What does the home inspector look for on the roof?
Your At Home Inspections, Inc. professional walks most roofs. Very steep roofs, and roofs that are finished with brittle materials that break easily (e.g., slate, terra cotta, asbestos cement, lightweight concrete tiles, etc.) are typically not walked, but are almost always examined by ladder at an eave edge or off a porch or dormer. The inspector checks the condition of the finish roof “membrane” (e.g., slates, asphalt shingles, wood shingles, wood shakes, modified bitumin membrane, and metal panel). All roofing materials wear out over time. It is important for you, the home-buyer, to know whether your slate roof is going to last 2 more years or twenty more years. In addition to checking the actual pieces that make up the water impervious membrane, the inspector attempts to examine (if possible) the type of fasteners used, the condition of the fasteners, and the quality of the installation job, based on the way the fasteners were installed. Chimney tops, as well as exposed, accessible
