Not sure I totally agree that hands-on is always king, at least for every situation. I get the argument—nothing beats actually seeing the roof up close, especially with old chimneys or weird flashing setups. But for folks like me who are on a tight budget and not exactly thrilled about climbing ladders, those gadgets can be a real game changer. I picked up a decent drone last year for under $200, and while it’s not perfect, it’s let me spot missing shingles and even a cracked vent boot from the ground. Would I catch every hairline crack? Probably not. But I also wouldn’t have checked at all if it meant hauling myself up there after work.
I guess it depends on what you’re dealing with. My place has a low-slope asphalt shingle roof, about 15 years old, and I’m in the Midwest where winters are rough but not insane. I do try to get up there once a year—usually spring—but honestly, most of my checks are with binoculars or the drone. Maybe I’m missing stuff, but so far it’s saved me from paying a pro for minor things I could handle myself.
I get nervous about moss and algae too, especially on the north side where it never dries out. Tried one of those zinc strips last year and it seems to help, but who knows long term? And about “maintenance-free” roofs...I don’t buy that claim at all. Even my neighbor’s fancy metal roof had issues with ice dams last winter.
One thing I wonder—has anyone actually had a small crack or leak go undetected by tech and turn into a huge problem? Or is this more of a worst-case scenario? Just curious if the risk is as high as people say, or if regular (even remote) checks catch most stuff before it gets bad.
I hear you on the drone thing—honestly, I’m a little jealous of folks who can fly those without crashing into a tree. I’m old school and still drag out the ladder, but only because I’ve had a couple “surprise” leaks that didn’t show up until water was dripping through the ceiling. Once it was a tiny crack in a shingle right by the flashing—couldn’t see it from the ground or with binoculars, and it turned into a mess after a heavy thaw. That said, I think most big issues give you some warning if you’re checking semi-regularly, even with tech. The real trouble is when you skip a year or two...then stuff sneaks up on you. Maintenance-free roofs? Yeah, that’s marketing talk.
Maintenance-free roofs...yeah, I’ve never seen one that actually lives up to that claim. Even the “50-year” shingles on a couple of my buildings started curling after about 12 years. I’m with you—if you’re not up there at least once a year, you’re just rolling the dice. Drones are cool in theory, but I still find they miss stuff around chimneys or under overhangs. Ever notice how the smallest crack can turn into a full-blown leak overnight? Makes me wonder if it’s even possible to catch everything before it gets bad, or if we’re just delaying the inevitable.
I hear you on the “maintenance-free” thing—feels like a marketing myth. I’ve got a 15-year-old asphalt shingle roof, and even though the warranty said 30 years, I started seeing granules in the gutters after about 8. Last spring, I found a tiny split near a vent pipe, and by the time I noticed the water stain inside, it was already a bigger problem than I’d hoped. I try to check things out every fall and spring, but honestly, there’s always something I miss. Drones are neat, but I agree—they just don’t catch the stuff tucked under flashing or behind the chimney.
I’m always torn between paying for a pro inspection or just doing my best with a ladder and binoculars. Either way, it feels like you’re just buying time until the next repair. Maybe that’s just how it goes with roofs in places that get real winters.
