Roof Age, Records & What an Inspection Establishes

Records that date a roof

• •Roofing invoice — the strongest single record. Ask for date, contractor name, product installed and the scope of work.
• •Municipal permit record — re-roofing requires a permit in many Canadian jurisdictions, so a permit search can date work the owner has no paperwork for.
• •Manufacturer or workmanship warranty — ask whether it transfers to a new owner, and what it actually covers.
• •Seller's written statement — useful, but it is a statement rather than a record; note it as such.
• •Insurance file — a prior claim or an earlier application may record a roof date.

Which office holds permit records differs by province and municipality. The provincial source directory lists the authority for each jurisdiction.

Layers, deck and structure

On older houses a covering has often been installed over an earlier one. This matters for what a future re-roof involves, and for whether the structure below was ever assessed for the added load.

• •Layers can sometimes be counted at a rake edge, at a vent penetration, or where a covering is lifted at an eave.
• •Ask what the deck is: plank sheathing with gaps, or panel sheathing. Older houses commonly have the former.
• •Ask whether the deck was inspected during the last re-roof, and whether any of it was replaced.
• •Where a covering was installed over another, ask whether any structural assessment was done.
• •Codes are adopted and amended provincially — what is permitted at a specific address is a question for the local building department, not a national rule.

What the attic shows

The attic often says more about a roof than the surface does, and much of what it shows is about ventilation and moisture rather than the covering itself.

• •Daylight at penetrations, and staining or streaking on the underside of the deck.
• •Frost or condensation in winter — a ventilation and air-sealing question more than a covering question.
• •Bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans discharging into the attic instead of outside.
• •Blocked or insulation-covered soffit vents interrupting airflow at the eaves.
• •Compressed, displaced or water-marked insulation.
• •Where older wiring runs through the attic, do not disturb insulation covering it — see the knob-and-tube guide.

What a general inspection does not cover

• •Inspectors commonly work from the ground, a ladder at the eaves, or the attic, and may not walk a roof at all.
• •They generally do not lift coverings, open assemblies, or certify remaining life.
• •Flashings, valleys and penetrations are where leaks are commonly reported — ask specifically whether these were seen or not seen.
• •Ask the inspector to record what could not be inspected and why. 'Not inspected' is not the same as 'no issue found'.
• •For a specific question, engage a roofing contractor to a written scope and ask for a written report.