Do I need a new roof?

How to do roof inspection

Conducting routine inspections of your roof — especially if you live in an area that experiences extreme weather — can help you prevent exterior damage from creating interior problems.

Start inside

• Look around your attic for signs of leaks, dark spots, holes, or sagging sheathing
• Check your ceilings for stains, mold or mildew

Step outside

If you’re comfortable climbing a ladder, you can see your roof up close. If not, you can do a relatively thorough inspection from the ground, using binoculars.

• Clean leaves and debris out of gutters and downspouts, check them for sagging or leaks
• Look in hidden areas, like the underside of eaves and fascia — the board that connects the roof to the outer walls of your house — for rotting or signs of animal infestation

Head to the street

• From this distance, look for dark spots, missing shingles, or sagging
• See if the exterior paint is blistering or peeling
• If you live in an area with icy or snowy winters, keep an eye out for ice dams — ridges of ice that form at the edge of your roof — because if water can’t drain off the roof, it may leak into your home

Examine the roof

• Check for cracked, torn, warped, or missing shingles and popped or rusted nails
• Look for open seams or joints and make sure roof vents aren’t covered or clogged
• Note areas that sag or appear unsound 
• Make sure pipes and roof penetrations, like your chimney or skylights, are sealed and don’t have any exposed nails 
• Make sure flashing, which is used to seal joints and keep water off of them, is not damaged or providing inadequate coverage