Roof Inspections

A roof inspection answers one practical question: how much life is left, and what needs doing now. A good one covers the shingles or membrane, flashings at walls, chimneys and skylights, vents and pipe boots, the eaves and valleys, and the attic underneath, where frost, staining or daylight tell you more than the roof surface does.

The attic matters in Calgary. The building code requires attic vent area of at least 1/300 of the insulated ceiling area, split between high and low vents, and poor venting shows up here as frost on the underside of the deck in January, ice dams at the eaves, and shingles that age early. An inspection that never looks in the attic misses half the picture.

The common times to book one are after a hailstorm or wind event, before buying a house with a roof older than about 15 years, before listing a home, and when a leak has appeared and you want to know whether to repair or replace. After a storm, a written report with photos gives you something to compare with your insurer's adjuster.

Many roofers inspect for free when they are quoting a replacement, which is fine, but it is a sales call. If you want an independent view, for a purchase or an insurance dispute, pay for an inspection from someone who is not bidding on the work. On a steep or high roof, the inspector should use proper fall protection; Alberta's OHS Code requires it for workers at 3 metres or more.