​Full Roof Replacement & What to Expect:
A roof replacement will benefit you in the long-term, protecting your home for years to come and raising your home’s value. When you choose JD’s Roofing and Repair, LLC, we will do almost all of the work, from prepping your old roof for removal to cleaning up after the job is done. However, there are a few things you can do to make your roof replacement go even more smoothly. Minor things like cutting the grass, taking down your mirrors inside your home, removing other fragile items on walls or shelves will help.
JD’s Roofing and Repair, LLC will walk you through preparing for a roof replacement in four steps: preparing your yard, preparing your home, preparing your children or pets and what to do after your roof replacement is finished.
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1. How to Prepare Your Yard for a Roof Replacement
Our roofers will be walking in your yard while they work. Plus, old shingles, nails, and other debris will fall off the roof as our roofing team removes your old roof. We may park a dumpster in your driveway or the best access location, and work from the opposite corner of the roof towards the dumpster. That way, they get as much of it as possible in the dumpster. If a dumpster is not used we will use our work trucks and trailers to remove the debris from your property.
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We typically lay down tarps to help collect debris when accessible. Plus, we will use magnets or other equipment to find nails, but the only way to find shingle scraps is by visual inspection. So, you need to prepare your yard to deal with falling debris. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
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Clear your vehicles from the driveway and garage: The night before our roofing team arrives, park your cars a safe distance away on the street. If you wait until the morning, your car might get trapped as a supplier tries to drop off shingles or other materials.*(If materials are delivered prior to project start date we will advise you of what day and time the materials will arrive) Plus, our roofers will need to use your driveway all day. They may park their garbage bin in the driveway and bring their equipment nearby so they can place it on the roof when they need it. You might be tempted to put your vehicle in the garage if you won’t be using it and aren’t worried about it getting trapped there for the replacement. However, this is a bad idea. Garage roofs are usually NOT insulated, so shingle granules and nails will drop through the roof as our roofer’s work. The granules will then gather on your car and will scratch the paint as you wipe them away. The safest place for your vehicle is the street.
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Clear toys and patio furniture: Our roofing professionals will need to walk all of the way around your home to access the roof from different sides. You don’t want them tripping on children’s toys or wasting time asking you to move your furniture. Ensure there is a 15-foot clearance all of the way around your house. Falling shingles and debris might damage your outdoor toys and furniture. It’s best to put what you can move into storage in the shed or garage, and cover it with a tarp. If you have a gazebo that you can’t move, take down or tie up its curtains.
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Clear the garden: Take a peek into the garden and move what you can. This might include solar-powered lights, statues, mosaic stepping stones, potted plants, water fountains, wind chimes, bird houses, and bird feeders. A dropped shingle could damage any or all of these delicate items. Note: This of course is if the garden/flower bed area is within the 15FT perimeter around the home we will need for a work area.
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Mark or protect plants: Certain plants can be very delicate or very expensive to replace. Plants are vulnerable to dropped shingles. Mark out any especially valuable or fragile trees or plants with orange tape or any type of thin string will work as well. Place netting or a tarp over flower beds and other plants. If you show the roofers’ manager which plants need extra care, he or she will ensure the other roofers give them extra attention.
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Mark sprinklers: If you have a sprinkler system that you can’t remove, then you should mark each sprinkler head so that our roofers will not trip over it. You should mark essentially anything embedded in the ground that our roofers could trip over.
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Mark ponds: Homeowners with green thumbs often have hidden water features, such as small natural pools tucked behind reeds or koi ponds covered in foliage. Notify your roofing professionals of your pond and mark it, so that no one accidentally steps into it.
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Unlock your gates: Our roofing professionals will need to get all of the way around the house in order to do their job properly, so you’ll need to unlock the gates for them if there is any. And if there is a gate code you will need to provide us with that code to access your home for deliveries or on the project start date.
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Cut your grass: It’s much easier to find leftover debris and nails in short grass. Cutting your grass will help our roofers find any hidden nails and can save you the misfortune of stepping on one, a flat tire, etc. Please note that it is impossible to collect and find every nail that hits the ground from the roof replacement, some maybe come lodged in the dirt or stuck under leaves. So do expect to find some nails in your yard after a roof installation. It is almost impossible to get every single nail but we make every effort to ensure we go over your home with magnets multiple times to get as many nails as possible. Along with using any other equipment necessary to ensure the cleanest work area at the end of the project.
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Check your electrical outlet: Your roofing professionals might need to use powered equipment on your roof, so they’ll need access to an outdoor electrical outlet. If you have one, make sure it works. If you don’t, plan on discussing access to an outlet that our roofing professionals can use.
