You work hard to take care of your home. You’re careful to make sure everything’s maintained. You even pay a neighbor to mow for you while you’re on vacation.
But when was the last time you had someone inspect your roof? And how much does a roof inspection cost? Would you be able to identify problems with it on your own?
Having an expert inspect your roof is the best way to be sure there aren’t any problems developing. And it also helps you stay ahead of any issues.
Read on to learn how much a roof inspection costs.
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How much does a roof inspection cost?
A roof inspection cost is going to vary depending on a handful of factors. Most homeowners will pay between $75 and $600. The national average in the United States is currently around $200.
However, depending on some circumstances, you could pay as much as $600 just to get your roof inspected. This value is before any roofing problems are found too.
Type of inspection
The first thing that’s going to affect the cost of your roof inspection is how to inspection is done. Today, there are three common ways to complete roof inspections. You can either have a physical inspection, or the inspector will use a drone or infrared scanning.
During a physical inspection, a professional will walk around and examine the entire roof themself. These people are trained to identify home roofing problems just by looking. They’ll have to walk around on top of your roof and look underneath it from inside your attic.
To get one of these inspections will generally cost between $75 and $200.
The next type of inspection you might get uses a drone. This device will take a close-up video of your entire roof inside and out for your inspector to look at. Most inspectors will only use this method for areas that are hard to reach.
To get a drone inspection can cost between $150 and $400.
Finally, you can also get an infrared inspection or thermal inspection. In this case, they’ll use a drone with infrared capabilities to examine your roof. This lets your inspector know where heat is leaking from your roof since the temperatures will be different in those areas.
An infrared inspection can cost between $400 and $600.
Size of your house
The next thing that you’ll need to consider is the size of your house. The bigger your house is, the more time it will take for your inspector to finish their job. This means that a roofing company will have to charge more for labor on a large house.
Another reason for this is that larger roofs have more space that could have problems. Meanwhile, a smaller roof has fewer shingles that could be cracked, broken, or missing. This means that an inspector may have more to discuss with the owner of a larger home upon completing their inspection than they would at a smaller home.
Larger homes also are more likely to have certain areas that are harder to reach. That means that the inspector is more likely to use a drone or infrared instead of a physical inspection.
If you have a smaller house, then you can expect to pay closer to the lower end of the scale. Most likely you’ll pay between $75 and $400.
On the other hand, larger houses will have to pay closer to the high end of the scale. These homes can cost between $200 to $600.
The slope of the roof
The next thing your inspector will consider when pricing your inspection is the slope of your roof. The steeper your roof, the more dangerous it is for your inspector to walk around on it. It can also mean that there are areas in the attic that are harder to get to.
This means it’s more likely that your inspector will need to use a drone or infrared to inspect your roof. Again, this will increase the cost of your inspection if this is needed.
Even if the inspector decides that they can do a physical inspection, there are risks. And this risk increases as your slope does. There’s a higher chance that they might slip and fall.
To account for this, inspectors will often charge more for houses with steeper roofs. That means that the steeper your roof, the closer to the high end of the scale you’ll need to pay.
A roof with a lower slope is much safer for an inspector to walk around on. That’s why these houses will generally cost less to inspect. Owners of these houses can expect to pay between $75 and $400.
On the other hand, if your house’s roof is steep, then you can expect to pay between $200 and $600.
Age of the house
Then your inspector will look at the age of your house. The older your house gets, the more likely it is to have problems. That means that your inspector may take more time examing your roof for problems.
Once they’re done looking at your roof, they’ll want to go over any issues that they’ve found. The more problems there are to go over, the longer this will take. Then you also account for how large the house is at the same time.
All of this means that the inspector has to take more time at your home. The longer an inspection takes, the more they have to charge.
So if your house is newer, then your inspection will most likely cost towards the lower end of the typical scale. The inspector can be in and out of your house and moving on to their next appointment in no time.
On the other hand, an older house is usually going to take a little more time. This is especially true if the roof hasn’t been replaced in a long time. These houses will pay towards the higher end of the scale.
Age of the roof
The last thing that’s going to affect the cost of your roof inspection is the age of your roof. Your house may be old but you might have just gotten the roof replaced recently. This is going to make a big difference to an inspector’s findings and costs.
