For buyers under contract or recently closed in the KC metro
Updated 2026-08-11New Homebuyers
Know what you actually bought: a real roof inspection, a baseline record, and a plan before the first storm.
You just bought a house in Kansas City, or you are about to. The general inspection said the roof 'appears serviceable' or 'shows some wear, recommend further evaluation,' and you moved on because there were forty other things on the list. Now you own a roof and you know almost nothing about it: how old it is, whether it took hail before you got there, whether the gutters drain, whether the attic is ventilated, or how many years you have before you are writing a five-figure check. Blue Arrow Roofing works with new homebuyers across the metro on exactly this. A free, roof-specific inspection tells you what you actually bought. A written report with photos gives you a baseline record, which matters more than most people realize: when the first hail storm hits next spring, you will have proof of what the roof looked like before, which is exactly what an insurance adjuster wants to see. If the inspection finds small problems, we fix them at a fixed price. If it finds a roof that is closer to the end than the seller let on, you will know now, with real numbers, instead of in a rainstorm. And if you are thinking about solar, we will tell you honestly whether the roof is ready for it before anyone bolts panels to shingles that need replacing in four years.
Who this is for
This page is for buyers under contract who want a roof-specific opinion before the inspection contingency expires, and for new owners who closed recently and want to know what they have. It applies across the metro, from newer subdivisions in Olathe, Lee's Summit, Raymore, Kearney, Smithville, and Platte City where the first replacement is a decade out, to 1980s and 1990s homes in Shawnee, Lenexa, Blue Springs, and Grain Valley where the roof may be closer to done than it looks. It also applies to a first house in Marlborough, Ruskin Heights, or Hickman Mills, where the roof can be the biggest single line item in the purchase. If your only information about your roof is one line on a general inspection report, this is written for you.
What usually goes wrong
The problems we keep seeing
Patterns we run into on almost every new account in this category — and how we think about solving them from day one.
One vague line on the inspection report
General home inspectors look at a lot of house in three hours, and the roof usually gets a look from the ground or the ladder. 'Appears serviceable' can mean anything from twenty years of life to a roof that is one storm from a claim. A roof-specific inspection gets on the roof, checks every slope, every penetration, the valleys, the flashing, and the attic, and gives you a remaining-life estimate you can plan around. It is free, and it takes about an hour.
Hail damage from before you owned the house
A lot of Kansas City homes went through a hail event a spring or two ago and nobody documented it. The seller may not have known. If that damage shows up when your insurer inspects, or when the roof starts leaking, you are in a gray area: the storm happened before your policy started and the seller's claim window may have closed. Check your policy and talk to your agent. What we can do is document what is there now so you have a clear record going forward.
No baseline when the first storm hits
Next spring, hail will come through somewhere in the metro. If it hits your roof, the adjuster's first question is what the roof looked like before. Without a baseline, storm damage and pre-existing wear get argued about and claims get scoped light. A dated inspection report with photos of every slope, taken when you moved in, is the best evidence you can have. Most homeowners never think to get one until it is too late.
Builder-grade roofs and new-construction shortcuts
New homes in Olathe, Lee's Summit, Raymore, and the Northland are not immune. Builder-grade three-tab shingles, missing ice and water shield, poorly sealed step flashing, and pipe boots that crack in five years are common on production homes. A new roof is not the same as a well-built roof. We check the details that builders skip, document them while the builder warranty is still in effect, and tell you what to push back on.
How we approach it
What working with us actually looks like
A roof-specific inspection and a written baseline
We get on the roof and document everything: shingle type and estimated age, granule loss, any hail bruising or wind damage, flashing at every wall, chimney, and penetration, valleys, ridge and attic ventilation, gutters and downspouts, and any interior evidence you show us. You get a written report with dated photos of every slope and a plain-language remaining-life estimate. Keep it with your closing documents. It is your baseline for every insurance conversation that follows.
Small fixes now, before they become water damage
Most new-owner inspections turn up a few small things: a cracked pipe boot, exposed nails at the ridge, a loose piece of flashing, a downspout that dumps at the foundation. These are $350 to $1,500 repairs that prevent the kind of slow leak that ruins drywall and insulation over a winter. We quote them at a fixed price, fix them in a visit, and photograph the result. It is the cheapest roofing money you will ever spend.
Honest replacement planning when the roof is closer than you thought
Sometimes the inspection finds a roof that has three to five years left, not fifteen. That is not an emergency, but it is a plan. We give you a written replacement quote, typically $9,000 to $18,000 for a 2,000 square foot home, with options from standard architectural to Class 4 impact-resistant shingles that may lower your insurance premium. You can budget, watch for a hail event that turns it into a claim, or schedule it on your timeline. Either way you are not surprised.
