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
A roof quote off satellite images, without anyone ever getting on your roof, is not okay. It's a shortcut. I would only use one for a home so rural that no roofer will drive out. A satellite report measures size and pitch. It can't show layers, soft decking, leaks or attic ventilation, so get an in-person inspection first.
Treat a satellite roof quote as a rough first number, and insist on an in-person inspection before you sign.
A photo from above measures size and pitch, but layers, rot, flashing and ventilation only show up close.
Ask the roofer when they will inspect your roof and attic in person.
A satellite photo can measure your Utah roof. Only someone on the roof and in the attic can tell you what it needs.
Mattie Tueller, Master Roofing
A satellite roof report measures the outside of your roof from photos taken from above. EagleView's sample report lists what it covers: the roof's area, its pitch, and the lengths of its ridges, valleys, eaves and flashing, all measured remotely.
| A satellite report can show | A satellite report cannot show |
|---|---|
| How big the roof is | How many layers are underneath |
| How steep each section is | Whether the wood deck is solid or soft |
| How long the edges and valleys are | Where water is getting in |
| Where vents and chimneys sit | Whether the attic is ventilated to code |
The left column is useful for ordering materials. The right column decides how much work the job really is, and none of it shows up in a photo from above.
A satellite roof quote makes sense when you live somewhere so rural that no reputable roofer will come out to look. Master Roofing quotes roofs this way for homes as far as four hours away, and it adds the steps a photo cannot cover:
If roofing contractors work near you, you do not need to accept a satellite-only quote. Ask for someone to come out.
Ask a roofer who quotes from a satellite photo how the price will be checked before work begins. These questions cover it:
A few things can only be known once the old roof is off, but that list should be short. Most surprises are found by looking first, which is why the inspection comes before the estimate.
A photo from above will never catch a slow roof leak, because a slow leak happens underneath. We call these silent leaks. Each storm lets in a little water, never enough to stain a ceiling.
Silent leaks are one reason a professional inspection about every five years, attic included, pays off. How often to inspect your roof and what a slow leak does behind your ceiling each have their own full answer.
At Master Roofing, a Utah roofing company, I do quote some roofs from satellite images. They are homes about four hours out, where families can't find a roofer willing to drive out and give them a number.
For those families, a rough price is a real help. That's because it lets them decide whether the job makes sense before we spend eight hours in the car to go look. So we hold one rule: a satellite price is never the final price. We always put eyes on the roof and do an assessment before we start, and then we set the price for the work.
Everywhere else, I would skip the shortcut. A photo can't tell you about layers, rot or a silent leak. A photo can start the conversation, but a real price needs someone on your roof and in your attic. That way, the price you agree to holds when the work starts.
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.
An aerial roof measurement is good enough to order materials, and that is what roofers use it for. What an aerial report cannot do is price the job on its own. The things that change the price, like layers, decking and ventilation, sit under the shingles and in the attic. Use the measurement, then get the inspection.
A roofer quotes without coming out because it is fast. A lot of companies measure the house from a satellite and send the estimate without a visit. That saves them a trip, but it leaves the price with big question marks until someone actually inspects the roof and the attic.
You can send your own photos instead of having someone come out for a first price, and they help. They still do not replace an inspection. Master Roofing asks rural homeowners for photos taken from the ground and walks through the estimate on an hour-long call. It still puts eyes on the roof before any work starts, because ground photos cannot show layers, decking or the attic.
A price that changes after the in-person inspection, before you sign, is the process working. The price to worry about is one that changes after the crew starts, through a change order for thousands. Master Roofing's Expert Estimation Guarantee means a miss its estimator should have caught never becomes your change order.
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.