Home Inspection & Your Calgary Roof

At Century Roofing Limited, we know roofing and siding from an installation and repair perspective and we work with a variety of materials and building types. A new roof is a great selling point if you plan to place your home on the market. But what if you’re the buyer – what should you be looking for to gauge the viability and life expectancy of the roof of your dream home?

Once you have found that special home, the next step is to ensure the house is in top condition with a home inspection. While a home inspection is never a guarantee - usually containing a disclaimer that relieves inspectors of liability - it is the last safeguard for the buyer to know that the soon-to-be-purchased home is in perfect working order and really worth the money inside and out.

It’s also a good idea to know what the inspector, and you the home purchaser, should be looking for, especially when it comes to roofing and siding. The number one culprit to slip through a home inspection is roof leaks because home inspectors don’t physically access the roof to check on its condition. Inspectors generally examine the roof from ground level with binoculars or by looking out higher level windows. Inspectors will note torn or missing shingles and nail pops that may or may not be indicative of a full-fledged problem.

Additional roofing concerns to look for include:

• shrinking, where the underlying membrane shrinks due to excessive heat, leaving parts of your roof unprotected
• making sure there are good seals around things that penetrate your roof, such as vent pipes, sky lights, or a chimney, and that it is properly installed and preventing leaks
• proper ventilation at the base and top of the roof

Such omissions can be avoided by hiring a licensed roof contractor to provide a full evaluation.

Minor imperfections, including damaged siding or old windows, tend to attract less attention from home inspectors, falling outside of the contract’s scope and that the seller is not required to fix, but could develop into a much bigger problem with time.

Your roof is an important piece of your current and future home. If the home inspector reports a problem with your dream home, the next step is to hire specialists to fully investigate the problem. While it may cost a bit upfront, it’s a sound investment compared to the thousands of dollars unreported or unresolved problems could cost after the sale has been finalized.

Call our Calgary Roofing Contractors

Since 1981, family-owned Century Roofing Limited has been installing strong, durable residential and commercial roofs, siding and exterior projects throughout Central and Southern Alberta and Eastern British Columbia. Contact us today in Calgary at 403-235-5457 for a free estimate on your roofing project.