Roof Inspections
A roof inspection in Huntsville from us is a written report with dated photos of every slope, every penetration and the attic, with an honest remaining-life estimate and a priced list of anything that needs attention. It typically costs $150 to $300 for a standard home, and the fee is credited toward any repair we do in the following 90 days.
Half of our inspections are tied to a house sale. Redstone Arsenal, NASA Marshall and Cummings Research Park move families in and out of Madison County every summer, and those buyers and sellers want the roof on paper, not a verbal thumbs-up at the closing table.
The other half are owners of 15 to 25 year old roofs in Madison, Hampton Cove and south Huntsville who want to know whether they have two years left or seven.
Who needs one
Buyers under contract. A general home inspector looks at the roof from a ladder or the ground and writes two lines. We walk it, enter the attic, and tell you whether to ask for a repair credit, a replacement credit, or nothing. On a 15 year old Madison roof that difference is worth $10,000 at the negotiating table.
Sellers getting ahead of it. A clean roof report in the listing file removes the biggest surprise in the inspection period and lets you fix small items for hundreds instead of crediting thousands.
Relocating federal and contractor families on a PCS or transfer timeline. You may be buying from 800 miles away. A photo report you can read on a laptop is the only way to know what the roof is.
Insurance. After hail or wind, a documented inspection with chalk-marked hits per test square either supports the claim or tells you it is not worth filing. Carriers also ask for roof condition letters on older homes at renewal, and we write those.
Anyone with a roof past 15 years who would rather plan a replacement than discover one through a ceiling stain.
What we check, top to attic
- Up top: shingle condition and granule loss by slope, with the south and west slopes separated because they age faster in the Huntsville sun. Seal strip adhesion, lifted or creased tabs, nail pops. Every pipe boot, every vent cap, every flashing at chimneys, walls, skylights and valleys. Ridge cap and ridge vent. Drip edge and gutter condition. Evidence of hail on soft metals.
- Inside: decking from below for stains, delamination and daylight. Insulation for moisture. Bath and kitchen vents to confirm they exit the roof and not the attic. Ventilation balance, because a hot attic is what shortens roof life here.
- Flat and low-slope sections get their own section of the report: seams, ponding, terminations at the wall.
- We measure the roof while we are up there, so if the answer is replacement you leave with a square count and a budget range, not just a verdict.
The report you get
Same day or next day, as a PDF. Photos labeled by slope and location. A condition rating per slope. A list of findings in three groups: fix now, fix within a year, and monitor. Each fix-now item carries a price range so the report doubles as a repair quote.
A remaining-life estimate in years, with the reasoning. For a sale we write it in plain language a buyer, a seller, an agent and a lender can all read without a roofer translating.
If the roof is fine we say so in one paragraph. We do not pad reports to sell work, and the repair-credit math on a sale is yours to use however you want.
Inspection pricing
A standard single-family inspection with written report runs $150 to $300 in 2026, depending on size, pitch and whether the attic is accessible. Large, steep or multi-building properties are quoted. The fee is credited against any repair we do within 90 days.
Insurance documentation inspections after a storm, where we chalk and count hits per test square and prepare a file for the adjuster, run $200 to $400 because of the time involved.
A quick visual look at a specific problem, such as one ceiling stain, is part of a repair quote and is not billed as an inspection. Owens Cross Roads and the rest of the county carry the same pricing as Huntsville.
Questions we get
How much does a roof inspection cost in Huntsville?
A written inspection with photos on a standard home runs $150 to $300. Storm documentation inspections for an insurance claim run $200 to $400. The standard fee is credited toward any repair we do within 90 days.
Does a home inspection cover the roof?
Partly. Most general home inspectors look from the ground or the eave and note obvious issues. They typically do not walk the roof or evaluate flashing and remaining life in detail. A dedicated roof inspection fills that gap, which matters most on roofs over 12 to 15 years old.
How often should a roof be inspected in Alabama?
Every two to three years once the roof passes 10 years, and after any hail event with stones over an inch or wind over about 60 miles an hour. Before buying or selling a house regardless of age.
Can you certify a roof for a lender or insurer?
We provide a written roof condition report with a remaining-life estimate, which is what most lenders and carriers ask for on older roofs. If a specific form is required, send it with the request and we will complete it.
Get the roof on paper
Send the address, the reason for the inspection and your timeline. Buyers under contract get priority scheduling so the report lands inside your inspection period. Reports come as a PDF you can forward to an agent, a lender or an adjuster.