How often should you inspect your roof?

Short answer

Inspect the roof once a year, and after any big storm. A roof older than 15 years should get a look twice a year, and hail or high wind calls for a look right after, whatever the schedule says. Most of the inspection happens from the ground with binoculars, in 30 to 60 minutes, for nothing. A professional inspection, with someone on the roof, costs $100 to $300.

Why it matters

A roof fails slowly and then all at once. A shingle lifts in a windstorm. Water gets under it and soaks the paper and the wood deck beneath, a little every time it rains. The wood softens, the nails around it lose their grip, and the next storm takes a bigger patch. By the time a stain shows on the bedroom ceiling, the deck under that spot may be rotten, the insulation in the attic soaked, and mold growing in both.

A yearly look finds the lifted shingle while it's one shingle. Flashing, the metal around chimneys, vents and valleys, is where most leaks start, and it's easy to see from the ground with binoculars once you know to look. Catching those small things is what gets a roof to the end of its 20 to 30 year life, and what keeps a repair at the size of a patch rather than a replacement that costs $8,000 to $25,000.

When to do it more often

A roof older than 15 years: twice a year, spring and fall. Shingles lose granules and flexibility with age, and the second half of a roof's life goes faster than the first.
Hail or high wind: inspect right after. Hail bruises shingles in ways that don't leak at first, and a wind event lifts shingles that settle back down and look fine until the next one.
Trees over the roof: after any storm that drops branches, since a branch that slid off can take shingles with it.

What you need

Binoculars, which let you check flashing and shingles from the ground without a ladder
A ladder, only if you choose to look at the gutters and the edge up close

Steps at a glance

Walk the whole way around the house with the binoculars, scanning each roof plane from the ridge down to the edge.
Look at every shingle course for ones that are missing, lifted, curled at the edges or cracked.
Check the flashing at the chimney, the vent pipes, the valleys and where the roof meets a wall, for lifted edges, rust or gaps in the sealant.
Look at the gutters, from the ground or a ladder, for a layer of shingle granules, which means the shingles are shedding their surface.
Inside, go into the attic with a flashlight and look at the underside of the deck for stains, damp spots or daylight.
Check the ceilings on the top floor for new stains.

You're done when every plane, the flashing and the attic have been looked at and anything odd has been noted for a closer look.

Signs it's overdue

Missing or curled shingles, visible from the ground.
Granules collecting in the gutters, the gritty surface washing off the shingles.
A sag in the roofline, which means the deck or the framing under it is giving way.
Stains on a top-floor ceiling.
Moss or lichen growing on the shingles, which holds water against them.
Flashing that's lifted, rusted or pulled away from a chimney or a wall.

DIY or pro

The ground inspection is a job anyone can do, and the binoculars are the trick that makes it work. The attic look is the second half, and it's often more telling than the outside, because a leak shows on the underside of the deck long before it reaches a ceiling. What most people shouldn't do is walk on the roof. The pitch, the height and the surface make it one of the most dangerous places in the house, and a careless step damages shingles.

A roofer charges $100 to $300 to inspect from on top, and a roof that's past 15 years, or one that's showing any of the signs above, is worth that once a year. After hail, an inspection by a roofer is also what an insurance claim is built on. The roofer can see hail bruising and lifted sealant strips that binoculars miss.

Safety

Roof and ladder: stay on the ground. A roof is steep, high and slippery, and falls from roofs and ladders are among the most common serious home injuries. Binoculars see almost everything a walk on the roof would. If you use a ladder to look at the edge, set it on firm, level ground, have someone hold it, and don't step off it onto the roof.

FAQ

How do I inspect my roof without getting on it?

Walk around the house with binoculars and scan each slope from the ridge to the edge, then look at the underside of the deck from the attic. That covers nearly everything.

What should I look for when inspecting a roof?

Missing, lifted or curled shingles, damaged flashing around chimneys and vents, granules in the gutters, moss, sagging, and stains in the attic or on ceilings.

Should I have my roof inspected after a storm?

Yes, after hail or high wind. Hail damage doesn't leak right away, and a roofer's inspection soon after the storm is what an insurance claim depends on.

How long does a roof last?

An asphalt shingle roof lasts 20 to 30 years. Yearly inspections and quick repairs are what get it to the long end of that range.