Lindon, UT · Serving Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Summit and Wasatch counties
(385) 438-3591
Lindon, UT · Serving Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Summit and Wasatch counties
(385) 438-3591
You still need a roofer, even after your home inspector already looked at the roof. Home inspectors are generalists. The InterNACHI standard many follow has them look at the roof from the ground or the eaves, with no code check required. I always tell buyers to have a roofer look. One clean home inspection hid a $40,000 roof.
Before you close on a Utah home, have a roofing contractor inspect the roof and the attic.
Home inspectors cover the whole house at a general level; roofers check layers, fastening and ventilation up close.
Book the roofer early, before your contract's inspection deadline passes.
Buying a home in Utah? Have a roofer check the roof and the attic before you close. A home inspection looks at the whole house, not the layers underneath.
Mattie Tueller, Master Roofing
A home inspection gives the roof a general, visual look. Under the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, the inspector checks the roof "from ground level or the eaves." Walking on the roof is not required. Neither is entering an attic that is hard to get into, and checking code is not part of the job.
| A home inspection usually catches | A home inspection often misses |
|---|---|
| Storm damage you can see | Extra layers of roofing underneath |
| Sections of roof blown off | Nails and fasteners in the wrong place |
| Shingles worn down to the fiberglass | Vent holes cut too big, or flashing that is too small |
| Mold that poor ventilation has already caused | Ventilation problems that have not caused mold yet |
Home inspectors are generalists. Many look into the attic by popping their head through the hatch, and plenty will not walk a steep roof. A roof can pass a home inspection and still hide a problem that costs thousands.
Utah began licensing home inspectors on January 1, 2026, under House Bill 58. The license adds certification and insurance requirements. It does not turn a home inspection into a roof inspection.
Home inspectors tend to be strongest at the kinds of work they have done themselves. A roofing contractor works on roofs every day and knows the building code and the manufacturer's install rules that decide whether your roof will last.
A roofer can find the problems under the surface that a home inspection report skips. Two real calls to Master Roofing show how big that gap can get.
A young couple called about a leak in the first house they had just bought. Their home inspector had said the roof looked great, since metal roofs last a long time. The metal roof turned out to be the top of four layers, with old wood shakes and spaced-out plank decking at the bottom. Code allows two layers at most, so the only fix was a full replacement. The estimate came to about $40,000.
Another home inspector told a buyer to put sealant on some nails. When Master Roofing went out to do it, the plywood under the shingles was so rotted the crew could barely walk on the roof. That is a $20,000 surprise nobody needs right after buying a house. How many layers Utah allows, and why, has its own full answer.
To get a roofer's inspection before you buy, book a roofing contractor as soon as your offer is accepted. Ask for the attic and a written report.
A pre-purchase roof inspection is often a paid service. Master Roofing charges for it and credits the fee toward any work you later hire it to do.
From my interactions with home inspectors here in Utah, most of them are good at whatever work they have personally done. That's the nature of the job: a home inspector has to cover the whole house, so the roof gets a general look.
The trouble is that a roof's costly problems sit below the surface. That's because extra layers, rotted decking and weak ventilation do not show from the ground, or from a head poked through the attic hatch. I have seen a clean home inspection end in a $40,000 roof for a couple who had just moved in.
So at Master Roofing, a Utah roofing company, our inspections go past the top layer. We check the layers, the fastening and the attic. We charge for a pre-purchase inspection, then credit that fee back if you hire us for any work. If you do not want to be surprised, have a roofer look at the roof before it is yours. You will know exactly what you are getting.
Building codes, permit rules, and licensing requirements change over time, and they differ by city and county across Utah. Verify current requirements with your local building department before relying on anything here, and work with a licensed contractor who knows the rules in your jurisdiction.
This article is general information about Utah roofs, not an assessment of yours. Every roof is different, and no article can tell you what is actually happening on your specific house. Have a licensed roofing contractor look at it in person before you act on anything here.
Utah has required home inspectors to be licensed since January 1, 2026, under House Bill 58. The Division of Professional Licensing issues the license, which calls for a national home inspector certification and insurance. You can look up any inspector's license on the state's Licensee Lookup before you hire them.
Whether your home inspector walks the roof depends on the inspector, so ask before you book. The InterNACHI standard lets the inspector look at the roof from the ground or the eaves, and walking on it is not required. Many will not walk a steep roof. If yours will not go up, plan on a roofer's inspection too.
When your inspection report says the roof is near the end of its life, call a roofer before closing. A roofer can tell you how much life the roof really has left and what replacing it would cost. They can also tell you whether extra layers or rotted decking would add to the bill. Knowing that before you close leaves time to talk about the price.
When you are buying a house, you usually book and pay for the roofer's inspection, the same way as the home inspection. Master Roofing charges for this kind of inspection. If you later hire Master Roofing for any work, it credits the inspection fee toward the job.
We're here to see what's going on with your roof. A real assessment starts with your history and your attic, not a number from the driveway. You'll get a straight answer about what's up there, what it needs, and what it costs. Sometimes the honest answer is: your roof looks great.