The new year is a great time to take care of your home. One of the tasks you’ll want to do as soon as you can is to get an inspection for the roof. Unless you’ve climbed up there yourself, which is dangerous, you’re not going to have any idea of what’s happening. However, a roofing inspector can check out everything and give you a list of things that you need to fix. That allows you to minimize damage to the roof and to your home by stopping potential leaks before they start.

Exterior Condition: Flashing, Shingles and Gutters

Much of the inspection will focus on the exterior of the roof, of course. Roofers look at the condition of the shingles and whether the flashing and caulking are in good shape. They’ll look for damaged areas and try to determine what the cause was, such as hail, wind or something else. They’ll also check the gutters and see if they’re in good condition or if leaves are starting to form clogs. Basically, they’ll look over the entire roof to ensure there’s nothing that could lead to a sudden leak. If they do spot damage, they’ll let you know so that you can arrange for a company to fix the problems.

Interior Condition: Light, Sagging and Ventilation

Additionally, the roofers will have to check out the attic or crawl space to look at the insulation. They’ll want to check the ventilation, inspect the rafters and look for signs of sagging in the roof. Sometimes damage to the roof isn’t that easy to spot from above, but it becomes a lot easier to spot once you look at the underside of the roof.

Pest Exclusion and Branch Threats

Something a lot of homeowners forget about is that the actual structure of the roof isn’t the only thing that inspectors have to check. Those inspectors can also see if there are immediate threats to the roof, such as branches that appear to hang over the house. The roofers won’t prune those branches for you, but they can point out which ones are problems and why.

Roofers will also look at how well the entrances to vents are sealed. You want the screen mesh or whatever material is at the opening to allow for proper airflow but also be in good enough shape that pests can’t get through. Again, the roofing company isn’t going to do pest control work, but it can fix the structural issues.

Don’t wait for major trouble to come your way before you do anything. If you need a roof inspection in Portland, contact Bliss Roofing as soon as possible.