What To Look For When Inspecting The
Residential Roofing In Your
New Lancaster, PA Home

3 Steps You Need To Take
During A Residential
Roof Inspection

Congratulations! You’re looking at buying a home. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or you’ve done this a few times, it’s important to ensure the house is in excellent and safe condition. If it’s not, the areas that need attention should be addressed with the current homeowner before making your purchase.

Ensure your Lancaster, PA, residential roofing is in the best condition possible before buying your new home.

1. Check The Interior Condition Of The Roof
Before Making Your Final Purchase

One of the most important things to assess is the presence of water damage. Especially on the uppermost floors, look around the ceiling, paying attention to signs of water damage. These could be present anywhere but are most likely to be around bathroom vent fans, skylights, and around the edges of the ceiling.

A roof can be easily damaged in unpredictable weather conditions in Lancaster County, so it’s important to check the area itself or hire residential roof contractors to complete an inspection.

It’s also important to check your asphalt shingle roofing for sagging. Any drooping ceilings, especially on the uppermost floor, are typically signs of previous water damage. The roof should be inspected by a professional to determine if there is or was a roof leak.

You can also look at the insulation, but more importantly, get a look at the roof decking. If you see areas that are discolored or any holes, some plywood may need to be replaced. This could be a warning sign that you may need to call a residential roofer to replace the roof because the lowest layer of protection is compromised.

Depending on the time of year, it’ll be important to realize the temperature of the attic or crawl space. If it’s way too hot in summer, it’s likely not ventilated properly.

It is also good to look for signs of mold, which is another indication of poor ventilation. Look for any bathroom vents or pipes that are exhausting into the attic space — these should always be lengthened and put through the roof with proper flashing.

2. Find Any Exterior Damages On
The Residential Roofing

Look out for missing roof shingles. The shingles are your outermost and the first layer on your roof responsible for protecting your home. Missing shingles compromise the entire roof system and can lead to external elements entering the home and causing damage.

It’s also important to analyze if your roof has granule loss & surface cracking: Granule loss happens over time as the shingles face different weather conditions, and the bond between the granules and asphalt lessens.

This often causes discoloration. Some discoloration of shingles is normal with age due to sun exposure and granular loss. However, major discoloration could be concerning. This means the shingles may be reaching the end of their life and may start to cause problems.

Surface cracking happens when shingles face extreme heat. They expand and crack. This happens over time and could cause issues to reach the interior of your home. Over time, this will likely require a new residential roof installation.

Make sure your gutters are securely attached to the home. You can look to see if there is standing water, and if so, the gutters aren’t draining properly. This could be due to a clog or a sagging gutter slope. If it’s a clog, it’s important to clean the gutters (or have the homeowners clean them prior to purchase) so the debris doesn’t continue to build up and permanently damage the gutters.

3. Questions To Ask A Homeowner
About The Roof System

There are a few questions every home buyer should ask the current homeowner before purchasing a home.

• How old is the current roof system?
• What residential roofing company installed the roof?
• Is there any paperwork that contains warranty information?
• Has there been any work done on the roof since it was installed?
• Do you have any leftover matching roofing materials?
• Is there a transferable warranty on the roof system?

If you don’t see any concerning areas as mentioned above, it’s likely that the roof is in good or great condition! This can be one thing to check off your house-buying list!

However, if you have to put “Yes” by any of the elements to check, it’s time to start discussing your options. You may want to have the current homeowner fix the issues, depending on what the issues are and what their roofing warranty is. You may also want to decrease your offer to give yourself additional cash to fix the issues yourself.

Whatever you choose, it’s important to promptly address these areas! Ignoring roof deterioration can lead to much larger problems.

If you’re questioning the roof’s integrity, speak to a local residential roofer! Joyland Roofing is located in Lancaster County, PA, and we serve many towns in the surrounding area. We would love to have a conversation with you!

Let us know about the property you’re looking at purchasing, and we can schedule a time for our inspector to visit!