Your roof is the main protection to your home or building. It’s engineering and placement are far more intricate that one may realize. Should any part of the roof’s structure be compromised, missing, or damaged, it could lead to catastrophic events that could destroy your home, threaten your family, and the loss of possessions. That being said, knowing what your roof is made of allows you to follow when the roof inspection that you’ll need is done.
The roof is made of several layers. These layers are engineered for protection for the inside and the outside of the home. Mostly it’s to protect against weather such as rain, snow, and even harsh sunlight. Even one section of your roof compromised can lead to the other sections falling apart at the seams, literally. One might not even know that there is damage and that the outside elements have crept into the structure and doing damage on the scale of voracious termites until it’s too late. Since the layperson will only look at the top or surface of the roof, the damage happening in the underlying layers can go undetected and just waiting for that moment the walls, electrical system or the roof itself caves in.
Yes the surface is something you’ll need to look at but roof inspection also begins on the inside. The underlayment is the primary water protections that your roof is made of. It is composed of several materials like asphalt or fiberglass or whatever is allowed by law. Think of this layer as underwear for your roof and without it, you’re bare naked to the wind. Seeing to the safety of this layer of the roof will be the third of the battle after the covering. There are fasteners and other things like flashing that keep water out and in concert with the other materials it makes for a good shield.
The littlest things are the things to watch out for. As was mentioned, the fasteners and flashing, nails, staples, the things that hold the materials and structure together. If you’re not proficient enough to inspect these elements then that’s why you’ll need to get a professional roofing company to come in and do the due diligence.
When it comes to roof inspection, it is better to be safe than sorry.