What Happens During a Professional Roof Inspection?

Mike Downer: Hi, everybody. I’m your host, Mike Downer. Thanks for joining us on Roots to Renovation. I’m here with Jody Peterson and Ryan Peterson. Jody is the founder and CEO, and Ryan is the COO. How are we doing today, guys?

Jody Peterson: We’re doing great.

Mike Downer: So what do you think? I think we should talk about what happens during a professional roof inspection. Sound okay with you guys?

Ryan Peterson: Let’s do it.

Mike Downer: You guys probably know a little bit about this, don’t you?

Jody Peterson: Yeah, we do. I guess you could say that.

Ryan Peterson: It’s been 45 years.

Jody Peterson: Well, I haven’t been inspecting for 45 years. The company has. I’m a bit younger than you, Dad. But yeah, after 45 years of inspecting roofs, we’ve seen it all in the Quad Cities, Davenport, and Bettendorf. So we know what it is that you need. Things that you can’t see from the driveway, we can see up on top and tell you exactly what’s going on up there.

Mike Downer: So what does a professional roof inspection involve? How long does it take, and what are you guys looking for? What do you inspect for?

Jody Peterson: Well, I guess I can go ahead and take this one. Time-wise, you’re probably looking at half an hour to an hour for a complete, thorough inspection. We get calls more often for new roofs or roof leaks. So while we’re up there, we’re going to look everything over and inspect it.

For calls for actual inspections, what would you say, Ryan? Maybe one out of 50 inquiries are for an inspection, and usually that’s for the sale of a home or something like that. But every home that we get a call on is going to get a thorough inspection. It may not necessarily be a written one unless the homeowner asks for it, but we’re going to be looking for flashings around pipes that are not sealed correctly, flashings around chimneys, and any protrusion through the roof. We’re going to make sure that everything is sealed properly.

We’re also going to look at the age of the roof and see if there is any cracking of the shingles, like little spider cracks, any curling, or any weak decking, such as three-eighths-inch plywood or half-inch plywood that is wearing thin, has had a leak, or may be starting to rot out. We check the gutters to make sure they are draining properly. Pretty much anything that involves your roof, while we’re up there looking at it, we’re going to see it, and we’re going to let you know what we saw.

Ryan Peterson: Even animals. Sometimes we’ll see spots where animals get up there. Raccoons or squirrels may start digging things away, and you may not even know it because you can’t see it from the ground.

Jody Peterson: Right. And that’s just the exterior. There’s interior stuff too. We talked about this in another podcast. Inside the attic, on the underside, that’s part of a roof inspection too, and it’s critical. If you call us and you want a real, full-blown inspection, you’re going to need to meet us there so we can get inside and look up in the attic space as well.

Mike Downer: So you guys make sure that you hit all the key parts of the roof. I know you mentioned the flashing and the decking. Are there other key parts of the roof that you really get into?

Ryan Peterson: Yeah, it just depends on what is up there. Some roofs are pretty basic, like a two-sided gable roof. Maybe it doesn’t take an hour to inspect that one. But we know what we’re looking for, and we know when something is going to be an issue now or in the next couple of years.

A lot of things are just wear and tear. But like some of the things you mentioned, Jody, maybe an animal tore something apart, or the caulk wore out, or something like that.

Jody Peterson: Yeah, I just repaired one three days ago where a raccoon tore off some ridge cap. In the spring, they’re always up there trying to dig into your roof so they can make a little hole.

Ryan Peterson: Birds too. Birds make nests, and you’re like, “Hey, maybe we should do something here.” Maybe it’s in a gutter. A lot of people think we just do roofs. We don’t. We do it all. We do gutters, siding, and anything on the outside of a house. But yeah, in springtime, animals are crazy. They get into things and tear things up.

Mike Downer: I’m just going to smile and wave because I don’t want to offend any bird lovers, but boy, can they be a terror on your home.

So during an exterior roof inspection, what signs of wear or damage are you looking for on shingles, gutters, and other visible components?

Ryan Peterson: The main thing is granule loss, because a lot of times you can’t see this from the ground. I was just on one yesterday, and I don’t think this roof was done that long ago, but especially on the southern exposure. Where we live here in the Quad Cities, the sun is going to hit those southern exposures more, and they tend to wear out faster.

