Homeowner guide · Roof inspection cost · Fort Collins
How Much Does a Roof Inspection Cost, and Why Ours Is Free
Search for roof inspection cost and you get two different answers: a fee, and free. Both are honest. This guide explains what paid inspections cost and who charges for them, why a roofing contractor’s inspection is usually free, and when paying for an independent one is the smarter move.
Fig. 01 Eave and drip edge, photographed for the report
The paid version
What a paid roof inspection typically costs.
According to HomeGuide, a roof inspection costs $100 to $400 on average nationally, depending on roof size, complexity and whether it is a physical, drone or infrared inspection. The same guide puts a physical inspection at $75 to $200, a drone inspection at $100 to $450, an infrared inspection at $400 to $600, and a roof certification letter at $75 to $200 on top of the inspection.
Who charges? Home inspectors working a real estate sale, because the report is the product and the buyer pays for it. Companies that fly drones or carry thermal cameras, because the equipment and the time to read the images cost money. Inspectors who issue a letter on remaining roof life for a lender or an insurer.
Why is a roofing contractor’s inspection usually free? Because it is how the contractor finds work. That is true of us too, and we would rather say it plainly than pretend otherwise. HomeGuide puts it bluntly: a home inspector has no financial interest in roof repair, while a roofing contractor benefits from finding damage. That is the conflict a free inspection carries, and the cure is a report with photos you can hand to anyone, which is what a roof inspection with us produces. Sometimes it leads to a scope you can accept or decline. Sometimes it leads to nothing, and the visit was still free.
Fig. 02 Walking through the findings at the truck
Paid or free
What you should get from any inspection.
The price is not what separates a good inspection from a bad one. The report is. Whatever you pay, insist on these five things.
Photos of every slope and finding
Close enough to see the defect, and dated
What, where, how much of it, and what it costs
Active leak, failing soon, watch item, cosmetic
An honest report says this often
No signature on the porch, no price that expires tonight
Fig. 03 A marked impact, as it appears in a report
When to pay
When a paid, independent inspection is the right call.
Some situations call for a report from someone with no stake in the repair. We will tell you when that is you, even though it sends you elsewhere.
- Buying or selling a home. The buyer’s home inspection covers the roof, and a lender or insurer may want a letter on remaining roof life. Use an independent inspector for that document and a contractor to scope any work it uncovers.
- A disagreement with your insurer. If an adjuster’s findings and a contractor’s do not match, an independent inspector or engineer gives you a third record. We document, photograph and write a scope; we do not negotiate claims or act as an adjuster. See insurance claim documentation.
- A second opinion on a big scope. If a contractor has proposed a full replacement and you are not sure, pay for an independent look or get a second free one. A roof that needs replacing will say so twice.
- Equipment you specifically need. Trapped moisture in a low-slope roof, or a roof that is unsafe to walk, can justify the drone or infrared fee.
For everything else, from a storm check in Greeley to an aging roof in Fort Collins, a free documented inspection answers the question. Book one through the inspection request page, use our roof inspection checklist to look first, and find the rest of our homeowner guides in one place.
Roof inspection cost questions
What homeowners ask about paying for an inspection.
How much does a basic roof inspection cost?
According to HomeGuide, a physical roof inspection costs $75 to $200 nationally, and the overall average across inspection types is $100 to $400. A roofing contractor’s inspection is usually free, because that is how the contractor finds work.
How much does it cost to check a roof?
If a roofing contractor checks it, usually nothing. If a home inspector or a drone or thermal imaging company checks it, there is a fee that depends on the method, with infrared at the top of the scale.
Are roof repair estimates free?
Ours are. The inspection, the photos and the itemized written scope cost nothing and are yours to keep whether or not you hire us. Many roofing contractors work the same way.
What does a roof inspection consist of?
A walk of every slope and the exterior, close-up checks of shingles, flashings, vents, pipe boots, valleys and edges, a look at siding and trim, and the attic side when accessible. Each finding is photographed and written up with its location and severity. It should not come with a deadline or a signature line.
How can I get my roof fixed for free?
You cannot, and anyone who says otherwise is a warning sign. If a storm damaged the roof, your policy may cover part of the repair after your deductible, and that decision belongs to your insurer. Walk away from offers to waive or absorb a deductible.
Free inspection
Ours is free, and the findings are yours.
Photos, written findings and a scope for anything that needs work, at no cost and with no obligation. We call to set a time.