Pitch pockets are the cheapest thing on your roof to maintain and one of the most expensive things to ignore. I inventory every penetration — pockets, pipe boots, conduit, cable, antenna legs, gas lines — probe sealant depth, and score each one as top-off, re-seal, or convert to a permanent boot. You get a numbered penetration map, not a vague 'seal the roof' quote.
Numbered inventory of every roof penetration
Pourable-sealer depth probe and shrinkage measurement
Pipe boot UV cracking and clamp condition
Conduit, cable, and gas-line support seal audit
Convert-to-boot upgrade candidates flagged
Written per-penetration scope with cost bands
Full roof walk with a numbered inventory of every penetration. Pourable-sealer depth probe and dish/shrinkage measurement per pocket. Pipe boot inspection — UV cracking, split collars, loose clamps. Conduit, cable tray, gas line, and equipment support seal audit. Membrane or shingle field condition immediately around each penetration. Deck moisture check under suspect pockets where access allows. Upgrade scoring: top-off, re-seal, or convert to welded/molded boot. Written per-penetration scope with photo map and cost bands.
Flat and low-slope homeowners with rooftop conduit, solar, or HVAC. Commercial owners with recurring leaks near rooftop equipment. Property managers building a preventive-maintenance schedule. Owners quoted a full recoat when the leak is at one penetration. Anyone with a roof over 5 years old that has never had pockets topped off.
Free Walk-Around — $0 (verbal findings, no written report) Standard Penetration Report — $349 Detailed Per-Penetration Photo Map — $599 Commercial >10,000 sq ft — $0.06–$0.10/sq ft Most residential penetration audits are $349. Topping off pockets at $30–$60 each is the highest-ROI maintenance item on a flat roof.
It's a small metal box filled with pourable sealer, used where an odd-shaped support — a conduit, an antenna leg, a sign post — passes through the roof. Pourable sealer shrinks and UV-cracks, and in NM's sun it often dishes out within 2–4 years. A dished pocket holds water directly over the opening. They are maintenance items, not permanent details.
Every 2 years in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho sun, annually on west- and south-facing exposures. Topping off is a $30–$60 item per pocket. Waiting until it leaks turns it into deck repair and insulation replacement.
Usually yes. Most pockets can be converted to a proper welded boot, a molded pipe seal, or a curbed-and-flashed penetration. That's a $150–$400 per-penetration upgrade that ends the maintenance cycle. I flag which of yours are worth converting and which just need a top-off.
Class A + ember-zone audit for WUI.
R-value, ventilation, and cool-roof scoring.
Attachment + flashing warranty check.
Board-ready capital plan.
I've watched too many neighbors sign contracts they didn't understand for roofs they didn't need. That stops with a written report they own.