This roof had most of the granules gone. I couldn’t believe it, and the homeowner had no idea. I said, “Hey, you need to be thinking about replacing this roof because there’s not much left. The asphalt is just baking away. The granules are gone.”

Jody Peterson: How old was that roof, Ryan?

Ryan Peterson: I think that roof was maybe 15 years old. I don’t know if it was a bad shingle, or maybe the ventilation wasn’t right. We’ve talked about this in other podcasts, where shingles can bake from the inside out. So there could be something going on with the ventilation on this house that needs a more thorough inspection.

Mike Downer: That makes sense. You tied that perfectly into my next question. Why is an attic inspection such an important part of a roof assessment? What problems can moisture, poor ventilation, insulation issues, or daylight penetration reveal?

Ryan Peterson: Right. All those things tie together. Dad, are you going to talk about it? You actually talked about this in the last podcast, so go ahead.

Jody Peterson: For sure. When we go out to do an estimate, if the homeowners are there, which we recommend, we can take a peek in the attic. That isn’t always feasible, and we understand that. We can do an inspection without it, but as we get closer to perhaps putting that roof on, we want to get up in the attic and look around.

That’s where you can see if bathroom vents are attached to pipes and going to the outside, or if they are just exhausting into the attic and throwing warm air up there, causing condensation in the wintertime. We can check the underside of the decking itself and see if it’s starting to show problems. We’ll see mold on the underside of a roof deck where you can’t see it on the top side. All you see are shingles. You might feel that the decking is a little weak on the top side, but you’re wondering why.

Then you look inside and can see there has been a moisture problem for many years, where warm, moist air is escaping from the house for one reason or another. Maybe the vents are not the right amount, so you’re not getting enough of that warm, moist air out of the attic space, and it’s causing a problem with the decking.

We’re going to correct all those problems before we put a new roof on, because if you put a brand-new 50-year roof on, it’s only as good as the decking underneath that it’s nailed to. If that’s bad, it’s a waste of money. You have to replace that decking and then go from there.

So we like to get in that attic space, look around, check the penetrations, and see if there has been leaking around chimneys, pipes, or whatever else. We want to find out why.

I actually had a competitor of mine one time, right after he retired, say, “Hey, I’m out of the business now.” I was talking about a roof that we got called on that he had done, and the homeowner was unhappy because he hadn’t caught these problems. He said to me, “We just put that roof back on the same way it was before.” Now, that’s a terrible attitude. If it was wrong before, why would you put it on wrong again? You want to see what the problems are, correct them, and put the proper roof on if there were problems beforehand.

Ryan Peterson: Unreal. But hey, that’s why you call Peterson.

Mike Downer: That’s right. So guys, I know we kind of touched on this briefly, and this is kind of an easy question, but it’s a follow-up to my very first question. How long should a thorough roof inspection take, and why can a quick inspection sometimes miss important issues?

Ryan Peterson: Well, I think, like we just said, some of those things require you to look a little closer so that in the future, you don’t have the same problem again. If you put the roof back on the exact same way when it had issues and wore out prematurely, you want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

We don’t want to just keep selling people stuff over and over again that they really don’t need. If you take a little more care in the beginning and do it right, then it’s a lot of money saved over the course of the roof and over the life of the home. Spend a little more time up front and save a lot of time and money on the back end.

Jody Peterson: Right. How many times have we had a customer give us the job over competitors because they said the other company didn’t even get up on the roof?

Ryan Peterson: Oh, yeah.

Jody Peterson: They talked to them, sent an estimate, but didn’t get up there and look around to see what problems might actually be there.

Ryan Peterson: Yeah, you can do an estimate from a satellite view now. A lot of times, other competitors don’t even know. We have an instant estimate too, and I’m not saying that’s wrong. Some houses you can look at and say, “This is pretty straightforward. There’s probably not anything wrong with that.” But still, if we have an opportunity to get up there, we’re going to get up there.

Mike Downer: That makes sense because, Jody, I think this takes it back to a saying from years ago: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’re going to get what you’ve always got.”