Straight talk on solar before panels go up
New owners often get solar pitches within weeks of closing. Panels last 25 years and a roof that needs replacing in six means paying to remove and reinstall them. We assess whether the roof is ready for solar, what would need to happen first, and how the roof warranty interacts with a panel install. We are not a solar installer and we do not sell panels. We give you the roofing side of the decision so the solar conversation starts from facts.
Services that fit this profile
The work we typically do for new homebuyers
New-homebuyer work with us starts with a free, roof-specific inspection and a written baseline report you keep with your closing documents. Roof repair handles the small items most inspections find, at fixed prices with before-and-after photos. Roof replacement provides a written quote and a plan when the roof is nearer the end than expected, with shingle options from GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, and Malarkey, including Class 4 impact-resistant. Gutters and downspouts get checked and corrected so water goes away from your new foundation. Residential solar guidance tells you honestly whether the roof is ready for panels. When the first hail event hits, our storm damage and insurance claims services pick up with your baseline in hand, documenting what changed, tarping if needed, and meeting the adjuster. If you are still under contract, we can also produce the report on a contingency timeline and work with your agent on repairs before closing.
Roof Inspections
Free · written photo report included
A roof inspection should tell you what is true, not sell you something. We get on the roof, check every slope, the flashing, the vents, the gutters, and the attic where we can, and photograph what we find. You get a written report with pictures, whether the answer is storm damage, a $400 repair, or a roof that is fine. Inspections are free, and there is no obligation to do anything with the results. People use them for different reasons: a homeowner near Swope Park who got a non-renewal letter and needs to know whether the roof really has life left, a buyer in Lenexa in an inspection period, a landlord whose tenant reported a stain, an adult child sorting out a parent's house in Ivanhoe. We write the report in plain English so you can explain it to someone else.
Typical scope
- Free Storm Damage Inspections
- Hail & Wind Damage Assessment
- Pre-Purchase Roof Inspections
- Pre-Listing Roof Inspections
Roof Repair
$350–$1,500 typical repair
Not every roof problem needs a new roof, and on a lot of Kansas City houses a repair is the right call. We fix leaks, replace wind-lifted and missing shingles, reseal and reflash chimneys and walls, swap cracked pipe boots, patch soft decking, and clean up the ice-dam damage winter leaves behind. Most of it lands between $350 and $800 and buys a roof a few more years, which matters when a replacement costs more than you have on hand. Every repair starts with a free inspection so you know what is actually wrong, and ends with photos of the finished work and an invoice you can keep for insurance, a tenant file, or a future buyer. If the roof is past repairing — two layers, decking you can push a thumb through, shingles that crumble when lifted — we say so, show you why, and walk you through the realistic paths to a replacement.
Typical scope
- Roof Leak Detection & Repair
- Missing & Wind-Damaged Shingle Replacement
- Chimney & Wall Flashing Repair
- Pipe Boot & Vent Replacement
Roof Replacement
$9,000–$18,000 typical (2,000 sq ft home)
When patching stops making sense, we replace the whole system: tear-off to the deck, new underlayment and ice-and-water shield, fresh flashing, proper ventilation, and shingles from manufacturers that stand behind them. We say that carefully, because a new roof is a big check. On a 1950s house in Blue Hills or Ivanhoe it can be a large share of what the house is worth, so we look for a repair first and tell you if one will hold. When it will not — two shingle layers already on, decking gone soft, hail bruising across every slope — we lay out the real paths to a replacement: a storm claim when the damage supports one, financing when it does not, and a written line-item scope either way so you know what you are paying for before the first shingle comes off. In Johnson County, Lee's Summit, and the Northland, where roofs from the late-1980s and 1990s building boom are wearing out together, the conversation is more often about Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, manufacturer warranties, HOA color approval, and what a new roof does for resale. Same crew, same scope, either way.
Typical scope
- Full Tear-Off & Roof Replacement
- Architectural Shingle Installation
- Class 4 Impact-Resistant Shingles
- Premium & Designer Shingles
Gutters & Downspouts
$8–$15 per linear ft installed
Gutters are a small line item that protects the expensive ones. Undersized, clogged, or hail-dented gutters send water down the fascia, behind the siding, and into the basement — and in winter they feed ice dams. We install seamless aluminum gutters sized for Kansas City downpours, downspouts that discharge away from the foundation, and guards where trees make cleaning a chore. On the 1940s and 1950s houses across the East Side, Northeast, and Waldo, the job often starts a step earlier: replacing fascia boards that rotted behind a failed gutter, or dealing with original boxed gutters that have rusted through. Most gutter jobs pair with a roof replacement, but we replace and repair them on their own too, and a gutter fix is one of the cheapest ways to stop water from getting into a house.
