Questions to Ask During a Roof Inspection

One of the best things to have in life is your own house. However, just because you’ve found your dream home does not mean you’ve got to purchase it right away. You will have to do some inspection first to know if it is secure and sound.  

One of the things you have to do before you purchase a house is to hire a professional roofer to examine the roof. It’s highly recommended to inspect the roof because there are a lot of hidden issues in the roof that can cause major problems in the long run.  

Once you hire a roofing service in Blacksburg VA for a roof inspection, here are a couple of questions you need to ask during the job: 

Are the Shingles Properly Installed? 

In the past couple of years, dimensional shingles have become more common. Many years ago, most roofs were done using 3-tab shingles. Unfortunately, a couple of roofers didn’t realize that the proper installation process has changed when the most common option of shingles changed from 3-tab to dimensional. If the shingles aren’t installed properly, they’ll cause leaks around the 9- to 12-year mark. This is quite common and is hard to see.  

What Form of Sheathing is There? 

You can see the sheathing if you look from the attic. For those who don’t know, sheathing is the roof’s base. Almost every roof uses plywood as sheathing. A couple of older houses might have cedar shakes. If your house has cedar shake, you’ve got to remove it. The reason for this is that it doesn’t have any surface that’s nail-able. Thus, placing shingles over it will cause problems in the future. Replacing a cedar shake roof is much more expensive compared to replacing a plywood sheathing. If you know this beforehand, you can avoid surprises later on if you’ve got to replace the roof.  

How Are the Pipe Collars? 

If you see pipes coming out of the roof, you shouldn’t worry. They’re there to ventilate gases inside the house. You will also notice rubber boots around the pipe’s bottom. This stops water from seeping inside the house. These pipes can lose their seal with age. They can cause damage and leaks to your house. Fixing pipe collars is easy if you hire an expert roofer.  

How are the Flashing Systems? 

The metal that’s bent and installed in susceptible places is called flashing. It helps water travel away from those places. The roof will leak if the flashing is improperly installed or is deteriorating.  

How Many Layers of Shingles are on the Roof? 

There might be more than a second layer of shingles under the roof that you can’t spot. Almost every manufacturer will not warranty a second layer. In addition to that, there might be bad flashing systems or plywood under the layers that can lead to leaks. If you are going to replace the roof down the line, a roof with more than 2 layers will cost more in general. The reason for this is that there’s more waste.