How To Create, Edit, And Send An Inspection Report
An inspection report is how you show a homeowner what you found and why it matters. Photos, marked-up damage, severity levels, and clear recommendations — delivered as a professional digital report they can review on their phone.
Done well, this is a selling tool, not paperwork.
When would I use an inspection report?
- Documenting roof or exterior condition after climbing a property
- Showing a homeowner damage they can't see from the ground
- Building the case for a repair or replacement before you quote it
- Giving a homeowner something to review with a spouse before deciding
Where do I find inspection reports in Exterio?
Open the project and go to the Inspections tab. This is also where all inspection reports for the project are listed, so you can find and reopen past reports here.
The tab's position depends on your project page settings, so it may sit differently than in the video.
How do I start a new inspection report?
Click New Inspection Report — either from the middle of the Inspections tab or the button in the top right.
You'll be given two ways to build the report.
What's the difference between manual and Capture with AI?
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Manually | You create each finding, attach photos, and write descriptions and recommendations | Any device; full control |
| Capture with AI | You dictate what you're seeing and take photos as you go. Findings, recommendations, and summaries are generated from what you captured | On the roof, using your phone |
Capture with AI on desktop is limited. You'll need a microphone, and you can't take photos at the same time. It'll speed up your findings, but you'll attach photos afterward.
The rest of this article covers the manual method.
How do I create an inspection report manually?
- Select Manually and click Continue.
- Give the inspection report a title.
- Confirm or adjust which team member is creating the report and the Prepared By field — their information pre-fills from their user settings.
- Click Add First Finding.
What goes into a finding?
Each finding is one issue on the structure.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Title | Required — what the issue is |
| Location | Optional — where on the structure |
| Severity | Optional — Critical, Minor, Moderate, or Good |
| Photos | Pull from the project photo library or upload from your device |
| Issue description | What you found |
| Recommendation | What you advise |
When you're finished, click Add Finding to save it to the report.
How do I mark up a photo inside a finding?
- Click the photo.
- Click Edit and Markup.
- Choose your edit action and draw on the photo to highlight the issue.
- Save.
The photo is saved and flagged as a marked photo immediately. See How to Edit a Photo — Markup and Cropping for the full set of markup tools.
How does Generate with AI work on findings?
Once you've entered the finding name and attached photos, click Generate with AI to draft the description and the recommendation.
The more specific your finding name and photos, the better the draft. Treat it as a head start — read it, and tweak anything that isn't right before saving.
How do I add more findings?
Click to add a new finding and repeat: title, severity, photos from your project library, description, and recommendation.
Findings you've already added stay visible on the report. To change one, click the pencil icon on that finding.
How do I generate the inspection summary?
Once all your findings are added, click Generate with AI for the inspection summary and the overall recommendations, both built from the findings you included.
How do I send an inspection report to a homeowner?
Click Complete and Share Report. You'll get a dialog with three ways to deliver it:
- Email — using your pre-templated inspection report email, which you can adjust before sending
- Text message — same report, sent as a link
- Share the link directly — useful when you're standing on site and want the homeowner looking at it now
What does the homeowner see?
A professional digital report showing your summary, the number of issues found, your overall recommendation, and detailed findings with photos and markups — ready for them to review and discuss next steps with you.
Where do completed inspection reports live?
Every inspection report for a project is listed on that project's Inspections tab. Go there to find a past report, reopen it, or reference it later.
Tips and gotchas
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Use Capture with AI on the roof, not at the desk. The feature is built for the phone, where you dictate and shoot photos in one pass. That's the workflow that saves an hour. Using it on desktop gives you half the benefit and a second round of photo attaching.
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Always read what AI generated before you send. These descriptions go to a homeowner with your company's name on them. The drafts are usually close, and "usually close" is not the same as correct. A wrong severity or an invented detail costs you credibility in the exact moment you're asking someone to trust your judgment.
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Severity is your selling structure. A report where everything is Critical reads as a sales pitch. A report that marks some items Good and others Critical reads as an honest assessment — and the Critical items land harder because of it.
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Mark up the photos. An unmarked photo of a roof means nothing to a homeowner who's never been on one. Circle the damage, label it, and the report starts doing the explaining for you.
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Share the link on site. The strongest moment to show a homeowner their roof is while you're still standing in their driveway. The direct link option exists for that.
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Write findings for the homeowner, not for your crew. Skip trade shorthand. The person reading this is deciding whether to spend money based on whether they understand what you found.