Roof Damage Is No Joke: Why You Should Have Your Home Inspector Walk The Roof

Want to hear a joke about a roof? The first one’s on the house. Is that terrible? I could tell you another roof joke, but it’d probably go over your head. The roof is, unfortunately, no laughing matter, as it is one of the five major parts of the home — and one of the most costly when something goes wrong. But a little humor goes a long way when big problems come our way in life, no? When you find you have roof damage, the best you can hope for is that your roof is covered by a warranty or homeowners insurance.

Here are some roof problems we’ve uncovered while doing home inspections that you can look for at your home:

Paint It Black

Better yet, do NOT paint your roof. You might think you’re making an old roof look new or pretty by painting the shingles a darker color, but what you’re actually doing is: a) damaging the shingles (the paint locks in moisture and shortens the life of the shingles); and b) voiding any warranty that might be in place on the roof.

What You Can’t See From The Ground

If you’re having an inspection, make sure you have an inspector who will walk the roof. There’s a lot of roof damage that can’t be seen from the ground.

If the slope of the roof is too steep to safely walk, ask for an inspector who uses drone cameras to get footage of the roof. In this video, the inspector finds missing flashing around the chimney cricket, allowing deterioration from the elements, and giving critters access to the attic. That steel wool is a telltale sign that mice or squirrels have been coming in there. Caulking can only do so much — that area needs to have flashing installed by a roofer.

Foundation Damage Affects the Whole House

When we think of foundation damage, we don’t usually think about the roof, but the foundation affects the whole house. This video shows roof damage due to a failing foundation.

Brand New Roof Details

These are the kinds of details that sometimes get missed on new construction homes that we catch on a standard home inspection or a phase inspection. Just like on the older home above, this new home is missing flashing around this section of the roof, which will allow moisture to intrude.

Since it’s a brand-new roof, it should be relatively easy to get the roofers out to correct this problem at no cost before any damage is done. But again, it’s important to have that inspection to catch a slip-up like this before it becomes a problem and repairs are needed.

Funny story: I once got up on Rick Astley’s roof. He said he was never gonna let me down. Roofing jokes!

But seriously, if you have roofing worries, you can always call a roofer for an inspection and a free quote. They will work with your insurance to see what your coverage is should you have damage that needs repair or replacement. And if you are buying a home, make sure you have a home inspector who will walk the roof!