LibreSlate, tile, copper, standing seam. Specialty roofing deserves a record as careful as the work.
Architects, custom home builders, and owners paying for a roof that lasts a lifetime expect the documentation to come with it. LibreCam puts every detail on the record before it is covered, shot by every hand on the crew.
A specialty roof, documented from mockup to closeout
The record follows the roof from existing conditions to the care sheet the owner keeps.
Mockups and existing conditions
- Existing roof, gutters, and copper work before removal, for the architect's record
- Approved mockups: slate coursing, tile pattern, seam spacing, finish samples
- Deck, rafters, and sheathing as exposed, with defects located
- Interior finishes and grounds below the work before staging goes up
- Salvage set aside for reuse: reclaimed slate, tile, or copper
Install details
- Underlayment and ice-and-water, course by course, before the roofing covers it
- Every flashing before it is concealed: step, counter, apron, cricket, valley
- Copper and standing seam: seams, cleats, expansion joints, soldered joints
- Slate and tile: headlap, fastening, hips and ridges, snow guards
- Dormers, chimneys, skylights, and every penetration as finished
- End of each day: what is dried in and what is still exposed
Homeowner closeout and care record
- Finished roof from every elevation and from the ground
- Before-and-after pairs for the owner and the architect
- Closeout report with the concealed details the owner will never see again
- Care and maintenance record: what to inspect, what to leave alone, who installed it
The craft has to be visible in the record
A slate roof hides its best work. The headlap, the copper valley, the ice-and-water under the eave, the soldered seam on the chimney cricket: all of it is covered within the day, and from the ground a good roof and a mediocre one look the same for decades. The architect who specified it, the builder who is responsible for it, and the owner who paid for it want to see the detail before it disappears, and they want to find it again when a question comes up. LibreCam gives every installer the camera, stamps each photo with time and location, and files it under the property. Start from a roof inspection photo checklist, bend it to your details, and read what belongs in the homeowner closeout.
Same roof. Two records.
The lead's phone, when he remembered
One seat, so the lead has the camera. He is also laying the slate. He shoots the tear-off, gets pulled onto the ridge, and the valley flashing is under copper before anyone thinks of it. The architect asks for the detail photos at closeout and gets a handful of wide shots from the driveway.
Every installer, every detail
The apprentice cutting slate shoots the headlap. The tinner shoots his own seams. The checklist for that roof lists every detail that has to be photographed before it is covered, and it shows what is still unshot while the roof is still open. The architect gets a browser link to a gallery organized by area, and the office keeps the same record for as long as the roof stands.
Built for steep-slope crews whose customers expect a record
Before-and-after pairs the owner keeps
Pair the existing roof with the finished one, elevation by elevation. Before-and-after pairs go into the closeout and onto your portfolio.
A gallery for the architect, no app on their end
Send a browser link to the job gallery, or invite the architect and the builder as viewers so they see the details as they sync.
A checklist per detail
Each flashing, valley, and seam is a checklist item that requires a photo before it can be checked off. The list shows what is still unshot before the detail is covered.
A closeout report drafted from the photos
The closeout report assembles from the job's photos and checklist items, organized by area with captions in place. It becomes the owner's care and maintenance record.
Find the detail years later
When the owner calls about a chimney or a new architect wants to match the copper, search the address and the concealed detail is there with its date and location.
New hires document like your best lead
A first-week installer follows the same guided steps as your senior slater. The standard is in the camera, so it survives turnover. See how to train roofing crews to take photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Send them a browser link to the job gallery, or invite them as viewers so they can follow the details as they sync. Nothing to install on their end.
No. It records what the crew did, with time and location on every photo. The standard is yours; the checklist walks the crew through it and shows what has not been shot yet. Judging the work is still your job.
Photograph it before it is covered, with a wide shot to place it and a close-up to show it. Each photo is stamped with GPS and time, so the sequence stands on its own when someone asks years later.
The finished roof from every elevation, the concealed details, the materials used, and what the owner should have inspected and when. The closeout report is drafted from the job's photos and checklist, and you can export it to your own storage for the owner's binder.
Yes. Photos, voice captions, and checklists all work offline and sync when the phone is back in range. A mountain lot or a metal roof does not stop the record.
Nothing. LibreCam is free with unlimited users. Every slater, tinner, and apprentice has the camera, and adding people never shows up on a software bill.