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Talk to your neighbors: While you’re outside preparing, take the time to talk to your neighbors, especially your direct neighbors, about your roof replacement. If you warn them ahead of time about the noise, disturbance and the possibility of a shingle or nail flying into their yard, they will be a lot more co-operative the day of your roof replacement. Also, ask them if they would unlock their gates for the roofing team. If they do, then our roofer can grab any stray shingles they spot in the neighbor’s yard. Further, if their property is very close, they may also want to cover their plants. If you happen to share a driveway, your neighbor will need to park their car on the street as well.
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2. How to Prepare Your Home for a Roof Replacement
Our roofers won’t be inside your home, so why do you need to prepare your home for their arrival? Well, installing a brand new roof actually vibrates the whole house/building. Replacing roof shingles involves a whole lot of nailing, directly into the structure of your home. There’s no long-term damage, but for the short-term, things can get messy. Here’s what you need to do:
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Clear the attic: We often put sentimental and fragile items in the attic, but that makes them very vulnerable during a roof replacement. Store them on the ground floor for now.
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Protect the attic: The attic is going to collect the most dust during your roofing replacement. It is wise to lay tarps or painter’s drop sheets on the floor to make clean-up easier.
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Protect the garage: If your garage is built-in to the house and roofers will be replacing its roof too, everything in it needs extra protection. Often garages don’t have insulation, which normally would stop dust and shingle granules from dropping through the roof. Those granules have the potential to scratch paint. So, you should cover any precious items you have in the garage with a tarp. This might include car or motorcycle parts, collectibles, tools, etc.
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Remove wall décor: The vibrations from hammering can knock decorations off walls, so you should take them down ahead of time. This might include mirrors, pictures, wreaths, loose shelving, etc. Be extra thorough on the top floor because it will move more.
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Protect fragile items: These same vibrations can potentially hurt your especially fragile items, such as china plates. Make sure glass, vases, dishes, and other breakables aren’t touching each other or the wall.
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A roofer will remove your roof accessories: Anything that you have on the roof, including satellite/TV dishes, and vent stacks they will be removed from the roof and reinstalled. Expect television interruptions. This may require your TV service provider for a realignment of your dish. You can call and make an appointment for them to come at the time of reinstallation of the satellite.
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3. How to Prepare Your Pets and Children for a Roof Replacement
Replacing roof shingles is a long, loud job. Typically, new roof installation is a two-day process, but it depends on the size of your roof. Some jobs can be completed in a day while others may take three. Whether your roof replacement will take one day or three, it will be very disruptive to your children and pets. Here’s how to prepare:
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Keep pets indoors (at least): Hammering and strangers disturb dogs, cats, even hamsters. It’s better to have your pet at a friend’s house or a kennel service while you have a roof replacement. If that’s not an option, at least keep your pets indoors. Otherwise, they may step on a stray nail.
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Prepare to comfort pets: If your pets have to be indoors, do what you can to make them more comfortable. Take them for a walk beforehand and make sure they have access to their crate and comforting toys.
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Have the children stay at Grandma’s: Infants won’t be able to sleep, young children will get frustrated, and older children will be distracted. It might be best if you can arrange for your children to be at a family member’s or friend’s house.
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If you’re leaving with them, be sure to leave your phone number with our roofers so that they can contact you if they need to. Our phone number: 828-301-7912
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Tell children about the debris: If they are old enough to understand, tell your children that they’ll have to be careful around the house because there might be debris. Ensure they’re always wearing shoes for the first four weeks at least. This is not to say that there still could be some nails missed. Your discretion should be used when it comes to the children playing with no shoes on their feet in the yard shortly after a roof replacement.
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4. After the Roof Replacement is Completed
After we complete your roof replacement, our roofing professionals will clean-up after themselves. Once we’ve done so, there are a few more things you should do:
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Inspect the roof: Our roofing team should show you the new roof, to ensure you’re happy with their workmanship. After they’re gone, you should feel comfortable calling us up about anything unusual you find minutes later, or even during the warranty dates or even after such dates have expired. Sometimes, additional work is needed to complete a roof renovation. It’s possible that changing weather conditions knocked a shingle loose before it could seal, or someone forgot to place that last ridge cap shingle. Honest mistakes happen, and us as professional roofers will be eager to fix them and will do so to your 100% satisfaction.
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Lastly: Pay the invoice sent: Please don’t forget to look for your invoice sent usually via email. All payments are due upon completion of the job. We will send an invoice in all cases but all are due upon receipt. You’ll gain more than a roof replacement; you’ll gain a relationship with a roofer you can trust. You’ll find that this relationship will be valuable for as long as you own a home. JD’s Roofing and Repair, LLC is an honest, reliable, fair and knowledgeable roofer you can trust.