Roof InspectionBased in Fort Worth, TX

The Difference

Worth knowing before the inspection.

Most leaks start at a joint, and flashing is where two surfaces meet. Pipe boots around plumbing vents have rubber collars that split after years of sun. Step flashing and counterflashing seal the line where a roof meets a brick or siding wall, and chimneys and skylights each have their own. Fort Worth's expansive clay soil swells in wet months and shrinks through a dry summer, and the small movement it passes to the house can open gaps where the roof meets masonry. A roof can have healthy shingles and still leak at a chimney for years, which is why the flashing deserves as much scrutiny as the shingles.

The attic shows what the roof surface cannot. Water stains on the underside of the decking, rusted nail tips and darkened wood around a vent all point to a leak, often one that has not reached the ceiling yet. Daylight showing through at the eaves or around penetrations is a clear warning. Ventilation matters a great deal here as well. A Fort Worth attic can climb above 130 degrees in August, and when insulation is packed over the soffit vents or the exhaust at the ridge is too small, that heat bakes the shingles from below and shortens their life. If you already know where a stain or a drip is, point us to it when we arrive.

After the inspection you know what condition the roof is in and whether it needs anything. If it needs repair, you get a repair plan with a transparent estimate, and if the damage points toward a full replacement, a clear estimate for that instead. If the roof is sound, that is worth knowing too, especially before a sale or after a storm that damaged roofs on your street. When storm damage is involved, an early inspection matters for the insurance side, because it identifies the damage while it is fresh and before a filing deadline passes. Many policies set that deadline from the date of the storm, and NOAA's storm events records list hail dates by area if you need to pin one down.

In Fort Worth the busiest time to book is right after a spring storm. Hail season runs roughly from March to June, and a single afternoon storm can damage roofs across several neighborhoods at once. If a storm with hail came through your area, book an inspection even when nothing looks wrong from the ground, because bruised shingles rarely look damaged from the yard. Late summer is a good time for a routine check too. The worst of the heat has already done its work on the shingles by then, and any problem found has time to be fixed before the next spring's storms arrive. Autumn leaves are the other seasonal issue, since oaks and pecans drop enough into valleys and gutters to hold water against the roof edge through winter.

Buying or selling a home is another good reason. A Texas resale contract usually includes an option period, and a general home inspection during it often notes the roof from the ground or a ladder, especially when the pitch is steep. A roof inspection gives you a closer read before the option period ends, while there is still time to ask the seller for a repair or a price change. Sellers benefit from knowing first as well, since a roof problem that turns up in the buyer's report tends to become a price negotiation on the buyer's terms. Roofs past ten years old deserve a regular look whatever your plans, and that now includes many homes in the subdivisions built southwest of the city along Chisholm Trail Parkway, where the original shingles are reaching that age.

There is plenty you can check from the ground safely. Look for granules collecting at the bottom of downspouts, dents in gutters or the air conditioner fins, shingles lying in the yard after wind, and stains on ceilings near exterior walls. Stay off the roof itself, since a steep or damp roof is dangerous even for people who walk them every day. If you have noticed any of those, or your roof simply has not been looked at in a year or more, call (817) 988-9509 or send the form to book a free roof inspection. Our office is on US-377 in southwest Fort Worth.