Roof Replacement Preparation

The date is set. The roofers will be here next week. In the days leading up to your roof installation it is best to prepare your home. Here are a few things you should do to get ready to have your new roof installed.

Prepare your home before your roofer arrives

Installing a roof is noisy, dusty and jarring work. Prepare for the noise by planning for pets and children. The noise from hammers, nail guns and workers on the roof can make pets, especially dogs, quite anxious. If you have young children in your home, naps and outside playtime will be interrupted. Consider an activity out of your home for the day, and something like a doggie play date, or a day at the dog spa for your pooch. Neither children nor animals will be able to be outside during the re-roofing of your home. If you are going to keep children inside, talk to them about the noise and caution them to be careful around workers. If you work from home, consider taking the day off or working from another location as calls will likely be disrupted by the clatter and loud noises.

Move outdoor furniture, protect your flowers and potted plants

The night before, move outdoor furniture, toys and potted plants into an outside shed if available or a safe distance from the house. Consider covering them with drop cloths to protect from dust, roof fragments and nails falling from the roof. Plants, trees and grass nearest your home are the most vulnerable during the removal of your old shingles. In the days prior to your roof replacement, trim back any branches that are near your roof as limbs near the roof are a danger to workers navigating your roof. Cut your grass a day or two before. Debris from the roof is easier to see with a newly cut yard. Place flags or orange caution tape around any hidden water features and fragile plants.

Turn off your sprinklers and clear your driveway

Turn off your sprinklers and mark the sprinkler heads nearest the house. Wet grass can create an unsafe work environment. Move your cars out of the garage driveway. The driveway should be clear for the roofer’s equipment and dumpsters used in debris removal. If your driveway is clear and you have tapped of or identified area to avoid, your roofer will respect your attention to detail and

Move high hanging fragile items to a safe location

The pounding from hammers and the impact from the nail guns will cause vibrations throughout the house. Wall-hung pictures should be taken down, and delicate mementos and knickknacks should be removed to a safe location in your home that will not shake. Cover items in the attic as dust and fine particles will fall from the roof during this process. Remove any fragile items to a safe location in lower portions of your home.

Give your neighbors a heads up!

Be sure to let you neighbors know about the work. If there is a possibility of wind carrying shingles into their yard, ask your neighbor to leave their gate unlock so the roofers are able to access their property to retrieve any stray materials.

Roof Replacement Day

Be prepared for an early start. As the job supervisor arrives, plan to spend some time and review the job specifics, ask questions, walk the property and discuss weather contingencies. Review a safe place to enter and exit your home, especially if someone will be home during the day. Point out sensitive plants and any yard features that could pose a danger to the crew. Cover plants nearest your home. You might want to cover the outside portion of your HVAC system to keep dust from coming in your home but make sure you turn off the system if you do this. If you have a swimming pool, ensure the sweeper is turned off. Unlock fence gates to the back yard for easy access.

If you stay home during the day, be sure to only enter and exit your home in the agreed upon area. If you are outside, wear shoes with thick soles as nails do end up on the ground. Under no circumstances go outside in bare feet.

After the job

Once the roofer is finished, they will walk the property and clean up the debris they see. Then they will pull out a big magnet and cover the grounds again to pick up any nails. Walk the grounds and the roof with the supervisor. If you have children be sure that all the nails have been removed. Confirm that any special-order items or requests are completed. If everything is completed to your satisfaction, remember to pay the contractor and leave a favorable online review if all went well.