Inspect Your Roof From the Ground: What Binoculars and the Attic Tell You

Most roof problems can be spotted without ever leaving the ground. That matters, because falls from ladders and roofs send thousands of people to the emergency room every year, and fall weather makes shingles slick with leaves and frost. A pair of binoculars, a flashlight and twenty minutes will tell you whether you need a roofer before winter.

01From the yard, with binoculars

Walk all the way around the house. Look at each side of the roof, in good daylight.

• Missing, cracked or lifted shingles, especially along the edges and the ridge, where the wind gets under them.
• Curling or cupping. Shingles that curl up at the corners or sag in the middle are near the end of their life.
• Bare spots where the granules have worn off and you can see the black mat underneath.
• Flashing around the chimney, vent pipes and skylights. Look for bent metal, gaps, and cracked or missing sealant.
• The valleys, where two roof slopes meet. They carry the most water and collect the most debris.
• Moss or heavy dark streaks. Streaks are usually algae and mostly cosmetic. Moss holds water and lifts shingles.
• The roof line. Stand back and look along the ridge. A sag or dip can mean a structural problem underneath.

02Check the gutters

Gutters are the roof's report card. A handful of shingle granules in the gutter or at the bottom of the downspout is normal. Piles of them mean the shingles are wearing out. While you're there, make sure the water is going where it should; our guide to gutters and downspouts covers that.

03From the attic, with a flashlight

The attic shows you what the outside can't.

1. Turn off the light and look for daylight coming through the roof boards. Daylight means a hole, or a gap where water can get in.
2. Look for stains on the underside of the roof boards and rafters: dark rings, water tracks, or soft spots, especially around the chimney and vent pipes.
3. Check the insulation for matted, damp or stained patches.
4. Look for mold or frost. In cold weather, frost on the nail tips or dark mold on the roof boards usually means warm, damp air from the house is getting into the attic. That's a ventilation and air-sealing problem, not a roof leak, and it leads to ice dams. See our guide to attic insulation and ventilation.

04Inside the house

Look at the ceilings on the top floor, and in closets nobody opens. A brown stain, bubbling paint or a soft spot under a bathroom fan or a chimney is a leak until proven otherwise.

05When to call a roofer

• Several missing or damaged shingles.
• Flashing that has pulled away from the chimney or wall.
• Any active leak, or stains that are new or growing.
• A sagging roof line.
• A roof near or past the end of its expected life.

A roofer can get up there safely, and many will look for free. Don't wait until snow is on it; inspecting a roof under snow is much harder.

Sources (2)

InterNACHI: Roof Inspection · NRCIA: Roof Inspection Checklist

Photo: Asphalt shingles damage by Samuel Bolton, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related: Deck Safety Before the Snow: Ledger Board, Flashing, Railings