Roof Inspection Types, and Who Asks for Each
What you get from an inspection depends on why you booked it. A buyer wants to know about next year's bill. An adjuster wants to know what the last storm did. An insurer may only want a letter saying the roof has a few good years left.
Pre-Purchase Roof Inspection
A home inspection isn't a roof inspection. The InterNACHI standard of practice, which many home inspectors follow, says the inspector has to look at the roof covering, flashing, skylights, chimney and penetrations, but isn't required to walk on the roof, confirm the shingles were fastened properly, or certify the roof. An inspector who looks from a ladder or the ground is within that standard.
A roofer on the roof sees what the ground misses: soft decking underfoot, nails backing out, cracked vent boots, and step flashing that was caulked instead of replaced. Inside, they count layers at the rake edge, since a roof that already has two can't take a third (see asphalt shingle roofing for the layer limit). In a city of older houses (see the homepage for the housing stock), our view is that a separate roof inspection is cheap insurance before you remove the inspection contingency.
Storm and Insurance Inspection
After hail or a windstorm, the question is whether the damage is new and whether it's enough to claim. The inspector marks hail hits on shingles, vents and gutters, notes lifted or creased tabs, and photographs each slope with something for scale. NRCA suggests an extra inspection after any severe weather event on top of routine ones.
The report should keep storm damage and old wear apart. An adjuster who sees ten-year-old granule loss lumped in with last month's hail may throw out the lot. How claims work in Michigan, and how hail tends to show up on shingles here, is on the storm damage roof repair page.
Roof Certification
A roof certification is a letter, not a warranty. HomeGuide puts it at $75 to $200 on top of the inspection. To get one, the roof generally has to be leak-free with 2 to 5 years of useful life left, and any needed repairs come first. Insurers sometimes ask for one before writing a policy on an older house, and sellers use it to settle a buyer's nerves. HomeGuide's own words: "an expert opinion, not a guarantee against leaks."
Ask who signs it. HomeGuide notes that a home inspector has no money riding on what they find, while a roofing contractor can profit from finding damage. That doesn't make the contractor wrong. It means the photos should back up every line.
Attic and Drone Inspection
The attic tells you what the shingles won't. With a flashlight on the underside of the deck, an inspector looks for water stains around nails and penetrations, darkened or delaminated plywood, frost on the sheathing on cold mornings, and insulation that's been packed into the soffits so the vents can't breathe.
Drones cover roofs too steep or fragile to walk: tall Tudors, slate, and brittle old shingles that crack underfoot. HomeGuide prices drone inspections at $100 to $450 and infrared at $400 to $600; infrared work uses thermal imaging scanners, often mounted on a drone. Anyone flying a drone for pay needs an FAA remote pilot certificate under Part 107, so ask to see it.
Yearly Maintenance and Moss Removal
NRCA recommends inspecting a roof at least twice a year, spring and fall. In Ann Arbor, that timing makes sense: fall catches leaves in valleys and gutters before the snow, and spring catches whatever the freeze-thaw winter loosened.
A maintenance visit clears valleys, checks sealant at pipe boots and flashing, resets popped nails, and deals with moss and algae. Moss likes shaded slopes under big trees. Our view is that it's worth removing, gently and by hand, because it holds water against the shingles. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association says not to pressure-wash asphalt shingles at all: high-pressure water strips the granules that protect the asphalt. A dilute bleach wash lightens algae streaks, but ARMA notes the effect is temporary.
Why Ann Arbor homeowners call Ann Arbor Roofing Co.
- Written estimate, free of charge
- Shingle line, underlayment and ice barrier named in the price
- Deck repair priced per sheet before the tear-off
- One independent local roofer per request, not a call list
- No fee to the homeowner for the referral
How Much Does a Roof Inspection Cost?
HomeGuide's national figures put a roof inspection at $100 to $400, with a certification letter adding $75 to $200. Drone inspections run $100 to $450 and infrared surveys $400 to $600. The written report usually arrives one to two days later.
What moves the price is mostly access: a steep, two-story roof or one that can't be walked costs more than a low ranch. If a contractor offers a free inspection because it expects to bid the repair, that's fine, as long as you still get a written report with photos. We're a referral service, not an inspector: your request goes to one independent local roofing contractor, and any repair it finds is quoted in writing, free.
What Should a Roof Inspection Report Say?
Enough that someone who never climbed the ladder can see what was found and what it costs to fix. Photos of each slope and each problem, the roofing material and its approximate age, the number of layers, and a plain verdict on remaining life.
A useful report also covers:
- Flashing at chimneys, walls, skylights and vents, and what kind it is (step, counter, or just sealant).
Decking condition seen from the attic
Stains, soft spots, delamination.- Whether intake and exhaust vents are there and clear.
- Whether gutters move water off the roof and away from the foundation.
Repairs in order
Now, next season, and later.
If the report says "replace" with no photos and no estimate for repair, ask why.
See chimney flashing repair and roof ventilation for two problems an inspection often flags, and roof replacement when the verdict is a new roof.