Typical scope
- Seamless Aluminum Gutter Installation
- 5-Inch & 6-Inch Gutter Sizing
- Downspout Installation & Extensions
- Gutter Guards & Leaf Protection
Residential Solar Guidance
Free roof-readiness evaluation
Solar panels are designed to sit on your roof for 25 years or more. If the roof underneath has 8 years left, you will pay to have the panels removed and reinstalled when it fails — often thousands of dollars on top of the roof itself. We evaluate whether your roof is ready, replace or repair it first if it is not, and coordinate with your solar company on layout, penetrations, flashing, and timing. We are a roofing contractor, not a solar installer; we make sure the roof under the array is the last thing you have to think about. That includes the money: if the roof needs replacing first, that is a separate cost a solar quote does not show, and it belongs in your math before you sign anything.
Typical scope
- Roof-Readiness Evaluation for Solar
- Remaining Roof Life Assessment
- Roof Replacement Before Solar Install
- Solar Installer Coordination
Local context
Why neighborhood matters for this kind of work
Where you bought shapes what to expect. Olathe past K-7, Lee's Summit's newer subdivisions, Raymore, Grain Valley, and the Northland communities around Kearney, Smithville, and Platte City are mostly 2000s and newer, where the roof may be original builder-grade and the details are what matter. Shawnee, Lenexa, Blue Springs, and the 1980s and 1990s parts of Olathe and Lee's Summit are where roofs have been replaced once and are approaching the second cycle, often with undocumented hail from a prior spring. All of these sit in the hail corridor along I-35, I-435, and I-70, where storms from March through June are a near-certainty every year. Winter brings ice dams on homes with poor attic ventilation, which is a common shortcut on production homes. On the insurance side, Missouri and Kansas carriers are increasingly asking about roof age at binding and moving older roofs to actual cash value coverage, so knowing your roof's real age and condition affects your premium and your coverage, not just your maintenance plan.
Olathe
County seat growing outward from Old Town through decades of subdivisions. HOAs near-universal, Class 4 upgrades common, squarely in the hail belt.
Lee's Summit
1990s–2010s subdivisions — Lakewood, Raintree, Winterset — aging out street by street under HOA review. Class 4 shingles, warranties, and resale drive most decisions.
Shawnee
Older core around Old Shawnee Town and tree-covered 1950s–70s streets east, steep 2000s subdivisions west of K-7 under HOA review.
Kearney
North end of Clay County on I-35. Subdivisions built since the late 1990s hitting first replacement, acreage homes with outbuildings, wind off open ground.
Raymore
Fast-growing Cass County suburb of 1990s–2020s two-stories under HOA covenants. Commuter families, Class 4 upgrades, and resale drive most roofs here.
Grain Valley
Newer bedroom community east of Blue Springs. Roofs built since 2000 hitting first replacement under HOA covenants, with the same hail as its neighbors.
Smithville
Smithville Lake homes take wind off the water; 1990s-and-newer subdivisions along Highway 169 reaching first replacement together. Own permits.
Platte City
Platte County seat north of KCI. 1970s–80s core around the courthouse, newer subdivisions along I-29, a lot of rentals, open-ground wind on all sides.
Lenexa
1970s–90s neighborhoods around Old Town, the newer City Center, plenty of apartments and townhomes, and one of the county's biggest warehouse and flat-roof markets.
Blue Springs
1970s–2000s split-levels and two-stories along I-70 with 20–30-year-old shingles. Storms off Lake Jacomo roll straight over town; HOA approvals on the south side.
Latest guides for this audience
Reading we send new homebuyers most often
City-specific pricing, process notes, and insurance references. Updated through 2026-08-11.
MaterialsGAF vs Owens Corning vs CertainTeed vs Malarkey for Kansas City Homes
Four shingle brands, four sets of strengths. Here's how GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, and Malarkey compare on hail resistance, wind ratings, algae protection, warranties, and cost for Kansas City homeowners.
MaintenanceGutters: The Most-Skipped Maintenance Item That Protects Your Roof
Clogged, sagging, or undersized gutters quietly rot fascia, feed ice dams, and push water into your basement. Here's the twice-a-year routine, the signs of failure, and what new gutters cost in Kansas City.
