Compare Each Roofer's Final Walkthrough Before You Sign the Completion Form

The final walkthrough is the last point where you can look at the roof before the crew leaves and before your signature starts the final payment. Most roofers will walk the finished roof with you, but how they do it and what they ask you to sign afterward differs more than the bids usually show. This page sets out what to compare across roofers so you know what a useful walkthrough looks like before you agree to one.

Roofer comparison

Start by asking each roofer when the walkthrough happens. Some schedule it the same day the crew finishes. Others book it for a later date, after the cleanup is done and the roof has been checked against the scope. Either can work. What matters is whether the roofer puts the date in writing and names who will attend. A walkthrough with only a salesperson, and no one who ran the crew on your roof, tells you less than it appears to.

Next, compare what each roofer says they will show you. A reasonable walkthrough covers the ridge and hip caps, each valley, the flashing at every wall, chimney, and vent pipe, the eave and drip edge, the gutter apron, and the ground where material was stacked. Ask each roofer to name the spots they will check. If one list is three lines and another covers the whole house, you have learned how each one closes out a job, which is worth knowing before the final payment is due.

In St. Louis the walk has a seasonal shape. If the job finished in late fall, ask whether the crew sealed the ridge and set the vent flashing before the first hard freeze, since a loose cap or a lifted flashing shows up at the first thaw. If the job finished in spring, ask about the nail sweep and the magnet sweep, because hail season and mowing season both find loose fasteners in the yard. Ask each roofer to say which of these they check on the day and which they check on a follow-up visit.

What to photograph yourself

Bring your phone and take dated photos before anyone signs anything. Shoot the roof from the ground at the front, both sides, and the back. Shoot each slope at a steady angle, the ridge line, the valleys, and the flashing at each wall and pipe. Photograph the gutters, the downspout outlets, the splash blocks, and the lawn beside the house where bundles or debris sat. Save the originals, not screenshots, so the dates stay attached to the files.

Photos matter because the walkthrough is short and the crew is eager to leave. If a valley looks rough, a photo taken on the day gives you something specific to bring back to the roofer in writing. If a magnet sweep was promised and the yard shows nails, that is a fact you can point to. Keys documents each job with photos and measurements and puts the written scope in the homeowner's hands, so you can compare the finished roof against what was agreed without relying on memory.

What the completion form should say

A completion form should say the date the work was finished, the scope that was signed, and any change orders that were signed along the way. It should name the shingle product installed, and for Keys that means Atlas or Malarkey only. It should state whether the cleanup, the nail sweep, and the magnet sweep were done, and it should list any item still open, with a date for each. If a line says the work is complete but a valley or flashing is still on the list, the form is contradicting itself, and you should ask for it to be corrected before you sign.

If the roof was replaced under an insurance claim, the completion form does not settle what your insurer pays. Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, and from saying anything about paying, waiving, or covering a deductible, so a roofer's completion form cannot speak to either one. Keys documents the damage, gives you a written scope with photos and measurements, and attends as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer.

What it costs

The walkthrough itself should not add a charge that was not in the signed scope. If a roofer mentions a fee for a return visit to fix an open item, ask whether that fee is covered by the contract or is new, and get the answer in writing. A return visit for a item that was in the scope should cost nothing extra.

Check the final invoice against the signed scope and the change orders line by line. Look for disposal, fuel or trip charges, a card fee if you pay by card, and sales tax, and confirm each one appears in the signed documents. If a roofer asks for the final payment before the walkthrough, ask why and get the reason in writing. A roofer who has finished the work should be willing to walk it with you before the last dollar moves.

What to ask

1. When will the walkthrough happen, and who from the crew will attend?
2. Which spots will you check on the day, and which on a follow-up visit?
3. Will the cleanup, nail sweep, and magnet sweep be finished before the walk?
4. Is there a permit for the job, and when does the municipal desk schedule its final inspection?
5. Which shingle product is installed, and where is the product line recorded in the completion form?
6. What open items will be on the form, and what date is promised for each?
7. Which items on the final invoice are outside the signed scope, and why?
8. How do I reach the crew lead or office after the walkthrough if something turns up?

If you want Keys to walk your roof with you before you sign, call the office at (314) 220-2333 and ask for the final walkthrough date in writing.