Roofing Inspection – Roof Consultation in Jacksonville Florida

Roofing inspection is a hot topic here in Florida these days, as the state is coming off two years in a row of Tropical storm and Hurricane strikes to the state, of course, we by now are all familiar with Matthew, Harvey, and now Irma, which were record-breaking storm events, bringing into focus, now that the threats have passed, the need to find out the condition of the roof, this of great importance, as relying on an insurance adjuster to do the roofing inspection, can be a costly proposition, while waiting for the insurer to send out their people, why not get some preemptive knowledge from a roofing professional, as building owners can benefit their claim by utilizing accurate roofing inspection.

Roofing inspection can save money

Now more so than in the past years, it is vital for property owners, to get a roofing inspection, doing so will provide advance information, as to the current condition of the roofing system, and prepare for the next hurricane, or weather event to impact the roof system, so for certain there is a cost benefit to getting a roofing inspection anytime, much like getting a service for any other expensive component of a building or dwelling, such as, annual HVAC service is a good example, rather than reacting to a problem that pops without notice, early detection of defects, or damage to the roofing system, and unexpected issues can be offset by utilizing roof inspection.

A good majority of roof wear or damage, usually has been going on long before it becomes a stain on a ceiling or some other indicator, and roofing inspection can catch it before progressing to an expensive repair.

As shingle roofing systems are the main roof covering materials used on sloped roofs, most of the info here will be about shingle roofing, but there are many other types of roofing systems and they all have external parts, there can be damage to multiple components, be it a commercial or residential property, so this writer recommends, especially after a major storm event, as soon as possible order a comprehensive roofing inspection.

Hiring a competent roofing inspection professional, to perform a roofing inspection of the current condition of the roof, will give a leg up should an insurance claim need to be filed, also minor damage can be repaired, before progressing into a major problem, this will save money, and aggravation, just picture getting the wrong settlement, with your insurer for example after they have performed their roofing inspection, when there is peak demand, things get overlooked for example, let say a tree hit the roof, which has happened a lot the last couple years, there is a hole, but is the structure unaffected, an inspector should, enter the attic if accessible, inspect the interior space which is concealed, catch these issues before they are overlooked, most adjusters, are not going to inspect your attic cavity, unless you know to ask for it, a qualified Licensed roofing contractor will do this, with as part of a comprehensive roofing inspection, better to do this in advance of your adjuster showing up, all information from the roofing inspection would be privy to a building owner, prior to determination by the insurance adjuster as to the extent of damages when they do their roofing inspection.

If things do match up, with the roofing professionals inspection, pull out your roofing inspection info, present it, this writer digitally documents everything (pictures) this can save thousands, and if haggling after the fact with an insurance company, does not sound enjoyable, make a small investment, usually under $150 and get a roofing inspection in advance of your adjuster showing up.

As long as you have hired a properly licensed contractor, here in Florida to perform the roofing inspection, FYI the law is, in Florida, they must be County registered, or State certified, no other types are legal.

Why ? Matthew and now Irma, have damaged a lot of buildings roofing systems, in the case of this roofing contractor, and writer of this post, located here in Jacksonville Florida, I can personally from experience looking at so many roofs, inform on the topic, that Matthew did damage to a lot of shingle roofing systems, and much of this damage was not apparent, until Irma came through Jacksonville fl.

Simplified, shingle roofing systems, are inexpensive, as Roofing systems go, that being said, by no means is it inexpensive to buy a new roof out-of-pocket but compared to Tile or Metal, Shingle roofing systems are the dominate roofing used on residential buildings, because of their affordability, also there is a mix of shingle applications used where slopes are present on commercial properties, but the majority of larger and medium-sized commercial structures have low slope, or flat roofing systems on these, roof systems, benefit greatly from annual roofing inspection.

The point of this information is to share some hands on knowledge, regarding very possible condition of a home, or building owners roof condition, after 2 seasons of Hurricanes in Northeast Florida more than ever, there is the need for a good roofing inspection.

Most residential shingle roof systems, with 10 years on them, sustained either minor or major physical damage to the roof coverings, in other words, blown off shingles, so this is an easy to diagnose, because typically this is clearly visible by just doing a survey from thew ground walking around a building and looking at the roof, and this is of course a method of roofing inspection.

What types of roofing inspection is needed ?

The circumstance one might come across that would entail the need for a roofing inspection, of course the most obvious would be after severe storms, like Hurricanes, Hail, Straight line winds, Tree’s falling on a building and the roof, these are run of the mill happenings that prompt some kind of roofing inspection either by the owner of the property or a professional, or an insurance adjuster.

Some other less obvious instances where a roofing inspection is needed are, but is fairly common, is when a building is being sold.

In almost every instance where a mortgage is needed to buy property there is a requirement that the building be inspected by a home or building inspector.

Often this writers experience is most inspectors, not all, as some are very knowledgeable, but the majority, know little about roofing, which can lead to defects in analysis of a buildings roofing system. To be fair, the majority of building inspectors, will recommend a roofing professional rule out any uncertainties that an inspector would run across, which is the ethical thing to do, however a large majority of times, lots of issues are not even noticed during a general building inspection.

Always hire a Roofing professional to do a roofing inspection, when buying, or selling or maintaining a building if there are any concerns For a small investment, can save big bucks, this point can not be overstated enough, many times over the career of this writer, I have witnessed first hand, what types of roofing issues are not detected during a routine home inspection, getting stuck with the previous owners faulty roofing system can and does in many cases, result in the disappointment of having to spend hundreds or even thousands to repair problems, that could have, easily been addressed with a roofing inspection.

Another type of roofing inspection is when an insurer will audit their policy and begin to inquire into the existing condition of a roofing system as the insurer is responsible if a claim is filed, so they will send a letter or even call sometimes and inform the building owner that their records indicate that due to the age of the roof they will need a roofing inspection certification as to the condition of the roof, often this is required before renewing a policy.

Once this process is underway, this can lead to the requirement that the roof be replaced or they will not offer a renewal, this can cause a great deal of angst, especially if no funds are readily available to replace the roofing system within the time frame of their demands. Usually there is enough remaining serviceable life span left on most roof’s, and the insurers want to have piece of mind that the roof is in working order and providing protection to the building, which they are liable for if damaged.

Typically a letter from a Florida State certified roofing contractor indicating the specified amount of time of protection remaining, usually referred to as, remaining, serviceable life span, plus the current condition of the roofing system, average is 3-6 years before replacement, insurers are well aware of the average amount of years a roof will last, this can in most cases, be overcome by a certification letter provided by a roofing contractor, following a roofing inspection.

A letter of certification, or an insurer’s form filled out by a licensed and qualified professional will put the matter to bed, for a while at least. What the insurers are interested in knowing, is the current condition and the remaining serviceable life of the roof system this can be resolved by roofing inspection.

Much appreciation to all who read this, hopefully this information has been helpful with understanding the importance of timely roofing inspection.