Short answer: walk the perimeter of your house once with binoculars and look for lifted shingles, granule piles at downspouts, sagging or clogged gutters, damaged pipe boots and anything loose around the chimney. Fifteen minutes now beats a leak over Thanksgiving.
Nobody wants to deal with a roof while hosting. Here is the short version of what to look at.
From the ground, with binoculars
- Lifted, curled or missing shingles, particularly along ridges and rake edges where wind gets underneath
- Dark patches where granules have worn through to the asphalt beneath
- Anything bent, loose or crooked around the chimney, vents or skylights
- Sagging gutters or sections pulling away from the fascia
- Staining or streaking on the fascia behind the gutter, which means overflow
- Pipe boots with visible cracking in the rubber collar
- Limbs touching or overhanging the roof
In the gutters
Look into them, or at least check what comes out of the downspouts. A heavy layer of granules that looks like coarse sand means the shingle surface is wearing through. A light scattering on a newer roof is normal.
Clear them before winter either way. Clogged gutters are the start of fascia rot, ice damming in a freeze, and overflow that drives water back under the roof edge.
In the attic, with a flashlight
- Daylight visible anywhere through the decking
- Dark staining or streaking on the underside of the sheathing
- Damp, compressed or discolored insulation
- Soffit vents blocked by insulation, which kills your intake airflow
- Rusted nail tips, which indicates a moisture problem
- Any sign of animals, since fall is when they move in. See our guide on roof entry points.
Around the house
- Trim limbs back six to ten feet from the roof surface. Ice loading brings down branches that handle wind fine.
- Check downspout discharge runs well away from the foundation and is not blocked at grade.
- Insulate attic plumbing while you are thinking about it. See frozen pipes in the attic.
- Find your water main shutoff and confirm it turns.
When to just call someone
Call if you find any of these:
- Daylight through the decking
- Active or recent water staining inside
- Multiple damaged or missing shingles
- A roof over fifteen years old that has never been inspected
- Storm activity in your area this year that you never had checked
That last one matters more than people realize. Texas claim deadlines run from the date of the storm, so an uninspected spring hail event can quietly expire. Our year end claim guide covers the timing.
Do not climb up for this
Everything on this list can be done from the ground, a ladder at the gutter line, or inside the attic. Roof falls are common and serious, and most of what actually matters cannot be assessed without knowing what to feel for anyway.
We inspect free, document everything with photos, and tell you honestly if the answer is that you are fine until spring. Book one or call (210) 245-4125.
