Solar in Des Moines has open sky and hail in the same breath. Module glass marks in the same swath that bruises shingles and dents gutters. If the roof is already shiny with lost granules, it is not a platform yet. The deck and the rafters come first. An array adds uplift on the west wind that delivers the storms. Fasteners have to reach structure. Do not cover a bruised slope and call the storm finished.
Say which way the ridge runs and what shades the south: a tree, a neighbor's ridge, a chimney. One slope is often the only honest slope. Look from the yard at midday and late. A hip and a simple ranch gable are different mounts. Low pitch holds snow. West exposure is where hail cores tend to speak. Penetrations have to survive the next rain that finds a bruise, not a clear afternoon.
Ask how the array is tied against wind, and ask what happens to marked glass. Those are different facts. Critters will use the gap under modules if the soffit is already open from a storm. Say if you hear them. If the roof needs replacement, do that in an order that installs once. Soft metal dents on the existing vents are a clue the storm was serious. Mention them. A garage roof and a house roof may not share the same fate in one swath.
Output drops under snow and under storm cloud, and the bright weeks are still the reason people look at the roof. An inverter needs air. Say if the electrical panel is old or full. Say whether snow will be cleared or left. Do not describe a shaded north face as the open south. A tired west slope is the one to talk about, because that is the face Des Moines hail uses.
Lead with the roof, the shade, and whether hail has already marked the slopes or the gutters. Name the ridge direction if you know it. Call the number on this page.