Roof InspectionsThe Roof Inspection Checklist Before Buying a Home in the KC Metro
A general home inspector spends ten minutes on the roof. Here's the checklist a roofer uses — age, shingle condition, flashing, decking, ventilation, gutters, attic — and what each finding means for your offer.
MaterialsClass 4 Impact-Resistant Shingles: Worth It in Missouri and Kansas?
Class 4 shingles cost more up front and may earn an insurance discount every year. In a hail belt like Kansas City, here's how the math and the trade-offs actually work.
Storm DamageStorm Chasers vs. Local Roofers: Red Flags After a Kansas City Storm
After a big Kansas City hailstorm, out-of-town roofing crews flood the metro. Some are fine. Some will leave you with a bad roof and no one to call. Here are the red flags — and the questions that separate the two.
Storm DamageHail Damage: How to Tell If Your Kansas City Roof Was Actually Hit
Not every storm damages a roof, and not every dent is hail. Here's how to check your Kansas City roof for real hail damage — from the ground, the gutters, and the soft metals — before you call anyone.
Our process
How a project actually moves
- 1
Book a free inspection
Under contract or already moved in, tell us the address and any deadline. We schedule within a few days, sooner for contingency windows.
- 2
On-the-roof inspection
We inspect every slope, penetration, and the attic where possible, and photograph everything with a date stamp.
- 3
Baseline report and quotes
You receive a written report with photos, a remaining-life estimate, and fixed-price quotes for any repairs. Keep it with your closing documents.
- 4
Fix the small things, plan the big one
Repairs are done in a visit. If a replacement is on the horizon, you get a written quote and a plan, plus a spring check-in after hail season if you want one.
Case study
A typical post-closing roof check on a 2000s Olathe home
Olathe, KS
Challenge
A couple closes on a 2000s two-story in an Olathe subdivision. The general inspection called the roof 'serviceable with normal wear.' Within two weeks they have a solar sales appointment and a neighbor telling them the street got hail two springs ago. They do not know the roof's age, whether it has storm damage, or whether it makes any sense to put panels on it.
Solution
Blue Arrow inspects the roof and finds architectural shingles roughly 10 to 12 years old with meaningful life remaining, two cracked pipe boots, exposed nails along one ridge, and scattered hail bruising on the west slope that is below replacement level but worth documenting. The written report includes dated photos of every slope, a remaining-life estimate, a fixed-price repair quote for the boots and nails, and a plain assessment that the roof is not ready for a 25-year solar install without planning for a replacement first.
Outcome
The repairs are completed in a single visit with before-and-after photos. The couple files the baseline report with their closing documents and shares the roof age with their insurance agent. They postpone the solar decision until a replacement is on the calendar. When hail crosses Olathe the following spring, they have dated photos of every slope from before the storm, and the inspection that follows compares directly against them.
Common questions
What new homebuyers usually ask us first
Should I get a roof inspection if the home inspector already looked at it?
Yes. A general home inspection covers the whole house in a few hours, and the roof usually gets a look from the ground or the ladder edge. A roof-specific inspection gets on the roof, checks every slope and penetration, and gives you a remaining-life estimate and a photographed baseline. It is free. See the <a href="/services/roof-inspections">roof inspections page</a> or <a href="/contact">book one</a>.
Can you inspect before my contingency expires?
Usually. Tell us the deadline when you reach out and we will prioritize it. The report goes out the same day as the inspection, and we can quote repairs for a repair addendum. Your agent may also want to see our <a href="/who-we-serve/realtors-home-sellers">realtors and home sellers page</a> for how we work on transaction timelines.
What if the roof has hail damage from before I bought the house?
We document it with photos and the likely storm date. What happens next depends on your policy, the seller's policy, and timing, and that is a conversation for your insurance agent, not something we can promise an answer on. What we can do is make sure the damage is on record now so it is not confused with a future storm. Our <a href="/who-we-serve/after-the-storm">after-the-storm page</a> explains how claims and filing windows generally work.
Is my roof ready for solar?
We will tell you honestly. Panels last around 25 years, and installing them on a roof with six years left means paying to remove and reinstall them later. We assess age, condition, decking, and ventilation, and explain how a panel install interacts with the roof warranty. We do not sell panels. See our <a href="/services/residential-solar">residential solar guidance page</a>.
What small repairs do new owners usually need?
