Always call in an expert to avoid critical injury and loss
Besides being an accomplished musician, I've been fortunate to grow up as the son of a very DIY, take no prisoners, self made accomplished home re modeler of a father. He taught me not only the value and importance of your customer base but also safety and security of person. I started working in home construction with him when I was 14 and pretty much off and on most of my adult life whenever he needed me. Only recently, did I decide to go full blown into the roofing industry although I've had experience in it since building my first house with my dad at age 15.
Often times when canvassing neighborhoods, (yes I still door knock occasionally) I have homeowners tell me they'll get on their roof and look at it themselves and I can't help but ask them what do they do for a living. They almost always tell me something so far removed from roofing or home re modeling and proceed to tell me they've got no experience whatsoever in the roofing industry but that they feel confident in their abilities to climb sometimes two and three stories up on a 6/12 or sometimes even a 10/12 roof (If you don't know what those are, this is definitely for you) and competently identify what is industry purchasable damage and what is not.
I absolutely adore the confidence in the American public, after all I served in the USAF for 8 years because of my own confidence but at some point that confidence can become dangerous arrogance. I've been climbing on tall roofs for years and there are still major safety precautions, as an expert in my field that even I have to slow down and pay particular attention to. It doesn't stop there, while on the roof I have to be aware of my surroundings and the limits of my terrain so I don't become a statistic in the industry all while properly inspecting what I can authentically argue with an insurance adjuster is recoverable damage so as to get YOU the homeowner every penny of your insurance benefits you deserve.
For your own safety and your own peace of mind, please allow the experienced climbers and inspectors to do the work you pay them to do. There is absolutely no shame at all in admitting we don't know all things. I personally would never tell a brain surgeon to hand me a scalpel and go get a panini and a coffee while I operate on myself.
Remember, we're here to help you out.