Roof Inspection in St. Augustine, FL

The contract on the house in Julington Creek says the roof is original to 2005, the seller's disclosure says it has never leaked, and your closing is in three weeks. This site connects you by phone with an independent local roofing contractor who inspects roofs in St. Johns County.

Roof, then attic: what the inspection covers

Where the pitch allows it, the crew walks the slopes; the steep sections and the island metal get checked from a ladder or by drone. On shingle they check seal strips on the north and east slopes, granule loss, cracked boots, and the flashing at walls and chimneys. On metal they check fastener lines for rust and backed-out screws, panel laps, and the closures at the ridge. On tile they lift pieces at the eaves and valleys to see the underlayment.

Then the attic. Pinpoints of daylight, stained plywood, and rust on the nail tips show from below what the shingles hide from above. You get a written report with photos, a remaining-life estimate, and two lists: repairs to make now and items to keep an eye on.

Dig up the 2005 permit before the inspector arrives

Find the roof's install year. It is on the original permit in the county or city permit portal under the address, and it is often on the last wind-mitigation form. The St. Johns County Property Appraiser record for the parcel shows the year the house was built, which on most 2000s subdivisions is also the year of the roof. If a carrier letter started this, read it again for the form it names, whether a 4-point, a wind mitigation, or a roof condition certification.

On a Julington Creek purchase, tell the contractor when the inspection contingency expires, because the report has to be in hand before you can negotiate. For a house you are about to leave for the summer, pick a date before you go.

Cracked boots, tired seal strips, and rust lines: what turns up

Most inspections on roofs under 12 years old find small things: a cracked boot, a lifted ridge cap, a screw that needs a new gasket. Those are repairs. On shingle roofs between 15 and 25 years old, the finding that matters is the seal and the granule loss, and the answer is either a few more years, a section replaced, or a roof replacement. On island metal roofs the finding is usually rust at the fasteners, which decides between a re-screw and new panels.

After a named storm or a long nor'easter, the inspection is a different document. The inspector draws a line between fresh storm damage and the wear that predates it, and that line is exactly what the adjuster is looking for. Even a one-line written finding that the roof is sound carries weight when the carrier comes asking.

Four-point, wind mitigation, or roof condition: the three forms carriers ask for

Insurers in Florida work from three different forms, and one roof inspection can supply the information for any of the three. A 4-point inspection covers the roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, and is common on the 1950s and 1960s homes in St. Augustine South and Davis Shores. A wind-mitigation inspection on the state's OIR-B1-1802 form records roof covering, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, and roof shape, and is covered on the wind mitigation page. When the question from the carrier is how many years the roof has left, the document it wants is a roof condition report.

Florida law since 2022 bars an insurer from declining renewal on roof age alone when the roof is under 15 years old, and on an older roof it has to accept an inspection that shows five or more years of useful life remaining. Those rules are spelled out by the Florida Department of Financial Services consumer division, which also takes the complaint if a carrier disregards them.

A large share of the shingle roofs between World Golf Village and Julington Creek went on within a few years of each other. When one house on the street gets a renewal letter, the rest are usually a year behind it, and a spring inspection is how owners get ahead of the deadline.

When you call about a Julington Creek closing or a renewal letter

Have the address, the roof material and year if known, the reason for the inspection (purchase, renewal, storm, leaving for the season), and any deadline. Say whether the attic is accessible. Call (904) 895-7548.