Solar in Richmond starts between the coast and the foothills, on roofs that are often brick-shaded, tree-covered, or cut up by dormers and chimneys. A tall house in the Fan may have a promising slope and a canopy that deletes the afternoon. A lower house south of the James may have more sky and a tired covering. The deck has to be sound. Say the shape of the roof and whether you are on a hill, a tight block, or a later detached lot.
Shade is the street trees and the neighboring brick, not a mountain ridge and not an empty coastal horizon. North slopes toward a shaded alley are weak. South slopes still lose hours to oaks. Describe chimneys, bays, and valleys. Leaves sit on these roofs for a long season. An aerial view will not show a soft spot under a limb. Humidity here is heavy, so a roof that already holds damp is a poor host for new holes.
Do not cover a leaking slate roof or a shingle roof that stains the ceiling. Attachments have to take humid storms and the occasional ice. If you do not know the age, describe the surface. Slate on the older blocks is not a surface to treat like a simple shingle. Low porch roofs are usually the wrong plane. Say whether the attic is dry. That fact outranks a sunny photograph.
Electrical cabinets in these houses are often old and in the basement. A path from the roof through a finished stair is real work. Interconnection has to be accepted before the system runs. If the service already struggles, say so as a condition of the house. Stay on shade, structure, and that path. The fall line does not add extra hours of sun by itself.
Bring the roof direction and the trees or the next house that shade it. Solar in Richmond is a site question in a humid city between the coast and the foothills, with brick, slate, and a canopy. Call the number on this page.