Jody Peterson: That’s right.

Mike Downer: Do you remember that saying?

Jody Peterson: I do. And the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Mike Downer: Yeah. Those both ring very true in what you just said.

So what should a homeowner expect from a high-quality roof inspection report? What should they be looking for, and how does it differ from a simple verbal assessment that some of the fly-by-nighters will give you?

Ryan Peterson: Sure. It’s going to list everything. There are going to be pictures, and it’s going to show you in depth every component of the roofing system: the shingles, the flashings, and the penetrations where anything goes through the roof, such as pipes, chimneys, or anything like that.

Then, even more in depth, you have pictures in the attic that explain things that are wrong with ventilation, insulation, or the roof deck. It’s going to show you every little thing, talk about it, and give you the information you need to move forward. What do we need to do about this? Or maybe this isn’t a concern. It gives the homeowner all the information they need to make decisions in the future so their home is protected and in good shape.

Jody Peterson: A vague report is not going to make any sense because the homeowner is probably not going to understand the lingo of a roofer. If you give a vague verbal assessment, they may not really know what you mean. They have nothing to refer back to or use for their own research to make sure they really understand what’s going on.

Ryan Peterson: Yeah, and if they have any questions, I love talking about roofs. Sometimes I look and think, “Am I boring you?” I could talk about roofs all day long. So if you want to know, I’ll tell you about it.

Mike Downer: I can tell you, just being a city kid and living in the suburbs in Iowa, I’ve been around suburban people, and I know you guys are going to roll your eyes at this, but I actually have friends who looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language when I said, “When you’re talking about the soffit and the fascia…” They own homes and have no idea what soffit and fascia are. I just went, “Never mind.”

Ryan Peterson: Yeah, we have people who don’t even know how to say it. We get all kinds of strange versions. But it’s not their job. That’s our job.

Mike Downer: Right. So when you say verbal assessments can include roofing terms, I understand that very well. Some of my friends don’t even know the basics, so who knows?

Guys, what’s the difference between a free and paid roof inspection, and when does each option make sense?

Ryan Peterson: Well, like you talked about, Jody, a super-thorough roof inspection often comes up when someone is selling or buying a home. That’s where the value of the home matters. Someone may be wondering, “Am I going to have to put a new roof on in two years? I didn’t figure this in when I was buying this house.”

So that’s where a lot of times these thorough roof inspections come into play. Other times, somebody may just say, “My roof is worn out. I need a new roof.” We can do as thorough of an inspection as you want, but a lot of times they already know the roof is worn out and they need a quote for a new roof. Those are usually pretty straightforward.

Jody Peterson: I think so. And I think when we inspect something at Peterson Roofing, our inspection process is designed to give you the information you need to move forward. We might get up on your roof, and let’s say you’re a past customer who says, “How’s my roof holding up?” We’ll get up there, and we’re not going to tell you that you need a new roof if you don’t.

In that case, it could just be a very short verbal process: “Hey, the roof looks great. It’s seven or eight years old, and from what we can tell, you have another 25 years left.” That may be all they need. Other inspections, of course, are going to be a lot more in depth.

Here’s my little story. We just talked about this in the last podcast, I’m pretty sure. This was a roof inspection, even though I didn’t write anything out. These people called me out for a leak. I looked up on the roof, and the leak was in their kitchen above the range. Come to find out, their range vent pipe didn’t go anywhere. It just went up into the attic past the insulation and stopped. So it was dumping all that warm, moist air into the attic, and it had rotted out the wood decking right above it.

I had to go into the attic to see this. Then I pinpointed where the leak was, and I said, “Listen, what you need here is not a new roof. Your roof is fine.” Oddly enough, it was an old roof put on in 2005. They still had the original paperwork for it, but it was a very good shingle that was still hanging on. I said, “You don’t need a new roof. This one will last longer. What you need here is just a vent. The pipe needs to go up through the roof, you need to put a vent on top, replace this wood, and you’re good to go. I think your roof will last another 10 years or so.”

