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Inspection of the roof is an important part of the home inspection process. Depending upon home site conditions such as the slope of the roof, condition of the roof, type of roofing
material, as well as weather conditions determines how the roof inspection is conducted during a home inspection.
The above photo taken during a home inspection displays the result of too many courses of
roofing shingles applied to a roof. In this case, there are two courses of asphalt shingles installed over cedar wooden shingles. As a result, the home inspector observed that the top course of shingles have
fallen off the roof due to wind conditions.
When there are too many courses of shingles on a roof, the home inspection engineer observed that the roofing nails did not hold securely; the above photo shows
the result. Additionally, the weight imposed on the roof structure may exceed the safe capabilities of the supporting roof structure.
Aside from structural issues, the home inspection engineer determined
that a solution to the condition shown in the above photo is removal of all roofing shingles, the installation of a new plywood roof deck, a new roof membrane, new roof flashings, new roof shingles,
etc.
This is an important reason why home buyers should retain the services of a licensed Professional Engineer to conduct their home inspection rather than a non-engineer inspector (whether or not the
inspector holds a license as a home inspector or not). Since a non-engineer inspector does not have the design education degree to conduct a structural analysis, home buyers sometimes have to pay an additional
fee for an analysis of the roof structure.
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