Had a similar experience last spring. Client had a drone inspection done before I got there, and the footage looked pristine—nice clear shingles, no obvious damage. But once I climbed up myself, things felt... off. You know that weird spongy feeling underfoot? Sure enough, peeled back a couple shingles and found a patch of rotted plywood. Drone completely missed it because visually everything seemed fine from above.
Don't get me wrong, drones have their place—great for steep roofs or quick overviews—but nothing replaces that gut feeling you get when you're actually up there poking around. Saved the homeowner from a much bigger headache down the road. Glad you caught yours early too; chimney flashing leaks are sneaky little devils.
Had something similar happen a couple months back. Drone footage looked mint, but once we got up there, found a soft spot near the valley. Drones are handy, but nothing beats boots on shingles... learned that one quick. Glad you caught yours early too.
"Drones are handy, but nothing beats boots on shingles... learned that one quick."
Couldn't agree more with this. Drones give you a good overview, but they miss the subtle stuff—like those soft spots or even loose flashing around vents. Had a similar issue myself last spring; drone footage was spotless, but when I climbed up, found some cracked caulking around the chimney that would've been trouble down the line. Makes me wonder though, how often do you guys typically do a physical roof check? I've been sticking to once a year, but maybe that's not enough...
"Makes me wonder though, how often do you guys typically do a physical roof check? I've been sticking to once a year, but maybe that's not enough..."
Once a year is usually fine, but honestly, frequency isn't everything. Timing matters more. I've seen roofs checked religiously every spring still get hammered by surprise storms in late summer. Had a client last year who did annual checks—still missed hail damage that happened just weeks after inspection. Sometimes it's less about how often and more about knowing when to climb up there...
I get what you're saying about timing being key, but honestly, I've found that frequency does matter quite a bit too. Last year, I was helping my uncle with his roof—we usually do a thorough check every spring. But then we had this weird stretch of storms in July, and something just felt off. Decided to climb up again even though we'd already done our annual inspection.
Turns out, a bunch of shingles had loosened up and there was some sneaky water damage starting to form underneath. If we'd waited until next spring, it would've been a much bigger headache (and expense). So now I'm thinking maybe once a year isn't always enough, especially if your area's prone to unpredictable weather.
"Sometimes it's less about how often and more about knowing when to climb up there..."
I agree timing matters, but maybe it's more about finding a balance between regular checks and paying attention to unusual weather patterns or signs of trouble. Curious if anyone else has had similar experiences...
