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Why Regular Professional Roof Inspections are Important

Most homeowners don’t think twice about their roofs – but they should. If there’s three essential things in life every person should have, it’s food, water, and a roof over your head. The importance of a roof in a home is often overlooked, and dreaded when it comes time to face replacing it.

Yes, roofs are a bigger investment, but without a roof, you don’t have part of those basic needs – shelter. If you have your roof routinely inspected, you’ll always be on top of things when it comes to repairs and replacement.

Regular, professional roof inspections are a crucial part of homeownership. Without them, you could be putting your shelter at risk for serious, critical damage. Roofs are difficult to check, and because homeowners don’t usually think to inspect them, any damage that has occurred goes unnoticed and undetected, sometimes even for extensive periods of time.

How a Roof is Inspected

Perhaps you’ve never heard of a roof inspection and are curious as to how a professional would detect damage. There are several factors professional inspectors keep an eye out and test for, the first being any signs of obvious, physical damage to your roof.

You might not realize it, but even the tree whose long, wispy branches that hang above you pose a major threat to the integrity of your roof. High winds can rip those branches and limbs right off, throwing them against your shingles, denting them and even forcing them to come off with impact.

If you live in a colder climate, an ice storm can hit—meaning the branches can hold water and freeze, eventually becoming so heavy that they collapse, crashing into your roof and smashing the shingles.

Superficial damage is easy to detect, and with how common storms are in basically any geographical climate, it’s common for a roof of any age to have some damage to it. Roof inspectors go beyond just examining the noticeable physical signs, however.

In many professional roof inspections, inspectors will test to see if your insulation and ventilation is functioning properly. On some occasions, infrared technology is utilized to see where the heat is escaping through your roof.

This technological procedure deciphers high temperatures from lower temperatures and will determine if your home is as energy efficient as it should be, and how your roof is contributing.

Professional roof inspectors will also determine if your roof is retaining moisture, either on its surface or in its sub-levels—something the untrained eye cannot detect, which is why having a professional inspection done annually is absolutely necessary.

A roof that retains moisture can mean serious foundational problems down the road, and even worse, it could indicate gas leaks in the insulation.

The Benefits of a Professional Inspection

Just like anything else that is considered an investment in your home, getting it inspected is never a bad idea. Roofs can be expensive, but they’re an integral part of your home—as they literally sit above your head, keeping the elements out – so you don’t want an inspection to go by the wayside.

Extend the Lifespan

They say that roofs have a lifespan of twenty-odd years. Well, this is really only the case if you take care of your roof, and getting it inspected at least once, preferably twice, a year will certainly help maintain this notion.

A professional inspector will let you know when the occasional shingle needs to be replaced, which in turn will prevent moisture from seeping into its sub layers, therefore extending its longevity as a whole.

Storm Damage

Let’s face it: storms happen, no matter where you live. Out west, there may not be much snow, but there’s still high wind, rains, and even fires. Of course, the Midwest sees heavy snowfalls with long, cold winters, which means lots of wet precipitation sitting on the roof for long periods of time and icy branches hitting shingles.

At the time a storm hits, you might not have any idea that anything has happened to your roof at all! Branches that fall might not hit the roof while anyone is at home, or you might not realize that a shingle has been missing and the snow on the roof has been causing damage all winter.

That’s why getting it inspected twice a year is always a good start to maintaining it and making sure it is kept in top condition.

Stopping the Damage Before it Starts

Your roof is leaking, but that doesn’t mean the damage has just started. Often, the leaking isn’t the first sign of trouble of a damaged roof. There could be severe structural damage, or your insulation could be in trouble, all alongside a leaky roof.

Getting a regular inspection is so important because it can stop these things before they even come to fruition. Inspectors will be able to find out if something is amiss in your roof’s layout and do something about it before moisture wreaks havoc inside of your home.

An Inspection Will Save You Money

Getting an annual inspection for your roof will end up saving you money in the long run—that’s right, you’ll end up saving money by spending a little bit now on inspections. First, inspections for your roof won’t cost you that much. It’s a lot like getting any other element of your home inspected, like your fireplace.

Better safe than sorry is the mentality you should adapt, especially when it comes to the thing protecting you and your family from all of the outside elements.

The cost of spending a bit each year to ensure your roof is in tip-top shape will keep prolonging its lifespan.

Curb Appeal

If you’re the kind of homeowner that mows the lawn on a regimented schedule, just think about your curb appeal. A regular roof inspection can nab that out of place shingle you might miss, upping your curb appeal for the entire neighborhood.

Or when you go to sell your home, the roof will be one less thing you have to worry about because of your professional and regular roof inspections you’ve put into place.

Peace of Mind

With moisture comes mold, and with mold comes health problems for you and your family, which is certainly something nobody wants. A roof inspection that is done on the regular can troubleshoot any problems your roof has, repairing them before the damage even sets in.

How to Find a Roof Inspector

Now that you know that grabbing the ladder from your garage and inspecting your roof yourself won’t do the job—it’s time to call in the professionals. Only a professional roof inspector will be able to conduct a trained inspection of your roof for any kind of damage—not just superficial. Your local real estate agencies will also have knowledge of roof inspectors in the area as well.

You can find a professional roof inspector through online sites like Angie’s List or by calling your local roofing company. You can also search the National Roof Certification and Inspection Association website for certified roof inspectors in your area.

In cases of replacement, there’s only one company that Chicagoland homeowners count on – Feldco Roofing. Over 400,000 homeowners have chosen us for their various home improvement projects and can now trust us for the best roof replacement. Get a free quote online to begin your roofing project with us.

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