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Roof Inspection · San Rafael, CA

Roof Inspection in San Rafael, CA

Most roof problems in this city are invisible from the driveway. Our roof inspection San Rafael service puts a roofer on your roof and in your attic, then hands you the photos and a straight answer: what is urgent, what can wait, and what is fine.

No sales agenda attached. If the roof is healthy, the written report says exactly that — and it is yours to keep, either way.

Request a Free Inspection → Emergency? Call (628) 202-3250 ↗

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Free Roof Inspection

Not Sure What Your Roof Needs?

Start with the inspection. You get photos, straight findings, and a written quote — no obligation.

Request a Free Inspection →

Open 7 days a week · San Rafael, CA

Roofing work above a tree-lined San Rafael street near the Mission

Photos with every inspection

Why a Roofer, Not a Glance

A Roofer’s Eyes, Not a Sales Call

A general home inspection glances at the roof as one of hundreds of items, usually from the ground or a ladder. That glance misses the things that actually leak here: the cracked boot, the opened Eichler seam, the underlayment edge curling out from under the tile.

We get on the roof, check flashing and drainage by hand, and read the attic side for the stains and daylight that confess where water has been. Then you get the evidence — not a pitch.

On-roof and attic-side checks, both
Full photo set from your own roof
Findings in writing: fix now, watch, or leave alone
Itemized quote only for what is genuinely needed

Call (628) 202-3250 →

When to Book One

Five Moments an Inspection Pays for Itself

Inspections are free with us — but their timing is worth money at these five moments.

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Buying a Home

A roofer’s inspection prices the roof. On a median-1967 housing stock, that difference is routinely five figures of negotiating power at exactly the moment you can still use it.

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Selling — Before the RBR

San Rafael requires a Residential Building Report at resale. Getting your own documented inspection first means no surprises in the report and no roof-shaped credit demands later.

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After a Big Storm

Wind-lifted shingles and limb damage are often invisible from the ground — until the next storm turns them into a leak. A post-storm inspection documents everything while it is fresh, which your insurer will care about.

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The Roof Is 15+ Years Old

Past fifteen years, small problems start compounding: boots crack, sealant tires, underlayment ages out. An inspection every couple of years is how a 25-year roof actually reaches 25.

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Before the Rains

September and October are the smart months: drainage clear, flashing sound, no ponding before November arrives. A small fix in the dry season beats an emergency call in an atmospheric river.

The Checklist

What a Real Inspection Actually Checks

Every roof inspection San Rafael homeowners get from us covers the same ground, in the same order — because the failures here are predictable, and they hide in predictable places.

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The Surface

Shingle condition and granule loss, tile cracks and slippage, foam coating condition on Eichler and low-slope roofs, and any prior patches that are quietly failing.

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Flashing & Penetrations

Chimneys, valleys, skylights, vent boots, and wall junctions — where the large majority of leaks actually start, on roofs of every age in both ZIP codes.

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Drainage

Gutters, downspouts, scuppers, and ponding on flat sections. In a city that takes 32–34 inches of rain in atmospheric bursts, drainage is half the roof’s job.

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Eichler Seams & Tile Underlayment Indicators

Foam roofs checked at downspout seams, edges, and coating thinness. Tile checked at exposed edges and valleys for the signs that the 20–30-year layer underneath is spent.

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The Attic Side

From below, leaks confess: staining, daylight at penetrations, damp insulation, and the ventilation problems that cook shingles from underneath and shorten a roof’s life.

What You Get

Photos, Findings, and Three Honest Buckets

A roof inspection San Rafael homeowners can actually use ends with more than a thumbs-up. You get the photo set from your roof, written findings in plain language, and every item sorted into: fix now, watch it, or leave it alone. If we quote work, it is in writing and itemized. If your roof is healthy, the report says that too — and it is yours either way, useful for insurance files, resale paperwork, and your own planning.

Free means free

The inspection itself costs nothing and obliges you to nothing. We would rather earn the repair or replacement when it is genuinely needed than sell you one that is not.

Same visit, straight answers

Most inspections take under an hour on site for a typical home. You hear the summary before we leave and get the photos and findings in writing after.

Local eyes

We inspect for the failures this city actually has — Eichler seams, tile underlayment, WUI fire-rating questions, and drainage sized for real rain — not a generic checklist from somewhere else.

Caught Early

Small Findings That Prevent Big Bills

Almost everything expensive on a roof announces itself cheaply, first — if someone is up there looking. The regulars:

Ask a Pro →

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Cracked Vent Boots

A $300-class fix today; a ceiling stain, wet insulation, and a rotted deck patch if it runs two rainy seasons. Boots crack at 10–15 years, right when nobody is checking.

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Opened Seams on Foam Roofs

Eichler seams at downspouts open slowly. Recoating catches them; neglect rots the roof edge from inside, where you cannot see it until it is structural.

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Underlayment Edges Under Tile

The first place tile underlayment shows its age is at edges and valleys. Catch the pattern early and a spot lift-and-relay stays a spot job.

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Ponding After Storms

Water standing 48 hours after rain is a drainage verdict. Found in October, it is a small correction. Found in January, it is a leak with a head start.

How We Work

The Standard on Every Job

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Free inspections, written quotesEvery job starts with photos and a number in writing

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Permits pulled & inspections metCity of San Rafael — filed online through OpenGov

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Class A assemblies in the WUICRC R902 / Chapter 7A, verified against your parcel

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Photo documentation on every jobBefore, during, and after — the file is yours

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Local Marin crewsBased at 1101 Andersen Dr, San Rafael

Where We Work

Roof Inspections Across San Rafael

Buyers, sellers, and owners of 15-year-old roofs — in both ZIP codes, the inspection list looks different street by street.

Terra Linda & Lucas Valley →

Eichler country — low-slope foam and tar-and-gravel roofs, downspout seams, and recoats on the 94903 side of the hill.

ZIP 94903 · Inspection visits

Gerstle Park & the West End →

Victorians and Craftsman homes from the 1880s–1910s: layered roofs, tired valleys, and flashing that has earned a rebuild.

ZIP 94901 · Inspection visits

Peacock Gap & Dominican →

Tile roofs over aging underlayment, bay-side wind exposure, and larger homes where drainage has to be sized, not guessed.

ZIP 94901 · Inspection visits

Inspection FAQs

Roof Inspection Questions, Answered Straight

Cost, timing, and how this differs from the inspection you already paid for.

Call (628) 202-3250 →

01 How much does a roof inspection cost in San Rafael?

Ours is free. A roof inspection San Rafael homeowners book with us includes the on-roof and attic-side check, the photo set, and written findings with an itemized quote for anything we recommend — no charge and no obligation attached.

02 How long does an inspection take?

For a typical single-family home, under an hour on site. Large, steep, or multi-system roofs — and homes where we are tracing an active leak — take longer. You get the verbal summary before we leave.

03 I am buying a house. Is this different from the home inspection?

Yes. A general home inspector looks at the roof as one of hundreds of items, usually from the ground or a ladder. We get on the roof, check flashing and drainage by hand, look from the attic side, and price what we find — which is the number that matters in a negotiation.

04 Will an inspection help with my resale report (RBR)?

It prepares you for it. San Rafael’s Residential Building Report covers property condition at resale, and roof questions are standard. A recent documented inspection — especially one showing issues already fixed — removes the roof as a negotiation weapon.

05 What if the inspection finds nothing wrong?

Then the report says exactly that, with the photos to prove it — which is genuinely useful for insurance records and future resale. We will also tell you when to look again, based on your roof’s material and age. That is the whole point of a roof inspection San Rafael homeowners can trust.