How long does a roof inspection take?

What takes the time

Getting onto the roof safely, and then covering the parts that actually fail: flashing at chimneys and walls, valleys, vent boots, the condition of the field, and the edge detail. Photographing as we go, because the photographs are the point. Then the attic and the decking where they can be reached, and the ventilation.

A simple gable roof on a single-family house is quick. A cut-up roof with several planes, dormers and multiple penetrations is not, because there is more of the thing that leaks.

When it takes longer

Steep roofs need different safety equipment and more care. Slate cannot be walked the way asphalt can, so it may need a drone instead, which changes the approach rather than simply the duration. Large commercial or multi-building sites are a different job again — there the seams and the perimeter are the work, and there is a lot of both.

Weather matters too. We will not walk a wet or iced roof to save twenty minutes.

You do not have to be there for all of it

Most people are not. What matters is the part afterwards, where we go through the photographs with you before any price is mentioned. If you cannot be there, we send the photographs and talk them through on the phone.

If water is actively coming in, say so when you call. Active leaks get prioritized ahead of quotes and inspections, and the first visit is about stopping the water rather than assessing the roof.