A year after we install your roof, the owner of the company shows up personally — often with a birthday cake — to check his own work. Here’s why that first year matters so much.
TL;DR
- One year after your install, owner Tim Mallory returns personally to inspect your roof — and often brings an actual birthday cake.
- The reason: the first year is the most crucial period in a new roof’s life. As the seasons cycle, the roof settles, seals, and bonds together.
- Tim checks that the shingles have sealed, that the flashings didn’t buckle over winter, and clears out the gutters — all free of charge.
- Homeowners are consistently shocked a contractor comes back a year later to check his own work. It’s a big part of why our reviews are what they are.
Table of Contents
A contractor who checks his own work — a year later
Most roofers, if you ever see them again, it’s because something went wrong. Advantage does the opposite: we come back on purpose, a year after your roof goes on, to make sure everything went right.
We call it the one-year birthday inspection, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Around the anniversary of your install, you’ll get a birthday card in the mail, our office sets up a time, and owner Tim Mallory shows up to look over your roof himself — frequently with a birthday cake in hand.
“People are shocked that we do that,” Tim says. “And they’re shocked that it’s a free service. They’ll say something along the lines of, I’ve never heard of this before. I’ve never heard of a contractor coming out a year later to check on his own work.”
But there’s real science behind why that first-year visit matters so much.
Why the first year is the most important year of a roof’s life
Here’s something most homeowners never learn: the most crucial period for a brand-new roof is its very first year. That’s when the roof goes through everything the climate can throw at it and physically settles into place.
“When you go through all the seasons, it gets cold in the wintertime, so things start to contract,” Tim explains. “The plywood contracts at a different temperature than the shingles, than the brick, than the siding. So everything’s kind of moving when it gets cold, and moving at a little different temperature.”
Then there’s the way shingles are designed to bond together. “Shingles are thermodynamic,” Tim says. “There’s a sealant on a shingle that the sun activates, and it kind of glues one shingle to another. And if all goes well, you basically got one big sheet of shingle that’s all glued together.” That sealing process — turning individual shingles into a single unified surface — happens over that first year, helped along by the summer sun. Add in the pounding of spring rains, and by the time a full cycle of seasons has passed, you know exactly how the roof has settled.
So we let all four seasons happen, and then we come back to look.
What Tim actually checks
This isn’t a drive-by. Tim performs these inspections himself, and he’s thorough about it.
He walks the roof and lifts shingles — or tries to — to confirm the sealants have properly bonded. “I’ll just walk around randomly,” he says. “You can kind of look from the bottom at the gutter line and get low and see if there’s any shingles that haven’t sealed. But I’ll also randomly try to lift 10 or 12 of them to make sure everything’s sealed down.”
Next he checks the flashings, which can shift over a hard winter. “They’ll buckle sometimes. If it’s a tight flashing against the brick and it’s cut too tight to the roof, the wintertime will cause a buckle in that flashing.” When he finds one, he makes the adjustment on the spot.
Finally, he looks at the gutters, which are often full of debris from the previous year’s leaves — something a homeowner may not even realize. He clears them out and lets you know if you might benefit from gutter protection going forward.
All of it, start to finish, is free. It’s simply part of taking care of your roof.
More than an inspection — a thank-you
The birthday inspection isn’t only about the roof. It’s also our way of saying thank you.
Here’s how it works: you get a birthday card in the mail letting you know it’s time for your roof’s one-year check. You call the office, we set up a time, and Tim comes out — and surprises you with a birthday cake. “If they’re not there, I’ll leave it on the doorstep,” he says. “Just a little way of saying thank you, and just getting my eyes on it one more time.”
That little gesture captures something about how we think. A roof isn’t a transaction that ends when the check clears. It’s a relationship that lasts as long as you own the home — and it’s worth celebrating a year in.
Why it matters for you
After that one-year look, Tim can say something few roofers ever can with real confidence: “I’m pretty confident that roof is going to be trouble-free now for the next 30, 40, or 50 years. It’s pretty good probability that that homeowner is going to be problem-free with that roof moving forward.”
That’s the payoff of the birthday inspection. It’s a second set of the owner’s own eyes at the exact moment a roof reveals how it settled — a final confirmation that everything did what it was supposed to do. And it’s a big reason our reviews read the way they do; homeowners remember the roofer who came back a year later, cake in hand, to make sure they were taken care of.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the one-year birthday inspection?
It’s a complimentary inspection Advantage Roofing performs about a year after installing your roof. Owner Tim Mallory personally checks that the shingles have sealed, the flashings are sound, and the gutters are clear.
Why does the first year matter so much for a new roof?
Because the roof goes through a full cycle of seasons in that time. Materials expand and contract, and the shingles’ sun-activated sealant bonds them together into one unified surface. How a roof settles that first year tells you a lot about its long-term health.
Does the birthday inspection cost anything?
No. It’s completely free — part of how we stand behind our work.
Do I really get a birthday cake?
Often, yes. Tim brings a cake as a thank-you and a friendly way to check the roof one more time. If you’re not home, he’ll leave it on the doorstep.
How will I know when it’s time?
You’ll receive a birthday card in the mail around your roof’s one-year anniversary. Just call the office and we’ll set up a time.
What happens if the inspection finds an issue?
Tim addresses it right then when possible — for example, adjusting a buckled flashing or clearing debris-filled gutters. Anything covered under your warranty is handled at no charge.
Roofing that comes back around
You deserve a roofer who’s still thinking about your roof a year after the crew drives away — not one who disappears the moment the check clears. The birthday inspection is one of the ways we prove we mean it.
If you’d like a roof, and a roofer, that keeps looking out for you, we’d love to help — anywhere in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Schedule Your Free Estimate today at goroof1.com or call (513) 467-6631.
Here’s to a strong roof — and many happy returns. — The Advantage Roofing Team
About The Author
Tim Mallory is the founder and owner of Advantage Roofing & Home Exteriors in Cincinnati, Ohio. He got his start in roofing in 1984 — literally from the ground up, as the crew’s cleanup guy — and founded Advantage Roofing in 2001 after seeing too many homeowners burned by missed appointments, rushed work, and roofers who disappeared the moment the job was done. More than four decades later, he still holds to the same standard he started with: if a homeowner invests in a new roof, it should be installed the right way, so it lasts.
A Hebron, Kentucky native and Conner High School graduate, Tim has helped more than 8,000 Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky homeowners protect their homes, earning a 5.0-star Google rating along the way. He’s a CertainTeed Master Craftsman and a recipient of the CertainTeed Governor’s Award for one of the strongest warranty programs in the state of Ohio. Tim still personally performs every one-year “Happy Birthday” inspection — because the best way to know a roof was done right is to climb up and check it himself.
Have a roofing question or want an honest, no-pressure estimate? Reach Tim and the Advantage Roofing team at goroof1.com or (513) 467-6631.
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