Roof Inspection and Assessment in Herndon

Why start with an inspection

Most roofing mistakes happen before any work starts: a full replacement sold on age alone, or a quick patch on a roof that's failing everywhere. An inspection is how we avoid both. It's also the only way to write an honest scope. Satellite measurements are useful for size and a rough price, and the Roofing Roughnecks instant estimate tool uses them, but they can't show a lifted shingle, a cracked vent boot or a soft spot in the deck.

What we look at

• Shingle condition across the roof: granule loss, cracking, curling, missing or lifted tabs.
• Flashing at walls, chimneys, skylights and valleys.
• Penetrations: plumbing vents, exhaust vents and their boots or collars.
• Ridge, hips and edges, including how water leaves the roof at the eaves.
• Signs of earlier repairs and whether they're holding.
• Ventilation: intake and exhaust, and whether the attic shows heat or moisture problems.
• Interior evidence, such as ceiling stains, when there's a reported leak.

Our guide to what a roof inspection covers goes through each of these in more depth, including what you can safely check yourself from the ground and the attic.

Inspections for Herndon's housing mix

Herndon's homes are a mix: according to the Town's 2020 housing estimate, about 38% are single-family detached houses, 30% townhouses and 32% apartments and condominiums. For a detached house, the inspection covers the whole roof. For a townhouse, it's important to be clear about where your section begins and ends, how it joins the neighboring units, and what your HOA requires. If you're buying or selling a Herndon home, an inspection before closing can also help you understand how much life the roof has left.

What you get afterward

You get a plain explanation of what we saw and what we recommend. If the roof needs work, the recommendation becomes a written scope that lists what's included before anything starts. If it doesn't need work yet, we'll say so.

Chimneys and skylights, like the ones on this McLean roofing project, are two of the details an inspection always checks closely, because that's where water most often finds a way in.

When to schedule one

• After a storm with high winds or falling limbs.
• When you see a ceiling stain, damp attic insulation or daylight through the roof boards.
• When shingles are visibly curling, cracking or shedding granules into the gutters.
• Before buying a home, or before listing one.
• When the roof is approaching the age range where asphalt shingles commonly wear out, 20 to 30 years.