OMG, why do you guys talk about the roof so much?

It's true, we do talk about the roof a lot. We talk about inspecting it. We talk about walking it. We talk about flying drones over it. We talk about how many ladders we have, how long those ladders are, how eager we are to use them to get to the roof, walk the roof, and check down the chimney. Yeah, we talk about the roof a lot.

Because the roof is really important! Like, really, really important. It's almost as important as the foundation of your home. Your roof...

• protects you from rain, snow, hail, lightning, insects, curious squirrels, and storm debris or falling trees.

• keeps your heated or cooled air inside, and other air outside.

• provides structural integrity to your home. That's right, the roof is on top, but it actually keeps your house together!

The roof is one of the most important parts of the home. It's also one of the least observed parts of your home. It's up high, you can't see all of it at once, and depending on the build of the house you may not be able to see parts of it at all. Even if it gets the occasional glance that's certainly not the same as a close look, let alone an inspection.

An inspection can reveal things like exposed nail heads and spongy areas hiding water damage beneath the shingles. Boots on the roof reveal more than eyes on the ground. Some things are small, and some are only detectable by feel.

The roof protects you all the time and is also exposed all the time. Snow weighs on your roof in winter, tree branches careen into it during storms, and rain patters and pounds down on it in summer. You know the soothing sounds of rain pattering on the roof? The sound that makes you (or at least me) want to curl up on the couch with a good book and maybe a blanket and mug of tea?

Yeah... every one of those soothing drops is potentially damaging the roof. One of those thousands of drops, tens of thousands in heavy rain, could soothingly make its way through the layers of your roof. The water soaks into the wooden layers of the roof and doesn’t leave. Those areas start to rot. Over time that moisture spreads and then one day you need to keep a bucket in the living room to catch the drips from your ceiling!

Well before you get to the bucket point water can be damaging and the repair bill climbs higher and higher. At the same time, that leak in the roof is letting all your good air out, which makes your energy bill rise too. So when you find out about the leak it’s really hard to afford repairs.

And that’s why we talk about the roof so much! A home inspection that includes walking the roof can save you a lot of time, money, and heartache.

Thanks for reading!