Roof inspection
Roof inspection in Des Moines
What fails on a Des Moines roof depends on when the house was built. The 1920s foursquare fails at the chimney, the 1960s ranch fails at the eaves in February, and the 2006 Ankeny two-story fails wherever the hail landed. We walk the roof, crawl the attic, and write down which one you have.
What we find, by the age of the house
| Built | Where | What usually turns up |
|---|---|---|
| 1900–1930 | Sherman Hill, Drake, Highland Park, Valley Junction | Brick chimney flashing failed, plank decking with gaps, no soffit vents, sometimes a second layer |
| 1930–1960 | Beaverdale, Waveland Park, east side, Merle Hay | Ice dam damage at the eaves, worn valleys, bath fans venting into the attic, frost on the nails |
| 1960–1995 | Urbandale, Clive, Windsor Heights, Pleasant Hill | Low pitches with pooling, aging pipe boots, tree damage from mature maples and oaks |
| 1995–2012 | Ankeny, Johnston, Waukee, Grimes, Jordan Creek | Hail bruising, seal strips lifted by the derecho, four-nail shingles, closed valleys with no membrane |
| 2012–today | Prairie Trail, Waukee, Altoona, Norwalk | Nail pops, blistering, skylight kits, builder-grade shingles already shedding granules |
A roof inspection in Des Moines has to know this going in. Spending twenty minutes on hail bruising in Sherman Hill is time not spent on the chimney; ignoring the seal strips in Prairie Trail misses the whole point.
Four reasons people call
Buying a house. The home inspector's report says "roof shows wear, recommend evaluation by a licensed roofer." That sentence appears on roughly half the pre-war listings in the city and plenty of 2005 listings in the suburbs. A roof estimate Des Moines buyers can hand their agent turns that vague line into a specific credit request.
Selling one. A written report with the boots and a valley already fixed, and a stated remaining life, means the buyer's inspector has nothing to add. The roof stops being a negotiating point.
After a storm. You saw dents in the gutters and aren't sure whether to file. The answer is on the roof, in a chalked test square, and it's either a claim or it isn't. We tell you before you call your agent.
A roof that's just getting old. "Can it go another winter?" is the question we hear most, and the honest answer is usually a number of winters plus a short list of things to fix now.
How the inspection runs
We start in the attic, because the attic tells the truth. Water trails on the underside of the decking, daylight at the ridge, frost on the nail tips, a bath fan hose that stops at the insulation, soffits stuffed with blown-in insulation, sag in a rafter that has carried too many Iowa snow loads. Then we walk the outside: gutters, fascia, siding, the ground under each slope.
On the roof we go slope by slope. We lift a shingle by hand on each face to see whether the seal strip is still bonded, which is the single most useful test on any roof in the metro since 2020. We press hail bruises with a thumb, check every pipe boot and vent, look at the chimney's step and counter-flashing and whether it has a cricket, open the valleys, check the drip edge and the eave courses for ice dam wear, and walk the deck feeling for soft spots. Skylights get their flashing kits and seals checked. Steep or icy roofs get a drone for the overview and a walk where it's safe.
The report
Usually the next day. Every problem gets a photo, a plain sentence about what it is, and a repair price. The last line is how many years we think the roof has, and why. If nothing is wrong, the report says nothing is wrong. Reports that talk people into roofs are what the door-knockers write; ours are built to be handed to an agent, an adjuster or a spouse.
Price
$150–$300 for a standalone written report, depending on roof size and pitch. If we do a repair or replacement from the report, the fee comes off the job. A look at storm damage or an active leak that we're quoting anyway is free.
A drone is not an inspection
We use one for the overview photo and for roofs too steep or glazed to walk. It can't lift a shingle, press a bruise, feel a soft deck or go in the attic. A quote built from a drone flyover and a satellite measurement is a guess with good pictures. Our guide on what a good roof inspection covers sets out the full checklist, how to find a roof leak from inside shows the attic half, and the roof repair page covers what we do about what we find.
Other roofing services
Roof Repair
Leaks at flashing, boots and valleys, wind-lifted shingles, soft decking — found from the attic, fixed with a written price. Most jobs $300–$1,500.
Roof Repair →Roof Replacement
Full tear-off, decking check, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water at the eaves, wind-rated architectural shingles. One to two days, $9,000–$20,000 on most homes.
Roof Replacement →Storm Damage & Claims
Hail, derecho and wind damage documented from the roof, tarped if needed, and written up in a scope your adjuster can follow. No deductible games.
Storm Damage & Claims →Ice Dam Repair
Steam removal of the dam, repair of the damage underneath, and the attic air-sealing and ventilation work that stops it coming back next January.
Ice Dam Repair →Questions we get asked
Do you charge for a roof inspection?
A written report with photos — for a sale, a purchase, or a roof you want assessed — is $150–$300, and it comes off the bill if you hire us for the work. If you have a leak or storm damage and we're quoting the repair, the look is free.
How long will you be at the house?
Around an hour for a typical two-story in the metro. Fifteen or twenty minutes in the attic, half an hour or more on the roof, and a walk around the outside. The report is emailed the next business day in most cases.
We're under contract and the inspection window closes Friday. Can you make it?
Usually. Inspection contingencies in the Des Moines market tend to run 7–10 days, and we can typically be on the roof within two or three days of the call. Tell us the deadline when you book and we'll work around it.
Need roof work in Des Moines?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.