Walking a Tile Roof Without Breaking It — Inspection Notes
What a real inspection covers on a tile roof in Fryman Canyon, and what usually gets skipped.
A roof inspection is only as good as what gets looked at, and a lot of what gets called an inspection is a walk round the garden with a phone camera. This is what a real one covers on a tile roof in Fryman Canyon.
What actually matters
The tile is not what keeps water out. The tile is a rain screen and a sunshade; the underlayment beneath it is the actual waterproofing, and it is the part with the shorter life. An inspection that does not account for that is looking at the wrong layer.
The detail that is usually left out
An inspection is only as good as what gets looked at, and photographs of specific defects are what let you get a second opinion without a second visit. Bird stops, eave closures and the mortar at the ridge are what most quotes leave out. Leave them off and you have an open roof edge that invites nesting, debris and, in the fire zones, embers. Anything under half an hour on an average house has skipped something.
What is specific to Fryman Canyon
Big Tujunga Canyon funnels wind and, when it rains, water. The season's rain arrives in a handful of heavy events rather than steadily, so a gutter or a low-slope drain that has been dry since April has to cope with months of runoff in an afternoon, usually carrying grit off the slopes with it. Scattered older properties on difficult ground, often with additions and outbuildings that were never detailed as carefully as the main roof.
The full inspection list
- Underlayment age and condition, checked by lifting tile rather than guessing
- Broken, slipped and previously face-nailed tiles across the field
- Batten condition and fixing, particularly at the eave course
- Sherman Oaks metal, which usually corrodes before the underlayment fails
- Ridge and hip mortar or mechanical fixing, and any movement in it
- Bird stops and eave closures, present and intact
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and every penetration through the field
Common questions
How long should an inspection take?
Long enough to get on the roof and into the attic. Anything under half an hour on an average house has skipped something.
Should I expect photographs?
Yes, and of the specific defects rather than general views. Photographs are what let you get a second opinion without a second visit.
The honest summary
Judge a tile roof by its underlayment, not its tile. A roof that looks flawless from the driveway can be two winters from a ceiling repair, and the only way to know is to lift a few tiles and look. In Fryman Canyon the thing to watch is gutter and drain capacity, and every addition where it joins the main roof.
Free inspection, drone photography where access is difficult, and a written estimate with deck repair priced per sheet. No obligation.