Treat your Roof to a Seattle Roof Inspection

If your roof is the first line of defense for your home, a roof inspection is the first line of defense for your roof. In Seattle, roof inspection is absolutely critical to maintaining the well being of your roof. While no roofing material is 100 percent immune, this is particularly true of homeowners who have vulnerable roofs such as asphalt. If you have an asphalt roof in Seattle, roof inspections should be considered part of the basic maintenance of owning an inexpensive roof. It's one of those things that's easy to ignore and comes back to haunt many homeowners in the end.

When and How often you should have your Roof Inspected
The National Roofing Contractors Association recommends that homeowners have their roof inspected twice a year. This may be playing it unnecessarily safe in some areas, but in Seattle, the high volume of rain, clouds, and the occasional wind storm, makes biannual roof inspections a wise course of action. The best times to have your roof inspected are at the beginning of the rainy season when any structural damage will be quickly exposed, and toward the end of the rainy season when the high volume of precipitation may have taken its toll on your roof.

The weather may also play a role in when you decide to have your roof inspected. In 2007, when the windstorms swept through the Puget Sound area, wise homeowners had their roofs inspected for damage. When weather events like this occur, you may have to wait a few weeks for roofing contractors, swamped with roof repair jobs, to find the time to get to your home, but it's probably better to have your roof inspected as soon as it's reasonable rather than at the end of the rainy season.

Benefits of Seattle Roof Inspections
Roof inspections rarely prevent roof repairs altogether, but they do minimize the damage and cost when repairs are needed. The difference in cost can frequently be one of hundreds instead of thousands of dollars. Plus, by catching a damaged roof early on, you can keep your subroofing, insulation, and attic in pristine condition, extending the life of these home areas indefinitely. There's something to be said, as well, for peace of mind. Though rare, a subtle roof crack can allow water to slowly seep and infiltrate throughout an extensive area of your home. A nightmare scenario can include replacing a wall from the foundation to the roof, costing $100,000 or more to remedy.

Roof and Home Inspections in Seattle
Along with roof inspections, home inspections are a great idea as well. Though effective in maintaining a home in good condition, home inspections are more common for homeowners trying to sell or buy a home. The best idea is to have your home inspected before you ever put it on the market. Being proactive about getting your home in tip-top shape almost always pays off in the end by hitting your asking price. Even home buyers who insist on conducting their own home inspections are often more interested in homes that they feel have been properly cared for throughout the years.

The average cost of both roof and home inspections is $300. You can probably find someone who will do it for less than this, but be wary of inspectors who seem less experienced or inexperienced. As basic as roof and home inspections seem, this may be one area of home improvement where it can truly pay off to hire the best of the best. Here are some Seattle homeowner testimonials that echo this sentiment.

• Homeowner who spent $300: "I felt well-served by my contractor, but also that someone with more local experience may have known a bit more about the houses in my neighborhood."
• Homeowner who spent $400: "A good inspector is worth his weight in gold."
• Another homeowner who spent $400: "Well worth the price."