Quick Answer: A real roof inspection covers the roof surface (shingles, flashing, penetrations, ridge), the water path (valleys, gutters, drip edge), and ideally the attic (ventilation, moisture, decking from below) — documented with photos and ending in a written summary of what was found, what it means, and what it costs if anything needs doing. Fifteen to thirty minutes. Ours are free.
“Free roof inspection” can mean a professional assessment or a sales guy glancing from the driveway before telling you the roof is shot. Here’s what should actually happen, so you can tell the difference no matter who’s on the ladder.
On the Roof: The Surface Check
The inspector should physically get on the roof when it’s safe to walk. From the surface, here’s the checklist:
Shingles. Cracking, curling, cupping, blistering; bare spots where granules have washed off; hail bruises; wind-creased or unsealed tabs that lift by hand (wind damage is usually invisible from the ground). Also the roof’s overall age story: granule loss patterns tell you how much life is left more honestly than the calendar does.
Flashing — where roofs actually leak. Chimney flashing and counter-flashing, wall-to-roof step flashing, and the metal in the valleys. Most “my roof leaks” calls trace to flashing, not shingles, which is why an inspection that only looks at shingles isn’t one.
Penetrations. Every hole through the roof — pipe boots, vents, exhaust caps, skylights, satellite mounts. Rubber pipe boots crack with UV on a schedule practically made for causing leaks around year 10–15. Cheap fix when caught; drywall repair when not.
Ridge and ventilation hardware. Ridge cap condition, ridge vent or box vents clear and intact — the top of the ventilation system that determines how fast the whole roof ages.
The water path. Valleys where slopes concentrate runoff, drip edge at the eaves, gutters draining with correct pitch (and whether they’ll survive to the next roof), signs of ice damming at the eaves — a Utah-specific must, since ice dam scars show up in July as stained fascia and wavy eave lines.
In the Attic: The Half Most Inspections Skip
When there’s access, the attic tells the truth about things the surface hides:
- Daylight and water staining on the underside of the decking — leaks announce themselves here first, often before any interior ceiling stain
- Decking condition from below — soft spots, delamination, dark rot rings around penetrations (why decking matters)
- Ventilation reality check — insulation jammed into the soffits, missing baffles, bathroom fans venting into the attic instead of outside: the exact conditions that cook shingles and build winter ice dams
- Moisture and frost signs — rusted nail tips and matted insulation are an attic writing its confession
If the attic can’t be reached, fine — but an inspector who never asks about attic access is telling you how thorough the rest was.
What You Should Walk Away With
The inspection isn’t the deliverable. The documentation is:
- Photos of everything cited. If someone says “your flashing is shot,” the photo should exist. You can’t see the roof yourself — the pictures are how you verify anyone’s story, ours included.
- A straight verdict, in writing. One of three: the roof is fine (you should be able to hear this — a company that has never once told you “no work needed” isn’t inspecting, it’s prospecting); repair recommended, with a realistic cost range; or replacement warranted, with a written line-item estimate.
- Zero pressure attached. A finding that expires “if you don’t sign today” is a sales tactic, not a finding — the pressure playbook is documented here.
That documentation has compounding value: dated photos establish your roof’s baseline, which is exactly what makes a future storm claim provable — this damage is new, that’s the storm date, here’s the before.
When to Get One
Annually is the ideal; realistically, prioritize: after any serious hail or wind event, before buying or selling, when the roof passes 15 years old, when you spot a ceiling stain or shingle in the yard — and before winter rather than during it, since everything on a roof is easier to fix dry and warm.
The Short Version
A real inspection walks the roof (shingles, flashing, penetrations, ridge), traces the water path (valleys, eaves, gutters), checks the attic when it can, and ends with photos plus a written verdict — fine, repair, or replace — with no countdown clock attached. Fifteen to thirty minutes, free from us, and “your roof is fine” is a sentence we say regularly. Schedule yours here, or read why regular inspections pay for themselves.