Shingle Inspection

There are several methods to inspect the roof.  We recommend the following:1. Walk the roof.* (do not walk roof if conditions are not safe or possibility of damaging materials)2. View roof from a ladder in different locations around the home.3. View roof from the ground using binoculars.4. View roof from a window inside the home.

*We do not recommend walking on metal, wood cedar shake, terra cotta tile or slate roofs.

Different types of roofing:

1. Asphalt Shingles – They are the most common type of shingles used in the country today.  Most of these shingles are sold by the length of their warranty (i.e. 20-year, 25-year and 30-year. The difference is the weight and the design of the shingles.  Evan if you are told a new layer of shingles has been installed on the roof it is very important to view the shingles because depending on the area you live such as Florida (Southern State) shingles have been known to fail in 12 to 14 years. In most northern states with a higher pitched roof the shingles can last 25 or more years.   Roof with two layers normally never go bad in 12 to 15 years.

View Common Problems With Asphalt Shingles:

Shingles Pitting	Deteriorating Shingles Due to Age	Improper Shingle Repair

Deteriorating Shingles Due to Age	Cracking Shingles Deteriorating Due to Age	Shingles Losing Excessive Amounts of Granulars
Severe Asphalt Shingle Curling	Asphalt Shingles with Nail Popping	Shingles Damaged Due to Poor AtticVentilation

2. Rolled Roofing- Is fabricated the same way as asphalt strip shingles.  Rolled roofing is generally installed on roof with less than a 4/12 slope.  We found the life of the product to be approx. 10yrs.

3. Wood cedar Shake, terra cotta tile or slate shingles – we recommend due to the expense of these types shingle you hire a professional who is knodgleable with each different roof covering.

Wood Cedar Shake Shingles	Terra Cotta Tile Shingles	Slate Shingles

4. Rolled rubber roofing-  Always check for ponding of water, seams separating, signs of allegrating and check very carefully around the chimneys and vents for any separation or loose open joints.

Rolled Rubber Roofing	Rolled Rubber Roofing

5. Metal roof – Metal roofing generally comes in two different types, either flat seam or standing seam. A standing seam metal roof generally last 75 to 100 years if properly maintained.  Maintance pertains to periodic scrapping and painting with rust resistance paint.