The roofing contractor's daily record — and why it matters more than on most trades
A roof is the only part of the building that gets tested by every storm from the day it goes on. When a leak shows up six months after turnover, the first question is always what happened on the day that area was installed: what the weather was, whether the deck was dry, whether the roof was dried in that night, and who approved the details. A good roofing daily report answers those questions in writing. This workbook puts the daily report and the four inspection records a commercial roofer is asked for into one file.
Tab 1 — Roofing daily report
The daily report is built for low-slope and steep-slope work alike:
- Weather vs. limits. Enter AM and PM temperatures, sustained wind and gusts. Enter your manufacturer's minimum application temperature (from the adhesive or primer data sheet) and your company's wind limit for handling sheet goods once. The Weather check flags a cold or windy day automatically.
- Crew. Name, classification, area and straight-time / overtime hours with totals — the labor side of your production numbers.
- Production in squares. One row per area and layer (insulation, cover board, membrane, flashing). Scope, previous to date and today's squares give you to-date and % complete. Tracking layers separately shows when insulation is running ahead of membrane — fine only if it is dried in by the end of the day.
- Tear-off and existing conditions. Layers removed, squares torn off, wet insulation found and deck replaced. That is change-order backup; photograph it before it goes in the dumpster.
- Materials. Quantities used and received with lot numbers — manufacturers ask for lot numbers when a product fails.
- End of day. Dried in Yes/No, night seals, deck condition, manufacturer rep visit and findings, photos, fall protection method, delays and visitors. Answer "No" to dry-in and the report tells you what to document.
Tab 2 — Pre-roof deck inspection
Thirty checks in eight groups: deck type and condition, fastening and attachment, flatness and slope, moisture, penetrations, curbs and equipment supports, drains/scuppers/overflows, and wood blocking and nailers. Each item has a "look for" reference (structural deck schedule, manufacturer detail, IBC Chapter 15 — verify the edition adopted by your AHJ). Any Fail keeps the status at NOT ACCEPTED. The most common catches: curbs that end up too short once tapered insulation goes down, drains set high, blocking that doesn't match the insulation height, and penetrations too close together to flash.
Tab 3 — Moisture survey
For recover and re-roof work, or wet concrete and lightweight decks, log a reading at every grid point. Set the wet threshold from your own core cuts — read a known-dry and a known-wet spot, cut cores to confirm, and use the reading that separates them. The sheet flags WET points, counts cores and estimates wet area as wet points × grid spacing². Outline wet areas on the roof plan and measure them before pricing the removal.
Tab 4 — Warranty inspection and punch list
Before the manufacturer's inspector arrives, run the self-check: every seam probed, flashing heights, penetrations with approved accessories, edge metal per the tested detail, drains tight, walkway pads, roof clean and paperwork ready. Then log every item the inspector writes up with a due date. Status shows Open, OVERDUE (past due, using TODAY()), or Closed / Closed — late, and the warranty status turns READY only when every item is closed and verified by the manufacturer.
Tab 5 — Window and air barrier field test record
Envelope testing often lands on the roofer or the envelope sub. The test record doesn't assume any values. Enter the test standard your specification names (for example ASTM E1105 for field water penetration or ASTM E783 for field air leakage), the specified test pressures and the allowable air leakage. Each test row calculates leakage in cfm/ft² from measured cfm and specimen area and returns PASS or FAIL; water tests run below the specified pressure are flagged CHECK. Failed tests are counted until a retest row references them.
Roofing daily report best practices
- Fill it out on the roof, not at the truck. Squares and tear-off quantities are only accurate the same day.
- Only tear off what you can dry in. Record dry-in status every day — it is the first thing asked after an overnight leak.
- Document the deck before you cover it. Once insulation is down, deck problems become the roofer's problem.
- Log manufacturer rep comments during the job. They predict the final warranty punch list.
- Keep fall protection on the record. For low-slope roofs, OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(10) allows guardrail, safety net, personal fall arrest, or a warning line combined with one of those or a safety monitor; a safety monitor alone only on roofs 50 ft wide or less.
Related tools
- Daily field report template — general-purpose daily log for any trade
- Punch list template — project-wide close-out punch
- Progress photo log — tie photos to areas and dates
- Weather delay log — back up time extensions for rain days
- OSHA fall protection requirements chart
- Browse all free construction templates
From spreadsheet to the roof
Field PM puts the daily report, photos, QC checklists and punch lists on the crew's phone, so the foreman fills in squares, dry-in status and deck notes on the roof — with photos attached — and the PM sees it the same afternoon. Try the daily reports app or QA/QC inspections with a free 30-day trial — no credit card required.
Code, standard and manufacturer references here are general. Verify against the edition adopted by your AHJ, your project specification and current manufacturer data. This template is a field record, not engineering advice.
