Roof Inspection in Atlantic County, NJ

When an inspection earns its keep

There are a handful of moments where looking properly changes the outcome.

• After a storm that brought sustained wind, whether or not you can see damage from the ground
• Before buying a property, because a general home inspection rarely gets onto the roof itself
• Before selling, so a roof question does not arrive as a surprise during negotiation
• When a roof reaches fifteen to twenty years, to establish where it actually stands
• When a leak has appeared, disappeared, and you are not sure whether it was fixed
• On a seasonal property, at the start and end of the season
• On a commercial building, twice a year as a matter of routine

What we look at on the roof

The covering is the beginning, not the whole exercise. Field condition, granule loss, cracking and curling; the seal between courses and whether it has broken; the ridge and hip caps; the condition and position of every flashing; valleys; pipe boots; the state of the drip edge and the rakes; and the fasteners, where they are visible.

What we look at underneath

Where there is attic access, the underside of the deck tells a story the surface cannot. Staining on the sheathing shows where water has been getting in, and its pattern shows the path. Damp or compressed insulation, rusted fastener points, frost or condensation on the underside of the deck, and daylight at penetrations are all findings that change the diagnosis. Ventilation gets checked here too: whether intake at the soffits is clear, and whether exhaust at the ridge is actually connected to anything.

Drainage, because it is part of the roof

Gutters, downspouts, the discharge point, and on low-slope roofs the drains and scuppers. A roof in perfect condition with a blocked gutter still rots its own fascia and soaks the wall below it. It takes a few minutes to check and it explains a surprising share of the leaks people attribute to the roof covering.

What you get at the end

Findings in writing, with photographs of what we are describing, and a clear statement of what needs doing now, what should be watched, and what is fine. Where we recommend work, the reasoning is written down alongside it, so you can take it to anyone else for a second opinion. That is the point — an inspection you cannot show to somebody else has not given you much.