Pre-Winter RoofInspection Checklist.

Free Roof Photo Check

Checking the roof before winter? Snap a photo.

Photograph the gutters, vents or shingles. We circle what we seem to see and say whether an inspection is worth it.

Check my roof, free

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Check this box to use your photo. I own this photo or have permission to share it. Chicago Storm Pros and its AI provider (Z.ai) may analyze it to show me this result. The photo isn't kept unless I send it to C&N Construction with an inspection request.

This AI only looks for storm and roof damage, and it isn't perfect. Think of it as a good starting point for a conversation.

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A free inspection puts someone on the roof with a hand on the shingle. The report is yours to keep.

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Share my roof photo (if I added one), my name, phone number and email with C&N Construction, Inc. of Hillside, Illinois, the roofing contractor behind Chicago Storm Pros, so they can call or email me about a free inspection. Agreeing isn't a condition of buying anything. Get my free inspection

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Why Check Before the First Freeze

Water that gets into a small gap during a fall rain can freeze and expand in winter, and the gap grows. Frozen shingles are also brittle, so repairs get more complicated in the cold. Snow and ice then hide the roof from view until a thaw.

October and early November are the easiest weeks to look at a roof in Chicagoland. The days are dry more often, the roof is clear and you can still get a good photo of every slope. If you catch something now, you have time to schedule a repair on a calm day. It also comes ahead of the freeze-and-thaw weeks when ice dams form.

Start With a Photo: Snap the Eave From the Ground

Before the checklist, take pictures. It's the quickest first step and it gives you something to compare against in spring.

Stand back from each side of the house and take one wide shot of the roof. Then zoom in on the eave, which is the lower edge of the roof, and on the ridge and corners. Upload the set to our Roof Photo Check, or tap what you see on its checklist. It circles what it seems to show and keeps the photo on your device. It's a first look from the ground, so it can miss things.

The Ground-Level Checklist

1. Shingles

Scan each slope for missing shingles, tabs sitting higher than their neighbors, shingles that look curled at the corners, and bare dark patches. Check the eaves, ridge and corners first. If a wind event came through this fall, our guide to wind damage on a roof shows what the signs look like.

2. Gutters and Downspouts

Look for leaves and debris, gutters that sag, seams that leak, and sections pulled away from the fascia. Downspouts should drain several feet from the foundation. Clear what you can reach from a ladder on the ground, and don't lean the ladder on the gutter. Granules from the shingles piling up in the gutters or at the downspout mouth are worth a look, since they're a sign of an aging roof surface. Our gutter storm damage guide explains what damaged gutters mean for the roof edge.

3. Flashing

Flashing is the metal that seals the roof where it meets a chimney, wall, vent pipe or skylight. Look for gaps, lifted edges, rust, missing sealant and bent sections. A gap here lets water in long before a shingle fails.

4. Vents, Pipe Boots and Chimneys

Rubber collars around plumbing vents crack as they age, and metal vents can dent. Look at the chimney for loose mortar and a cap that sits tight. A pair of binoculars helps.

5. Trees and Debris

Branches that touch or hang over the roof scrape shingles and drop limbs in winter storms. Leaves packed in valleys hold moisture against the shingles. Note any limb that worries you and have it trimmed by someone qualified.

6. Siding, Soffits and Fascia

Check the board behind the gutter and the underside of the roof overhang. Peeling paint, soft spots, stains, loose soffit panels or an animal entry hole all point to water or air getting where it shouldn't.

The Attic Check

Open the attic hatch and look with a flashlight. Stay on the joists or on boards, and don't step on the insulation or the ceiling below. If the space is hot, cramped or unsafe, skip it.

• Daylight through the roof deck. Light where it shouldn't be means a gap.
• Stains or dark wood. Water stains on the sheathing, rafters or around pipes and the chimney.
• Damp or flattened insulation. Wet spots mean water is getting in. Matted spots can mean it did earlier.
• Frost or moisture on nail tips. That points to warm, humid air reaching a cold roof deck.
• Fans that vent into the attic. Bathroom and kitchen fans should vent outside, not into the attic.
• Blocked vents. Soffit vents choked by insulation keep fresh air from moving along the underside of the deck.
• A musty smell. Often an old leak or trapped moisture.

Also look at the ceilings and upper walls inside the house for brown rings or bubbling paint. A ceiling stain means water got in, and the cause is on the roof or at the roof edge.

What the Free Inspection Looks At

A C&N inspection covers the whole roof, not just the spot you noticed. The inspector works slope by slope and photographs what's there.

• The condition of the shingles across every slope, including the edges, valleys and ridge.
• Flashing at chimneys, walls, skylights and vent pipes.
• Pipe boots, vents and other penetrations.
• Gutters, drip edge and the roof edge.
• Signs of earlier storm damage, such as hail bruising or wind creasing, noted for what they are.
• What you saw from the attic, if you share it.

The report is yours to keep, and the inspection comes with no obligation. We tell you what we found and what we'd do about it. You decide. We're roofing contractors, not public adjusters. If you'd like to know how an inspection works without an insurance claim attached, read roof inspection without filing a claim.

A Note on Past Storms

If hail or wind hit your area earlier this year, the roof may carry damage you haven't seen. An inspection documents it either way, and the photos are useful whether or not you ever file a claim. Your policy sets its own deadline to report a loss, so check your declarations page. We don't interpret policy language, and the decision to file is yours. Our guide to preparing your roof for storm season and hail damage page cover what earlier storms leave behind.

If Water Is Already Coming In

Skip the checklist and go straight to emergency roof repair. Move valuables away from the leak, put a bucket under the drip, photograph the water and call.