A once-a-year roof check for North Texas homes and buildings

The routine in brief

Once a year, ideally in late winter before storm season, walk around the property and look at the roof from the ground, clean the gutters, check the attic for moisture and daylight, look closely at flashing and vents with binoculars, and photograph everything for your records. After any significant hail or wind, repeat the ground check. Every few years, or after a major storm, have a professional inspect the roof up close. That routine catches most problems while they are still small repairs.

Most of what we see at Verde Roofing is storm damage, but a surprising share of the leaks we fix started as something minor that went unnoticed for a season or two. Here is the checklist I give homeowners and property managers, with the reasons behind each step.

Step one: a slow walk around the outside

Pick a clear day, take binoculars and your phone, and walk the whole perimeter. Look at each slope you can see and compare it with last year's photos. You are looking for change: a slope that looks darker or patchier, a line of shingles that is not lying flat, a flashing joint that looks different. Stay on the ground; there is no need to climb on the roof for this.

Timing matters. Late winter is the best season for this walk in North Texas: the leaves are down, the light is low enough to show shadows from lifted shingles, and anything you find can be fixed before the spring storms arrive. Roofers are also less busy then than in the weeks after a big hail event, so small repairs get scheduled quickly. Put a reminder on the calendar for the same week every year so it actually happens.

• Missing, lifted, cracked or curling shingles.
• Bare or dark patches where granules have worn away.
• Flashing at chimneys, walls and skylights that has pulled away or rusted.
• Pipe boots and vents that look cracked or tilted.
• Sagging along the ridge or in the middle of a slope.
• Tree limbs touching or hanging over the roof.
• Soft, rotted or peeling trim at the eaves and fascia.

Step two: gutters and downspouts

Gutters do more for a roof than most people realize. When they clog, water backs up under the roof edge and into the fascia and decking. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends cleaning and repairing roof gutters regularly as part of keeping moisture out of a home. Clear them at least once a year, and more often if you have trees that drop leaves, seeds or pods onto the roof.

While you are there, look at what is in the gutters. A heavy layer of granules is a sign that shingles are wearing, and a sudden increase after a storm can point to hail damage. Check that downspouts are attached, draining away from the foundation and not crushed at the bottom. Dented gutters and downspouts after a storm are evidence worth photographing.

Trim branches that overhang the roof while you are at it. Limbs that rub on shingles wear through the granules, drop debris that clogs gutters and valleys, and give squirrels and other animals a path onto the roof, where they can chew vents and soffits. A limb that breaks in a wind storm can also puncture a roof outright, so a branch hanging over the house is worth dealing with before storm season rather than after it.

Step three: the attic, with a flashlight

The attic shows you problems before the ceiling does. Go up on a sunny day if you can do so safely, step only on joists, and look up at the underside of the decking. Daylight showing through, stained or darkened wood, or damp insulation are all signs that water or air is getting where it should not.

The U.S. Department of Energy calls moisture the number one enemy facing an attic and lists signs of possible water intrusion, among them wet insulation near the eaves, mold or mildew on attic surfaces, and warped or rotting wood. DOE also warns that bathroom fans, kitchen exhausts and dryers should vent outside, not into the attic, because venting moist air into the attic leads to mold and moisture problems. While you are up there, confirm that the soffit vents are not blocked by insulation; DOE notes that baffles at the eaves keep the airflow path open.

• Daylight through the decking or around penetrations.
• Water stains, dark streaks or soft spots on the wood.
• Wet, compressed or moldy insulation.
• Exhaust ducts that end in the attic instead of outside.
• Soffit vents covered by insulation.

Step four: after every significant storm

North Texas storms do not wait for your yearly check. After hail or high wind, do a quick version of steps one and two within a few days: walk the property, look at gutters, vents and window screens for dents, check the yard for shingle pieces, and photograph everything with dates visible. Then look at the ceilings and, if it is safe, the attic.

If you find damage, or if neighbors with similar roofs are finding it, have the roof inspected. The Texas Department of Insurance advises filing a claim as soon as you can when hail or strong winds damaged your home, and prompt documentation makes that process easier. Our guide to what North Texas weather does to a roof explains what different storms leave behind.

What to leave to a professional

Walking a roof, resealing flashing, replacing shingles and diagnosing leaks are jobs for a roofer. Falls from roofs are a serious risk, and a well-meant repair done wrong can trap water rather than shed it. TDI suggests having a roof inspector look at your roof every few years, and I would add after any major storm and before you buy or sell a house.

A professional inspection goes beyond what you can see from the ground: the condition of each shingle slope up close, every flashing detail, the seal on pipe boots, the ventilation, and how the decking feels underfoot. We offer maintenance plans for owners who would rather have someone keep an eye on the roof on a schedule. If you notice a drip between inspections, our guide on what to do about a roof leak yourself and when to call covers the first steps.

Records that help with insurance and resale

Every year, take a set of dated photos of each roof slope from the ground, the gutters, and the attic. Keep them with the invoice from your last roof replacement, the product names, any repair receipts and inspection reports. It takes half an hour and is worth a great deal when you need it.

Those records matter for insurance in two ways. If a storm damages the roof, photos from before the event help show what condition it was in. And TDI notes that insurers may inspect roofs and may charge more or refuse coverage based on what they see, and that some switch older roofs to actual cash value coverage. Knowing your roof's condition before renewal puts you in a better position; if your premium has jumped, the steps in what to do when your homeowners renewal goes up are worth reading alongside this.

Commercial and multi-family roofs need a schedule

For offices, stores, warehouses and apartment buildings, the same principles apply with a few additions. Low-slope roofs depend on drains, scuppers and gutters to move water off, so clearing debris from them is the most important maintenance task. Rooftop equipment brings technicians onto the roof, and their foot traffic and tools can damage membranes and flashing, so a check after major service visits is sensible.

Property managers should keep a simple log of roof leaks reported by tenants, with dates and locations. A pattern of leaks in the same area usually points to a specific detail, such as a seam, a curb or a drain, that a targeted repair can fix before it becomes a larger problem. A scheduled inspection, rather than a call only when something leaks, keeps those repairs small.

Planning ahead: replacement, upgrades and solar

Your yearly check also tells you when to start planning. If the photos show more granule loss each year, more curling or more repairs, a replacement is coming, and it is better to plan it than to have a storm decide for you. Our guide on whether a roof needs repair or replacement helps you judge when that time has come.

If you are considering solar, look at the roof first. We install rooftop solar as well as roofs, and our solar page notes that DFW averages about 230 sunny days a year. In my experience, it makes sense to install panels on a roof with plenty of life left, because replacing a roof later means removing and reinstalling the panels. If your roof is nearing the end of its life, doing the roof first and the solar second avoids paying for that work twice.

A second set of eyes when you want one

If your yearly walk turns up something you are not sure about, or you would simply like a professional to look before storm season, we will inspect the roof for free and walk you through what we see. We work across Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, Rockwall and the surrounding counties, on homes as well as commercial and multi-family buildings.

You will get photos, a plain explanation, and an honest recommendation: leave it alone, make a small repair now, or start planning for what comes next.

Questions people ask me