Spring Roof Inspection Checklist for Lake County Homeowners
What to inspect on your Lake County roof after an Illinois winter — before small issues become expensive ones.
Why spring matters more in Lake County than most places
Lake County winters are harder on roofs than people give them credit for. The communities closest to Lake Michigan — Highland Park, Lake Bluff, North Chicago, Winthrop Harbor — get lake-effect snow events that can drop 6 to 12 inches on a weekend that barely registers in the Chicago suburbs. That translates into more freeze-thaw cycles per season than you'd see 20 miles inland. Ice dams form along the eaves when attic heat melts snow from below, and the water refreezes at the cold overhang edge. Wind-driven rain and heavy wet snow stress flashings and edges in ways that quiet summers don't reveal. By April, whatever winter did to your roof is visible. Spring is when you find out.
What to check from the ground first
You don't need to get on the roof to do a useful preliminary inspection. Walk the full perimeter of your home with binoculars and look at each roof plane. You're looking for shingles that are visibly lifted at the corners or edges, missing shingles entirely, dark patches that indicate granule loss, and any sagging or uneven sections that suggest decking movement underneath. While you're walking the perimeter, look at your fascia boards and soffit — peeling paint, rot, or staining at the eaves is often a sign that water has been getting in somewhere. Check the ground along the drip edge for granule accumulation, which is normal at some level but heavy deposits after a single winter indicate accelerated shingle wear.
Gutters and drainage
Clean your gutters before you assess them. What you find during cleaning tells you a lot. Heavy granule deposits in the gutter troughs indicate the shingles above are past their prime. Actual shingle tabs or large shingle fragments mean something came apart this winter. After cleaning, walk the gutters and look for sections pulling away from the fascia — winter ice weight is hard on gutter hangers and the fascia boards they're anchored to. Check that your downspout extensions are still in place and directed away from the foundation. Standing water near the foundation after a rain can be a gutter drainage problem that looks like a structural problem.
Flashings — where most leaks actually start
If you've had any interior water intrusion this winter, the odds are better than even that the entry point is a flashing, not the shingles themselves. Step flashings along dormers and wall intersections are the most common failure point — they're a series of small metal pieces that interlock with each course of shingles, and when any one piece lifts, works loose, or corrodes through, water gets in. Chimney counter-flashing is another common culprit, especially on older homes where caulk-only chimney flashings (instead of properly embedded metal step and counter flashings) are starting to fail. Pipe boot flashings — the rubber-booted collars around plumbing vents — crack and harden with age. Any boot that's 10 or more years old is worth a look.
Check your attic before you check the roof
One of the most useful things you can do in spring is spend five minutes in your attic with a flashlight. Look at the underside of the roof decking for any dark staining, which indicates water has been getting through. Look at the ridge and along the eaves for frost residue or efflorescence — signs of condensation from poor ventilation rather than actual roof penetration, but both need to be addressed. Check that your soffit vents aren't blocked by insulation that's been pushed against the eave. Blocked soffit vents cause heat and moisture to build up in the attic, which accelerates shingle aging from the inside. If you see daylight through the decking anywhere, you've found a leak point.
Storm damage from the past winter and what's coming
Lake County had meaningful wind events in early 2026. If you had gusts over 50 mph come through — and parts of the county did — check specifically for lifted shingle tabs at the rakes and ridges, where wind uplift is strongest. Look for any ridge cap shingles that may have shifted. Northern Illinois hail season typically runs May through September, so if your roof is already showing wear, you want to know that before the first hailstorm hits — not after. A roof that's 15 years old and showing granule loss doesn't have the same impact resistance it once did. Getting an assessment in April means you're making a decision from a position of information, not emergency.
When to call a professional instead of DIYing the assessment
If you see missing shingles, any visible decking, active staining on your attic decking, or your roof is 15 years or older, the ground-level walk-around isn't enough. You need eyes on the surface. A qualified roofer can walk a roof safely, identify damage you can't see from below, document the condition for insurance purposes if needed, and give you an honest read on how many years you realistically have left. Don't get on the roof yourself unless you have the right equipment and experience. The leading cause of homeowner injury during DIY roof inspections is falls from ladders and roof edges. It's not worth it.
Leaders Roofing covers all of Lake County
We inspect and service roofs in Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Mundelein, Gurnee, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Barrington, Lake Zurich, Waukegan, North Chicago, and every community in between. Spring is our busiest inspection season, and we book up fast. If your roof is overdue for a look, call (847) 312-2727 to schedule a free assessment before the summer rush hits. We'll tell you honestly what we find.