Cracked pipe boots, exposed ridge nails, loose step flashing, and downspouts dumping at the foundation are the most common. These are typically $350 to $1,500 fixed-price <a href="/services/roof-repair">repairs</a>, done in a visit, and they prevent the slow leaks that ruin drywall over a winter. <a href="/services/gutters">Gutter corrections</a> are often part of the same visit.
Which areas do you cover?
The whole metro and about 60 miles out, including <a href="/service-areas/olathe">Olathe</a>, <a href="/service-areas/lees-summit">Lee's Summit</a>, <a href="/service-areas/shawnee">Shawnee</a>, <a href="/service-areas/kearney">Kearney</a>, <a href="/service-areas/raymore">Raymore</a>, <a href="/service-areas/smithville">Smithville</a>, <a href="/service-areas/platte-city">Platte City</a>, and <a href="/service-areas/grain-valley">Grain Valley</a>. See the <a href="/faq">general FAQ</a> for the full list.
What every engagement with us includes
The standards we hold to regardless of project size
Whether you're engaging us for a single leak repair or a multi-building re-roof across a portfolio of properties, the baseline operating standards are the same. These are the details that decide whether a roofer is worth calling back after the next storm.
Licensed and insured
Licensed and insured on both sides of the state line, with general liability and workers compensation coverage. Certificates of insurance are provided before any crew is on the roof. This level of coverage is standard on every engagement — not an upsell.
Named point of contact, not a dispatch line
Every account has a named project lead who stays with you across the relationship. You are not routed through a call center, and you are not re-explaining your roof to a different person every time you reach out. Institutional memory accumulates in the property file, not in any one employee's head.
Written scope with explicit inclusions and exclusions
Our proposals list what's in scope, what's out of scope, what triggers a change order (rotten decking, extra layers, code upgrades), and what doesn't. Ambiguity in a roofing contract is where margin disappears and trust erodes. Clarity up front is how we keep the relationship clean over years.
Crews across the Kansas City metro
We run crews across Kansas City, the Northland, Eastern Jackson County, Johnson County, and out to Lawrence and Leavenworth. Being local means storm response is fast and follow-up visits don't get lost — our trucks are already nearby.
Photo-documented everything
We photograph the roof before work begins, the decking once the old shingles are off, and the finished result. For storm claims, that documentation is exactly what your adjuster needs to see. It protects both sides and gives you a clean record if the property changes hands or you need to justify spend to ownership.
Warranty that stays warrantable
Manufacturer and workmanship warranties are meaningful because we're still going to be around to honor them. Family-owned and Kansas City-based, we don't chase storms out of state and disappear. Warranty claims get responded to the same week they're flagged, and legitimate issues get fixed without argument.
Credentials
What we bring to the table
- Licensed and insured in Missouri and Kansas
- Family-owned, Black-owned, and Latino-owned — based in Kansas City, MO
- General liability and workers compensation coverage
- Certificates of insurance available on request
- 5.0 stars on Google across 16 reviews
- GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, and Malarkey systems — including Class 4 impact-resistant shingles
Where we work
Service area
We serve residential, commercial, HOA, and multifamily accounts across the Kansas City metro, with active coverage in Kansas City, North Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Raytown, Liberty, Gladstone, Parkville, Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, Prairie Village, Kansas City KS, and out to Lawrence and Leavenworth.
If your property is outside these routes but within roughly 60 miles of the metro, reach out anyway — we flex coverage for the right project. For properties farther afield, we're happy to point you to a contractor we trust.
Next step
Ready to talk specifics?
If you just bought a house in Kansas City, or you are about to, get a real look at the roof before the first storm does it for you. A free inspection gives you a written baseline with dated photos, a remaining-life estimate, fixed-price quotes for anything small, and an honest plan for anything big. You will know what you own, your insurer will have a record, and the solar salesperson will get a fact-based answer. Call or text (913) 390-3380, or book online. It is the easiest item on the new-house list to check off.
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Read moreJohnson County Homeowners
Overland Park, Olathe, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Prairie Village: Class 4 shingles, HOA approval handled, and a roof that holds its value at resale.
Read moreFree Inspection · No Obligation
Not sure if it's a repair, a replacement, or a claim?
Free inspection, photos of what we found, and a straight answer. If it's a $300 fix, we'll say so. If it's a claim, we'll explain what your policy actually pays before you file.
- Free inspection with photos, no obligation
- Repair first: if it's a $300 fix, we'll say so
- On an approved claim your cost is usually your deductible
Who's this inspection for?
Takes about 60 seconds. Free inspection, no obligation.