So you don’t need to know all the things. Like you said, Mike, you don’t need to know how to say fascia and soffit and all that stuff. We can explain those things, but it really comes down to who you trust. We’ve been doing this a long time under the same name. We haven’t changed our name. We’re not ducking people in the grocery store. We live in this community. We take care of people, and you can trust us to give you the best work and the best roof possible.

Mike Downer: Perfect answer.

How can an annual roof inspection help homeowners save money by identifying small problems before they turn into major repairs or, worse yet, full roof replacements?

Jody Peterson: I’ll take that and say if we didn’t put your roof on, you probably do need an annual roof inspection. If we put it on, you probably don’t need an annual roof inspection because we’re going to make sure that it’s done right.

Let’s say flashings need to be checked. If we did the roof, maybe every five years is enough. That might just be a spot that needs caulk. If a roof is done right, with proper flashings made out of metal and not using a ton of caulk or flashing cement, you’re not going to need roof inspections every year.

I’d say every five years, you might want to check and make sure. If someone else did your roof, check if the flashings were nailed down correctly, if they were caulked correctly, if they used a good shingle and not a factory second, and if that shingle is starting to wear out.

If we did it, I’d say every five years. If someone else did it, every year is probably not a bad idea. We get those calls from time to time: “Hey, a tree limb fell on my roof. You did my roof five years ago. While you’re up there, can you look around and make sure everything is okay?” If you want an inspection, we’ll do it, and we’re not going to charge you anything if you’re a past customer. We get those calls from time to time: “Can you just come over and check things out?” We’ll do that for you as a courtesy.

Mike Downer: Perfect. So we’ll kind of wind this up. I think you’ve given us a lot to think about and what to look for when someone is inspecting your roof. It should be you guys, but at least now people know what to look for and can see if it’s being done right.

To wind this up, tell everybody: what does Peterson Roofing’s inspection process look like for Quad City homeowners, and why is it designed to be completely no-pressure?

Ryan Peterson: Like I just said, we’re going to give you an honest opinion, whether you’re a former customer or somebody else had a competitor put the roof on. We’re going to tell you exactly what we think you need or don’t need. It’s very transparent.

We’re going to look at everything that needs to be looked at and give the homeowner the information they need. Maybe they couldn’t get that information themselves. Like you talked about, not everybody is a roofing or construction expert, and we are the experts. We’ve done it for a long time.

So if you want somebody in the area who has been here for that long to give you an honest answer about what you need to do with your house or your roof, give us a call. That’s it.

Mike Downer: Perfect. Jody, anything to add to that?

Jody Peterson: Not really. I would maybe touch a little bit on that last question you asked about a yearly roof inspection. I thought about that a little more. If you live in an area with a lot of trees, like I do, that’s probably not a bad idea because tree branches can come down a lot and do a little damage here or there.

That would probably be the only reason you would want to have a roof that we put on looked at every year. If you’re living in a heavily wooded area, it may make sense. Other than that, probably every five years is great. And again, like Ryan said, there is no pressure. We’re not coming out to inspect your roof just to give you a new roof every time. We’re going to give you an honest assessment of your roof. If it’s going to last another five, 10, or 15 years, we’ll let you know that.

Ryan Peterson: Or maybe if an Iowa derecho comes through, which we’ve been seeing more of lately.

Jody Peterson: Yes, obviously. For sure.

Ryan Peterson: Those things tend to not be great on homes.

Mike Downer: Yeah. Well, guys, you’ve given us all the information we need to know. Get your roof inspections done at least every five years. Call these guys at Peterson. They know what they’re doing. They’ve been serving the Quad Cities area for 45 years, and they don’t hide in grocery stores.

That’s kind of our big joke, guys. I love that: “We don’t hide in grocery stores.” Put it on the side of a truck. That’s kind of a funny little slogan. We might have come up with something good here, guys: “We don’t hide from you in the grocery store.” It kind of says a lot about your business.

As always, it’s been not only educational, but also a lot of fun talking to you. We always have a lot of laughs, and we learn a lot. So thanks for joining me today, guys. I look forward to the next time we get together.

Jody Peterson: All right. Thanks, Mike.

Ryan Peterson: Thanks, Mike.

Mike Downer: Take care, gentlemen. Talk to you later.