Nine out of ten homes lost in wildfire ignite from embers on the roof, not direct flame. If you live in the east mountains, foothills, or any NM WUI zone, your roof assembly and vent screens are the single biggest survivability factor. I audit both, cite the code, and give you a report your insurance carrier will accept at renewal.
Class A roof-assembly verification (not just shingle label)
Ember-resistant vent screen audit (1/8-inch mesh)
Gutter debris and ember-trap zone scoring
Chimney spark arrestor and cricket check
Skylight glazing and curb-flashing ignition risk
Insurance-renewal-friendly written report
Full walk with wildfire-defense focus. Class A assembly verification (starter, underlayment, valley, ridge). Every vent inspected for ember-resistant 1/8-inch mesh screening. Gutters scored for debris load and ember-trap risk. Chimney spark arrestor, cap, and cricket condition. Skylight glazing type and curb-flashing ignition risk. Written report with insurance-renewal and Firewise USA language.
NM east-mountain, foothills, and WUI-zone homeowners. Owners in Placitas, East Mountains, Santa Fe County, Ruidoso, and Taos foothills. Owners with insurance renewal or non-renewal concerns. Homes near recent NM wildfire footprints (Hermits Peak, Calf Canyon, South Fork, Salt). Firewise USA community members needing signed property-level documentation.
Verbal Walk — $149 Standard Wildfire Defense Report — $449 Detailed w/ Defensible-Space Scoring — $749 Insurance Renewal Grade — $1,200+ Most residential wildfire defense reports are $449–$749. Often required to keep or restore a homeowner policy in NM WUI zones.
Nine out of ten homes lost in wildfire ignite from wind-driven embers landing on the roof or in vents — not from direct flame. A Class A roof plus ember-resistant vents is the single biggest survivability upgrade you can make.
Most NM asphalt shingles are Class A by assembly, but installation shortcuts (missing starter, exposed underlayment at valleys, uncovered ridge vents) can drop the effective rating. I verify the assembly, not just the shingle label.
Increasingly, yes. Carriers writing in NM WUI zones now ask for defensible-space and roof-assembly documentation at renewal. A signed inspection report is often what keeps the policy renewable.
Yearly punch-list + service-life estimate.
Pre-listing & buyer due-diligence reports.
Reserve study + per-unit documentation.
Party-wall + shared-roof attribution.
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.