Our 20-Point Roof Inspection Process in Maryland

At Alpha Design Services, we have a 20-point roof inspection that cover every important detail. Number one, we’re going to try to determine the approximate age of the roof. Is it 1-5 years old or 16 years old? The most important day in the life of the roof is the day that it’s installed. How it was installed is also extremely important. We pride ourselves on making sure that all the guarantees and warranties we offer remain in place. That why we need to find out whether we installed it or someone else did. If we didn’t do the roof, we’ll have to verify that if was done properly.

We need to inspect whether or not the roof has been nailed on securely. We also need to find out if there is moisture present, because condensation can accumulate and lead to issues. Are there any water leaks or interior stains on the ceiling? Stains, discoloration, or haze around the edges of the interior walls are clear indication that there’s water where it shouldn’t be. It might be because something is wrong with the insulation or ventilation.

Is the decking (the underlayment where the roof is on) deteriorating or rotting? Was there ice and /or water on the house? Without a properly installed ice and water shield, it’s likely that ice and water will build up and rot the wood. Another potential cause for concern would be granular deterioration. When you clean out your gutters, can you see excessive amount of granules lost? That means that the rain has probably washed that material off from your shingles. It is a clear indication that the shingles are deteriorating and providing less protection to your roofing systems.

Are there any missing loose, or split shingles? A missing shingle means it was blown off the roof. Probably because it wasn’t nailed on properly. Because homeowners don’t usually walk on the average roof, any tears, discoloration, or dark patches probably come from something like hail or deterioration over time. (It could have happened a long time ago or more recently.) When hail or storm damage hits a shingle, it pushes away the normal color and leaves behind the clearer original color underneath. The dirt actually got blasted off of it from the force of the hail’s impact or deterioration of poor manufacturing proceeds.

Algae or moss would cause there to be green colored substances on the roof. If could be from water that’s not draining off of the roof like it’s supposed to. Tree that are close to the roof, so we check for then too.

This was just a brief breakdown of some of the things we look when we do our 20-point inspection.