A roof replacement is a large endeavor for your house and your family to go through. While the Minneapolis roofing company you hire will be incharge of taking care of your roof, there are some preparations you can do to make the experience easier for your family. Making these preparations ahead of time will make the day of the install run much smoother and stress free.
Outdoor Preparations for a roof replacement
Inform your neighbors
Having a roof replaced is very loud, and can be disruptive to your neighbors. Give your neighbors a couple days notice to make sure they can arrange for noise and trucks in the neighborhood.
Clear your driveway and yard
Make sure no cars are in your driveway, put them in the garage, park on the street or take them with you for the day. Trucks and materials will likely be placed on your driveway during the process.. Move any outdoor furniture or toys away from the house. There needs to be space for the roofers to place ladders and materials near the house. Yard tools should be put away (including garden hoses) and decorations that might interfere with the roof installation should be removed and put away. Also be sure to have your garage closed the day of the roof installation. Remember to also move any grills or fire pits that could get in the way of roofers accessing your roof.
Additional parking for trucks
If your neighbors use street parking often, letting them know there could be work trucks on the street could be helpful information.
Tree trimming and mowing the lawn
Keeping trees trimmed around your home is part of regular home maintenance, having it done before a roof replacement is a good idea. It could also protect your new roof investment in the next storm. You also don’t want any tree branches interfering with the roofers getting access to your roof.
Mow the lawn before your roof replacement to ensure that the roofing contractors can clean everything up easily once the job is done. With longer grass it can sometimes be more difficult to get every nail or scrap.
Take photos of your property and house
It is always a good idea to have recent photos of your property for insurance purposes. Taking pictures before a roof replacement is a great way to ensure your house and yard look the same when the project is done.
Look for outdoor electrical outlets
Make a note of where all your outdoor electrical outlets are, though most roofers are pretty good at finding these, making sure they are accessible and functioning is important.
Turn off sprinklers
Make sure your sprinkler systems are turned off during the installation. It is also a good idea to skip any watering you typically to the day of.
Prepare the inside of your house for a roof replacement
Remove sentimental or fragile items from your attic
While there typically isn’t any internal damage done during a roof replacement, it is still best to keep irreplaceable items safe until your new roof is up. You should also place a tarp or drop cloth over anything you choose to keep in the attic during the roof replacement, dust and debris could get inside your attic.
Remove pictures and art from the walls of your top floor
The process of replacing a roof can cause a lot of vibrations to your home. If any photos or art are not well secured they could fall during the roof installation process.
Remove any fragile lighting fixtures on your top floor
The vibrations and banging from the install might rattle any hanging light fixtures in your home. It is a good idea to temporarily remove them and replace them after the new roof is installed.
Turn off any security alarms
You don’t want the roof replacement to trigger any home security alarms you have during the process, especially if you are not at the house during the replacement process to turn them off. While the roofers do not go into your home at all during the process, the vibrations of installing a new roof can set off security systems. You can absolutely leave any security cameras on, just turn off any part of the security system that would make a lot of noise or send the police to your home.
Make arrangements for the day of the roof replacement
The process of a roof replacement does go by pretty quickly, most jobs are done within a day or maximum two, but if you are stuck in the house during the installation day it could feel like forever. The noise can be very stressful for you and your family, instead of feeling like a prisoner in your home we recommend the following:
Arrange pet day care for your animals
Roof replacements can have 12 + hours of continuous hammering/banging, this can be very stressful for dogs. We recommend having any dogs put into a doggy day care for the day (we also have a few doggie day care partners and pay for this service for homeowners). If you are worried about your cats, ask your veterinarian for advice, they may be able to prescribe something to help your cats stay relaxed during the installation.
Get family out of the house
Roof replacements can be stressful for children as well, we suggest making it a family outing day. If it is a nice day, packing a picnic and some toys to spend the day in a park is a good idea. If your children are doing remote learning it might be a good idea to contact your local library to see what options they have for students. If you are working from home as well, it might be a good idea to find a coworking space in your area.
Schedule any services you need for after the new roof goes up
If you have a satellite dish or solar panels, the roofing company you hire will remove the items and re-attach them to your new roof, but they will not be able to reconnect them for your service provider. Schedule for the satellite dish or eclectic company to come out the day after the installation to reconnect your service. It can take a little while to get a service person to come out, so make sure you try to schedule this early on, as soon as you know the date for your roof replacement.
A new roof is a major home construction project, but it ultimately doesn’t have to be a major headache. These preparations should make the process of having a new roof installed painless.
We will do our best to keep your home clean and with no excess debris by the end of each day we are on site
Please keep in mind that nails can be found days, or weeks after the roof is completed. If that happens, please reach out to us. We are more than happy to go out and clean up whatever is there. We do our best with our magnets to pick up all nails and debris each day, but we do occasionally miss hard to see places in long grass and bushes.
