Check the Lot Line Before the Inspector Walks the Side Yard

A roof inspection is only as complete as the views the inspector can get. On many St. Louis lots, the eave on one side of the house is visible from the street, the other side is behind a fence, and the strip between the house and the property line is too narrow to stand in. Before inspection day, figure out which parts of the roof you can see from your own yard and which parts depend on a side yard, a neighbor's lawn, or a gap in a fence line.

Inspection

An inspector usually works from the ground first, then from a ladder placed at the eave, and finally from the roof surface if the day is dry and the pitch allows it. Each of those steps needs a place to stand. The ground view looks for lifted shingles, granule loss in the gutter, flashing that has moved, and the condition of the vent caps. The ladder step needs a flat footing on the lawn or the driveway and clearance above the eave. The roof walk needs the attic hatch and the upper slopes in view from below. If one of those spots is blocked, the report should say so, and the part of the roof behind the block should be listed as not fully viewed.

Side yards cause much of the trouble. A typical side yard in the older parts of the county is four to six feet wide. That leaves room for a downspout and a trash bin, but not for a stepladder set at a safe angle. In that case the inspector may need to set the ladder on your neighbor's grass or on the public strip between the sidewalk and the curb. Some of that ground is public right-of-way and some belongs to the neighbor, and neither the roofing contractor nor the homeowner can grant access to ground that belongs to someone else.

The safe approach is to ask the neighbor before the inspection day, not on it. A short note with the date, the time window, and the name of the company is usually enough. If the neighbor says no, the inspector can still work from the side you can reach, and the report should name the slope or run of eave that was not reached. A locked gate, a loose dog in the side yard, or a hedge that has grown across the path can stop a visit just as completely as a missing ladder spot.

Lots on the older blocks in Kirkwood, Webster Groves and the Clayton side often have a fence line that steps in and out, a retaining wall at the back, or a patio set close to the rear of the house. Each of those can hide a valley, a low slope over a porch, or the wall where a roof meets the house. Walk the lot with a tape and a phone, and mark the three or four spots where the inspector will need to stand. Send those spots with the appointment request, so the crew arrives knowing which gate to use.

The property line matters for a different reason too. If the inspector photographs a neighbor's roof while standing in your yard, those photos belong in a separate folder. A report that mixes in a neighbor's shingles is not useful to a lender, a buyer, or anyone else who needs a record of your roof alone. Keys documents what it can see, puts a written scope with photos and measurements in your hands, and attends the inspection as the contractor. Keys cannot stand in for the neighbor, the city, or the lot survey, and it cannot move a fence line.

What it costs

The cost of access is rarely a line on a bill. It usually shows up as a second visit. If the inspector cannot reach the north eave on the first day, the choices are a return trip after the neighbor agrees, a trim of the hedge, or a partial report that leaves that side unrated. Each of those takes time and sometimes carries its own charge. Ask before the visit whether the inspection includes a return trip, and what that trip costs if the first visit was blocked by access rather than weather.

Weather adds a second cost. A roof that is wet from morning rain cannot be walked safely, and an appointment that depends on a dry day can slip by a week or more in a wet spring. Ask whether the inspection fee is charged when the visit starts or only once the full roof has been reviewed. Ask also whether a moved trash bin, a trimmed hedge, or a gate that needs a key counts against the price. These are small items, and they are easy to settle on a phone call before the day.

Ask Keys to put the visit terms in writing, including what happens if access is blocked. Any work that follows from the inspection is priced separately, in a written scope with photos and measurements, and you decide what to do with that scope.

What to ask

Before the appointment, ask these questions and write down the answers:

• Which parts of the roof will be seen from the ground, from a ladder at the eave, and from the roof surface?
• Where will the ladder be set, and does that spot sit on your lawn, the neighbor's lawn, or the public strip?
• If a slope or run of eave cannot be reached, will the report name it as not fully viewed?
• Is a return visit included, and what triggers one?
• Does the appointment need a dry day, and what happens if the forecast turns?
• Who needs to be home to open a locked gate or move a dog?
• Will the photos show only your roof, and where will the file be sent?

Call Keys at (314) 220-2333 with the answers you have, so the inspector can plan the visit around the spots you can actually open.