What actually happens when someone inspects my roof in Minneapolis?

On The Slope

A pro checks the roof up close, not from the curb. On a walkable slope over a Minneapolis bungalow or foursquare, that means going course by course looking for cracked or missing shingles, worn granules, and lifted tabs. Steeper pitches or higher stories get a drone survey instead, since not every roofline near Lake Harriet or Tangletown is safe to climb. Either way, penetrations get attention too: chimneys, vent stacks, and pipe boot condition around anything poking through the deck.

From there the check moves to penetrations and flashing, the spots that fail before the field of shingles does. That covers chimney flashing, roof-to-wall transitions, and pipe boot condition where rubber seals crack after years of freeze-thaw cycling. Valley and lap review matters here too, since valleys carry meltwater off a snow-loaded roof each spring and a lapped seam that's opened even slightly becomes the starting point for an ice dam leak the following winter.

Drainage And Attic

Gutters and downspouts get checked next, since a channel packed with shingle grit or leaves off a Kenwood or Tangletown oak can back water up under the lowest course. The pro looks for sagging hangers, loose seams, and spots where a downspout dumps too close to the house, which matters on older Whittier and Fulton foursquares sitting over a full basement rather than a slab.

From inside, the attic gets a look from below at the sheathing and rafters, checking for daylight at gaps and dark staining that signals a leak path rather than plain summer humidity. On a bungalow near Lake Harriet or Longfellow with tight, older insulation, that underside check is often where a slow ice dam problem actually shows itself first, well before it reaches the ceiling drywall.

The Written Report

Everything gets documented as it's found. A photo report shows each spot called out during the walk, so what comes back to you is not just someone's verbal impression of what the roof looked like from Franklin Avenue. Photos tied to specific locations on the roof let you see the flashing gap or the stained rafter yourself, rather than taking a description on faith, and they give you something to compare against on the next inspection.

Everything gets written up afterward: a photo report showing what was found, plus a remaining service life estimate so a homeowner in Whittier or Longfellow knows roughly how many seasons are left before bigger work is needed. That report also splits findings into a priority repair list, so it's clear what needs handling before the next Minnesota winter and what can reasonably wait.