Should my attic be checked during a Calgary roof inspection?

Yes, and any roofer who skips the attic is giving you half an inspection. The attic is where roof problems show up first, often weeks or months before a stain appears on your ceiling.

What a good Calgary attic check covers

The inspector looks for water stains, dark streaks or soft spots on the sheathing (the plywood or OSB decking), which point to an active or past leak. Frost on the underside of the decking in winter is a reliable sign that warm, moist air is escaping from the living space and condensing up there, which eventually rots the wood and grows mould. Daylight visible through the decking or around a vent means the roof has a gap that water and pests can enter.

Ventilation gets checked too, and this matters more in Calgary than in milder climates. The National Building Code requires attic vent area of at least 1/300 of the insulated ceiling area, with at least 25% of that at the top (ridge or upper vents) and 25% at the bottom (soffit vents). When ventilation falls short, heat builds up in summer and accelerates shingle aging, and in winter the temperature swings that come with Calgary's roughly 128 freeze-thaw cycles a year drive ice dams along the eaves. A roofer who replaces shingles without fixing ventilation is setting the new roof up to fail early.

Insulation depth and coverage also affect the roof's performance. Thin or uneven insulation lets heat escape unevenly, which is a direct cause of ice dams. The inspector should note whether the insulation is blocking soffit vents, which is a common problem in older Calgary homes.

If the decking shows soft spots, delamination or rot, that changes the cost of any repair or replacement significantly. Decking replacement typically runs about $2 to $4 per square foot, and roofers usually include a small allowance in their quote with an agreed per-sheet price beyond that. Knowing the decking condition before you sign a contract prevents surprise charges mid-job.

From a safety standpoint, you can do a basic attic check yourself: look for stains, frost or daylight with a flashlight, and note whether you can see soffit vents from inside. That is useful information to bring to any roofer's inspection. Leave the roof surface itself to a professional; working at height on a sloped or wet surface carries real fall risk under Alberta's OHS rules.

A paid roof inspection in Calgary typically runs $150 to $400 for a standard report, or $450 to $700 for an insurance-grade report with photos and measurements. Many roofers will include an attic check at no charge when they are quoting a full replacement, but confirm that before they arrive so it is not skipped.

After a hailstorm, the attic check becomes even more important. Hail that cracks or bruises shingles can let water track down to the decking without producing an obvious ceiling stain right away. Getting the attic documented early strengthens your position with the insurer if a claim follows.

When you book an inspection, ask the roofer up front whether the attic is part of it.