Final Walkthrough: What to Check Before Y… | Wannamaker

Your roofer calls and says the job is finished. You walk outside, look up, and the roof looks… fine? New shingles, clean lines, no obvious disasters. So you sign the completion form and hand over the final payment. Six months later, you notice a leak around the chimney flashing, loose drip edge on the garage, and a pile of old nails hiding in your flower bed. Every one of those problems was visible during a proper final walkthrough — if you knew where to look.

Why the Final Walkthrough Actually Matters

A reputable contractor will invite you to do a walkthrough. A great contractor will insist on it. The final walkthrough is your last leverage point — once you've paid in full, getting a crew back out to fix something becomes a scheduling negotiation instead of a contractual expectation. That's not cynicism; it's just how business works. Use the walkthrough to protect yourself and to confirm that the contractor delivered what they promised.

At Wannamaker Roofing, we walk every job with the homeowner before we consider it complete. But not every company does. Whether you're working with us or someone else, here's what to check.

Start on the Ground, Not the Roof

You don't need to climb a ladder to catch most problems. Start by walking the full perimeter of your home and looking at these areas:

• Drip edge. The metal trim along the eaves and rakes should be tight against the fascia — no gaps, no waviness, no visible nail heads. In San Antonio's wind-driven rain, a poorly installed drip edge lets water behind the fascia board and into your soffit.
• Gutters. If your gutters were removed and reinstalled, check that they're reattached securely and draining toward the downspouts. Run a hose if you can — standing water in a gutter means the slope is off.
• Siding and paint. Ladders scratch walls. Material drops ding siding. Your contractor should have noted any pre-existing damage before the job. Compare the current condition to any photos you took beforehand.
• Landscaping and yard. Flower beds trampled? AC unit dented? Fence damaged? These things happen on job sites, and a professional crew owns it and fixes it.
• Nails and debris. A good crew runs a magnetic roller across the yard, driveway, and walkways at least twice. Walk the perimeter slowly and check — a single roofing nail in a tire costs you more frustration than the entire walkthrough takes.

Look Up: What You Can See from the Ground

Grab binoculars or use your phone's zoom camera. You're checking for consistency and craftsmanship, not engineering specifications.

• Shingle lines. Rows should be straight and evenly spaced. Crooked courses aren't just ugly — they can indicate improper overlap, which compromises water shedding. This matters especially with asphalt shingle installations where alignment is highly visible.
• Ridge cap. The shingles along the peak of the roof should be uniform and neatly overlapping. Lifted or misaligned ridge caps are a common source of leaks and wind damage.
• Flashing. Every penetration — pipes, vents, chimneys, skylights, walls — should have visible metal flashing that sits flat and is sealed. Flashing failures account for a huge percentage of roof leaks, especially around chimneys on older San Antonio homes.
• Pipe boots. Those rubber-collared flanges around plumbing vents should be new if you got a full roof replacement. Old, cracked pipe boots on a new roof are a red flag — they'll fail before your shingles do.
• Ventilation. Count your ridge vents, box vents, or turbines and compare to what the contract specified. Proper attic ventilation is critical in our South Texas heat, and cutting corners here shortens shingle life.

Check the Attic

This is the step most homeowners skip — and it's one of the most telling. Go into your attic with a flashlight and look for:

• Daylight. You should not see daylight through the roof deck (except at intentional vents). Pinpoints of light mean missed nail holes or gaps in the decking.
• Underlayment visibility. If decking was replaced, the new plywood should be tight against the rafters with no gaps.
• Debris. A conscientious crew keeps debris out of the attic. Old shingle pieces, nails, or sawdust inside suggest sloppy work overhead.

Review the Paperwork

Before you write that final check, make sure you have these documents in hand:

• Manufacturer warranty registration. If your contractor promised a system warranty (like GAF Golden Pledge or Owens Corning Platinum), confirm they've actually registered it. A verbal promise isn't a warranty.
• Workmanship warranty. Get the contractor's own labor warranty in writing, with clear terms on what's covered and for how long.
• City permit and inspection. San Antonio and surrounding cities like Boerne, New Braunfels, and Schertz require permits for roof replacement work. Ask for proof the final municipal inspection passed. If your contractor pulled the permit (as they should), they should have the green tag or inspection record.
• Final invoice with material details. The invoice should list the shingle brand, color, and line; the underlayment type; and any decking replaced. This matters for insurance records and future claims.

What If You Find a Problem?

Don't panic, and don't get adversarial. Point it out clearly, take photos, and ask the contractor for their plan to correct it. Most legitimate issues — a crooked row of shingles, a missed piece of flashing, debris left behind — are quick fixes that a professional crew will handle the same day or the next morning. The walkthrough exists precisely so these conversations happen before the job closes out, not after.

If you're dealing with a contractor who pushes back on reasonable concerns during the walkthrough, that tells you something important about how they'll handle a warranty call two years from now. Trust that signal.

And if you ever want a second set of professional eyes, an independent roof inspection from a different company can verify the work was done correctly. It's a small investment for major peace of mind.

The Bottom Line

A final walkthrough takes 20 to 30 minutes. That's a tiny fraction of the time and money you've invested in a new roof. Walk the yard, look at the edges, check the attic, and read the paperwork. You're not being difficult — you're being a responsible homeowner. Any contractor worth hiring will respect that. And if they don't, you've learned something valuable before you signed the last check.