A newer roof is less likely to have major problems. This means that an inspector won’t need to take as long to make notes on the issues you’re having.
On the other hand, older roofs tend to have more problems. Your inspector will need to take more time to examine the roof carefully. Then they’ll need extra time to explain what needs to be done to fix your roof.
All of this takes time and labor for your inspector to do. Again, the longer it takes them, the more the inspection will cost.
This means that a house with a newer roof is more likely to pay towards the lower end of the scale. Houses with older roofs will most likely need to pay more for their inspections.
Again, all of these factors are going to be considered before you receive your price for inspecting your home. Think about each of these aspects of your home and you should get a decent idea of how much it will cost you.
What do roof inspectors look for?
While inspecting a roof, an inspector will be looking for several types of roofing issues that it might have. They’re trained to catch these issues and recommend ways to fix them.
Leaking pipes
Your house most likely has several pipes coming in and out of the roof. These will be for things like vents and chimneys. They’re meant to protect your house from filling with fumes that could irritate or damage your lungs and eyes.
Unfortunately, these pipes aren’t immune to problems. The seals around them start to leak or break. This creates openings for water and pests to get inside.
This is why inspectors will check these pipes during an inspection too. If there’s a leak around the pipe, then you want to get it resolved quickly. They’ll be able to tell which pipes are leaking and how easy it will be to fix them.
Missing shingles
The shingles on your roof are what direct rain away from your home. This prevents the wood of your home from rotting and getting moldy.
But shingles can get shifted or cracked by bad weather. In some cases, heavy winds can blow some shingles off the roof entirely.
A roof inspector checks for this type of thing too. They want to make sure that no water or pests and get into your home through your roof. Making sure the shingles are all in good shape is the best way to do this.
Ice dams
In colder areas, people might want to light a fire for some extra warmth during a deep freeze. The smoke rises into the chimney so it doesn’t contaminate the air inside your house. But if something is blocking it, then the smoke can’t exit like it’s supposed to.
These areas are susceptible to ice dams forming on their chimneys. This is exactly the kind of obstruction that prevents smoke from flowing out like it’s supposed to.
So when an inspector is at your house, they’ll be looking for these too. Then they’ll recommend ways to deal with that so the smoke goes where it needs to go.
Chimney flashing
To prevent leaks, roofs often have a material called flashing that is designed to direct water away from your home. This is installed around your roof and chimney.
But after a while, all flashing needs replacing, including the chimney flashing. Bad or damaged flashing can lead to more leaks inside your home. This leads to rot and mold in your attic and ceiling.
A roof inspector checks for this issue to prevent these issues from happening. That way you can be sure that your home stays nice and dry.
Low sloping roofs
A low-sloping roof is usually fine as long as it keeps out the rain. But if the wind picks up, that’s when you might have problems. Roofs with low slopes are more easily damaged by winds.
This increases the chances of shingles being missing or broken. When this happens, this increases your chance of leaks.
This is one of the roofing problems that an inspector will look for because of that. They want to make sure that your roof is secure. So the next time the wind picks up, you can be sure that your roof won’t get damaged.
How often should I inspect my roof?
Getting regular inspections and service is a big part of homeownership. Every part of your home will need regular repairs and tune-ups. Your roof is no exception.
Most experts agree that you should probably get a roof inspection after any bad weather event. Hurricanes and hail storms tend to damage roofs badly. Getting inspected after these events keeps you ahead of any issues.
And of course, if you have a good reason to suspect there’s a problem, then you should contact an expert sooner rather than later. Otherwise, the problem will only get worse over time. An inspection can help you prevent that from happening.
Otherwise, experts will advise you to get your roof inspected about once a year. Most will recommend doing this in the fall before the colder months come through. This way, you can be sure there won’t be any issues during the winter months.
Get your roof inspected today
So how much does a roof inspection cost? It can cost anywhere between $75 and $600. But the average in the United States right now is $200.
Whether you’re planning to stay in your home for a long time or sell it soon, maintaining your roof is going to be important. It’s what keeps rain from ruining your house.
And when you’re ready to sell, you can rely on iBuyer to help you do it. All we need is your address and some details to give you a free no-obligation cash offer on your home.
Get a free valuation today and see what we can do for you.
