Any house is only as good as the roof.  A roof that does not leak is essential to the life of the house.  Once damage starts from a leaking roof it can deteriorate exterior siding and interior finishes and do great damage to the home.

Before buying any vintage home a roof inspection is a must!  Be certain your home inspector inspects the roof completely.  A roof inspection should include at the very least looking for protruding nails, sagging ridges, missing and worn out shingles or tiles, checking flashing at ridges and chimneys.

Flashing is strip of thin gage sheet metal that prevents water from entering the roof.  Vintage homes often had copper or lead flashing.  Flashing covers exposed joints and diverts the water to other areas.  Be certain to inspect flashing at the ridges and hips of the roof, in gutters and eaves, and in door and window openings.

We often recommend (and banks sometimes require) that buyers get a second roof inspection from a roofing contractor and get a three to five year roof certificate.  This states the current roof is expected to last at least that long.