Solar installers are electricians first, roofers second. The leaks I find on 5-year-old solar homes are almost always at the attachment points — skipped flashing, over-torqued lag bolts, caulk instead of properly integrated standoffs. If your solar is under a year old, this is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.
Every attachment point flashed vs caulked — verified individually
Lag-bolt torque and rafter-hit verification
Standoff and racking installer-spec compliance
Shingle / tile damage from install foot traffic
Wire penetration boot condition
Warranty-callback letter template included
Full roof walk with solar-attachment focus. Every attachment point documented: flashed correctly, caulk-only, or missing. Standoff / racking install per manufacturer spec. Shingle or tile damage from install foot traffic. Wire penetration and combiner-box flashing. Written report with photo evidence per defect. Installer-callback letter template so you can invoke the workmanship warranty.
NM homeowners within 1–5 years of solar install (fix under workmanship warranty). Owners with interior stains that appeared after solar was installed. Buyers under contract on a solar home wanting third-party attachment verification. Owners considering removing solar for a re-roof. Property managers with multi-property solar deployments.
Verbal Walk — $149 Standard Solar-Install Audit — $449 Detailed w/ Torque Spot-Check — $749 Multi-Property / Commercial — Custom, contact for rate Most post-solar-install audits are $449–$749. Typical finding: 2–4 attachment defects the installer's workmanship warranty covers — often paying back the inspection 10x.
Solar installers are electricians first and roofers second. The most common leaks I find on 5-year-old solar homes are at the attachment points — flashing skipped, lag bolts overtorqued into rafters, or standoffs sealed with caulk instead of properly flashed. Catch it in year one and the installer fixes it under warranty. Catch it in year seven and it's your problem.
No. A third-party inspection is not a warranty-voiding modification. I document and report — I don't touch the system.
Common. Foot traffic during install cracks brittle shingles and I regularly find nail-gun over-drives at panel edges. I document each defect with photo evidence — the installer's workmanship warranty typically covers repair.
Reserve study + per-unit documentation.
Party-wall + shared-roof attribution.
Step, counter, cricket flashing audit.
SMACNA sizing + downspout audit.
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.