Roof inspection in Fort Collins

What a Fort Collins roof inspection has to find

There is no generic roof checklist that works here. At 5,000 feet, with a hail season that runs May through August and a chinook wind that can hit 70 mph in January, the failures are specific, so the inspection is too.

Hail. A bruise from a one-inch stone feels like a soft spot in an apple and shows as a dark circle where granules were knocked loose. Blistering from heat looks similar from the ground and completely different up close. We check each slope by hand, and if we find hits we chalk a 10-by-10-foot test square so the count is documented, not argued about later.

Sun. South- and west-facing slopes in Fort Collins age three to five years ahead of the north side of the same house. Thin, brittle, cupping shingles with bare mat showing at the butt edge are a UV problem, not a hail problem, and no insurer will pay for them. Knowing which one you have before you file is worth the price of the report.

Wind. Gusts coming down off the foothills break the adhesive strip between shingle courses. A shingle can look perfectly seated and still be loose. We lift a few on every slope; a shingle that lifts without resistance is a shingle that will be in the neighbor's yard by March.

Wet spring snow and ice. The March and April storms that drop a foot of heavy snow then melt in two days push water under the eave course. We look for stains on the fascia, rusted nail heads at the drip edge, and — from the attic — water trails on the underside of the deck along the north eaves. If the house was built before ice-and-water shield was required, we say so.

Old Town specifics. Houses west of College and north of Mulberry often have skip sheathing under later plywood, a second layer of shingles, and a brick chimney with decades-old flashing. Each changes what a repair or replacement costs, so we check for all three.

How the visit goes

1. Ground walk. Gutters, downspouts, window screens and AC fins — where hail leaves collateral marks that confirm a storm hit this house.
2. On the roof. Every slope walked where safe. Penetrations, flashing, valleys, ridge caps, eave course and skylights photographed. Old Town gables over 10/12 or an icy roof get a drone pass plus a ladder, and the report says which was which.
3. In the attic. Ventilation first — is the ridge vent cut through the deck, are soffit vents buried in blown-in insulation, is there frost on the nail points. Then stains, daylight, and the underside of every penetration.
4. The report. Within a business day: a photo, a one-line explanation, a repair price and an urgency note per finding, plus an honest remaining-life estimate. If nothing is wrong, it says so.

When people call us for a report

Buyers in Larimer County usually have a 7–10 day inspection window. We can normally be on the roof within two or three days of the call, and the roof estimate Fort Collins buyers hand to their agent comes with the report.

What it costs

A written inspection with photos is $150–$300, depending on roof size and pitch. That fee is credited back if you hire us for any repair or replacement it recommends. Roof inspection Fort Collins homeowners request after a hailstorm is free, because if there is damage, we are quoting the repair anyway.

Why a drone flyover is not an inspection

We fly one for the overview shot and on roofs too steep or icy to walk. But a camera cannot press on a bruise, lift a shingle to test the seal, feel a spongy deck, or get into your attic. A "free drone inspection" followed by a replacement quote is a quote based on a photograph. If you want to see what the attic side of this looks like, read how to find a roof leak from inside. When the report turns something up, the roof repair page explains what comes next.