Roof Inspections and Written Reports, Macarthur

Most roofing arguments are really arguments about information. The homeowner has a stain and a bad feeling; the quote says replace; the neighbour says it only needs pointing. Nobody has actually been up there with a torch and a camera.

A roof inspection and written report fixes that. Across Campbelltown, Camden, Narellan and the Macarthur estates, we inspect roofs properly and put what we find in writing, with photographs. Call (02) 4601 5100.

Why people ask for one

Before buying

House hunting through Minto, Ingleburn, Ambarvale or Raby means looking at roofs that are all roughly the same age, and that age is the awkward one — old enough that the ridges and valleys are due, new enough that the tiles might be fine. The difference between those two outcomes is a large number. A roof report before exchange turns it into a known quantity.

For an insurance claim

After hail or a gust front, a claim is only as good as the evidence behind it. Photographs, counts and measurements made by someone who was on the roof carry weight that a verbal description does not. Details are on the storm and emergency repairs page.

To settle the repair-or-replace question

This is the most common reason. You have been told different things by different people. An inspection that explains which components have failed and which have life left usually makes the decision obvious — and quite often the answer is the cheaper one.

For a landlord or a handover

If you are responsible for a property you do not live in, a dated set of photographs and a condition summary is a far better basis for a maintenance budget than a phone call from a tenant about a drip.

What the inspection covers

Every inspection walks the whole roof where it is safe to do so, not only the area you reported.

• Tiles or sheets — breakage, cracking, slippage, brittleness, surface condition, profile and whether replacements can be matched.
• Ridges and hips — bedding, pointing, cap alignment and movement.
• Valleys — corrosion, debris damming, flashing laps.
• Flashings and penetrations — chimneys, skylights, vents, flues, whirlybirds, aerial mounts and solar feet.
• Gutters, downpipes and fascia — fall, capacity, corrosion, dents, outlet condition.
• The roof cavity where there is a manhole and safe footing — batten and timber condition, insulation, water staining, daylight where there should be none.
• Ventilation, which matters more here than people expect given how hot a Macarthur roof space runs in summer.
• Likely asbestos-containing material flagged visually, with the recommendation that it be properly identified before anything is disturbed.

What you get in writing

A report should be readable by someone who is not a roofer. Ours contains:

1. Dated photographs of each finding, captioned so you know which part of the roof you are looking at.
2. A description of each defect in plain language, with the cause where it is clear.
3. Measurements and counts — linear metres of ridge and hip, number of broken tiles, valley lengths, areas affected.
4. A priority split — what needs doing now, what is a this-year job, and what is simply worth watching.
5. A separate itemised quote for the work, so the findings and the pricing are not tangled together.

Where the aerial camera helps

A drone is the right tool on a two-storey at Mount Annan with a steep complex roof, on a brittle tile roof that should not carry foot traffic, and for showing the overall spread of hail impact across different roof planes. It is the wrong tool for sounding a tile, lifting a cap or testing a batten. We use both and the report makes clear which findings came from where.

What a roof report is not

Honesty matters more than scope creep here.

• It is not a full pre-purchase building inspection. It covers the roof, gutters and roof cavity. You still want a building and pest inspection.
• It is not an asbestos assessment. We flag suspected material; identification is a licensed assessor's job.
• It is not a determination of your insurance entitlement. That sits with your insurer and your policy wording.
• It is not a structural engineer's report. If something looks like a framing problem rather than a roofing problem, the report says so and recommends the right professional.

Booking one

Call (02) 4601 5100 or use the quote form, and say what the report is for — buying, claiming, or deciding. That changes what gets emphasised. Inspections ahead of possible work are free and carry no obligation; a standalone written report is quoted up front.

If you already know roughly what you need, the service pages for repairs and restoration explain what that work involves, and the service areas page lists every suburb we cover.