Roof inspection in Overland Park

When you need one

Buying a house. The home inspector looked at the roof from a ladder, maybe from the yard, and wrote "appears serviceable, recommend evaluation by a roofing contractor." That sentence is why we exist. On a 1990s Blue Valley two-story the difference between a roof with eight years left and one with two is $15,000, and the inspection contingency window in Johnson County is usually ten days.

Selling a house. A report dated before listing takes the roof off the negotiating table, or tells you what to fix so it doesn't come up.

Insurance. Carriers in Kansas increasingly ask for a roof inspection before writing or renewing a policy on a roof over 15 years old, and some won't insure a roof past 20 without one. Our report gives them the age, condition and shingle type in the form they want.

After a storm. If hail or wind came through and you aren't sure whether it's worth a claim, an inspection counts the hits and tells you before you file. See the hail damage page for how that ties into a claim.

A roof you just don't trust. Stains that come and go, a previous owner who "had it fixed," a roof you've never seen up close. Knowing is cheaper than wondering.

What we check

On the roof:

• Shingle condition slope by slope: granule loss, cracking, curling, hail bruising, blistering
• Seal strip — whether the shingles are still bonded down, which is what keeps them on in a 60 mph gust
• Every pipe boot, vent, and flashing at chimneys, walls and skylights
• Valleys, ridge, hip caps and the drip edge
• Decking softness underfoot, and any sag in the plane
• Gutters and downspouts — pitch, attachment, granule buildup

In the attic:

• Water staining on the underside of the deck and along rafters
• Daylight at penetrations
• Ventilation: intake at the soffits, exhaust at the ridge or box vents, and whether bath fans dump into the attic (common on 1970s ranches)
• Insulation depth and any mold or frost evidence from winter condensation

You get a written report within a day with photos, an estimated remaining life, a repair list with prices, and — if it's relevant — a straight answer on whether the roof has claim-worthy storm damage.

Walked, not flown

A drone gets an overview photo and lets us look at a slope that's too steep or wet to walk safely. It can't lift a shingle to check the seal strip, can't feel a soft deck, can't find a hail bruise by touch, and can't see the attic. A drone flyover is a photo, not an inspection, and an insurer or buyer will treat it that way.

What it costs

If you're calling about a leak or storm damage and we're quoting the work, the look is free. A formal written report for a real estate transaction or an insurance requirement is $150–$300 depending on roof size, credited back if you hire us for any repair or replacement it turns up. Compare that to the repair prices and the replacement prices it helps you avoid or plan for.

Old roofs, and being honest about them

We're often asked to inspect a 22-year-old roof in Oak Park or Nall Hills that a buyer hopes will pass. Sometimes it does — a well-ventilated roof on a shaded lot can go 25 years here. Usually it doesn't, and the report says so. What we won't do is write a roof up as failing to sell a replacement, or write it up as fine to close a deal. Our post on signs a roof is near the end of its life lists what we're looking for so you can read the report and see the same things we did.