the importance of having the roof inspected at a home you intend to purchase.

Inspectors are regulated as to what is considered a safe roof to climb, so we can’t always physically walk the roof. If you have a steeply pitched, or extremely high roof, find an Inspector who can do a drone inspection. Because you can’t see everything from the ground.

Didn’t Quite Reach

This roof installation is a study in incompetence. A true SMH roofing moment.

Improper Roofing Materials

This vent stack should be installed underneath the shingles to prevent water flow, but the homeowner’s solution caused our Inspector to literally smack his head.

Same Day, Different Roof

On the same day, the Inspector in the previous video came across this improperly installed vent stack. His comment was, “They must have run out of bricks.” 🤣 

In some cases, you’ll want to have a roofer (or even an insurance adjuster, if there has been storm damage) give you a professional opinion, but they may not check everything that’s up there, like vent stacks, chimneys, rain gutters, flashing, dormers, etc. A home inspector is there to give you a complete view of the roof area.