How To Prepare For Your Spring Roof Replacement

Sep 28

Weather is tough on houses, and climate change isn't making things easier. Reports state that nearly a third of US homes are at risk of damage from natural disasters. If your roof is reaching the end of its lifespan, replacing it this spring is a wise move.

However, replacing your roof is a big job, one that can be very disruptive to your property and family. Not only is it noisy, but you also need to protect your home and belongings from dust and debris. If you don't prepare properly for your roof replacement, you might end up with damaged items, unhappy neighbors, and more.

Fortunately, prepping for a new roof installation isn't too hard once you know what steps to take. Read on to find out what you need to do before residential roofing replacement commences on your property.

CLEAN UP YOUR YARD

One of the most important tasks you need to carry out before your residential roofing company arrives is to clean up your yard as much as possible.

Pack away outdoor furniture, gardening items, and any kids' toys.

If tree branches are encroaching on your roof, trim these away. Also, aim to give your lawn a good trim the day before the residential roofing contractors arrive.

Residential roofing contractors who have experience in single-family homes will lay out tarps to catch stray debris and nails. They'll also scour your lawn before they go (sometimes with a metal detector) to pick up any nails that escaped the tarps.

This process will be a lot easier if the lawn around your house is short. An overgrown lawn makes it much harder for residential roofing contractors to remove stray debris.

DEMARCATE SPRINKLERS AND VALUABLE PLANTS

While you are cleaning up your yard, you should also look out for sprinklers, garden lighting fixtures, and valuable plants that you want to protect.

To protect delicate plants, cover them with drop sheets or shade cloth. To highlight sprinklers and lights, demarcate them with danger tape.

Experienced residential roofing companies will take a lot of care not to damage your property. However, it can be hard to avoid sensitive outdoor features if a contractor doesn't know they are there. If you highlight fragile fixtures, this will help them to steer clear of these and make sure that falling debris doesn't hit a valuable plant, light fitting, or irrigation component.

REMOVE OR PROTECT ITEMS IN YOUR ATTIC

The next step in preparing for roofing replacement is to remove or protect any items you have stored in your attic. Residential roof repair and replacement can dislodge a lot of accumulated dust in your attic ceiling and insulation, which will inevitably land on anything you have stored up there.

If you can relocate stored items do so. Failing that you can also protect stored items with dust covers.

If your garage roof is going to be replaced, you'll also need to devote time to protecting the contents of your garage. This is particularly important because a lot of garages don't have insulated ceilings.

Once again, if you can shift stored items out of your garage then do so. If you don't have space to store them elsewhere in your home, protect them with tarps.

TAKE DOWN PICTURES AND WALL DECOR

Whether you're getting new asphalt shingle roofs, opting for tile roofs on your property, steel roof sheets, or any other kind of roofing—there will be hammering during a roof replacement.

The vibrations from this can make their way through your home and dislodge hung art and wall decor. Therefore, make it a priority to take down any pictures or decor on the walls.

PROTECT FRAGILE ITEMS

Vibrations can also damage fragile items like chinaware. If you have delicate items on display, play it safe and wrap these up in newspaper before work begins on your home's new roof.

THINK ABOUT CHILDREN AND PETS

Roofing replacement can be a very noisy, dusty, and disruptive process. If you have children and pets, consider how this will impact them.

If you think the noise and disruption will be too stressful, you might want to make arrangements for temporary accommodation during the most intense parts of the roofing process.

ALLOCATE POWER OUTLETS FOR THE ROOFERS

Another thing you can do to prepare for roofing replacement is to allocate a couple of power outlets for use by the contractor. If you do this ahead of time you won't have to rush around trying to figure out which outlets they can use upon arrival.

INFORM YOUR NEIGHBORS

Also, make sure you inform your neighbors before construction begins on your new roof. Neighbors can't object to you carrying out roofing repair or replacement, but they can hold a grudge if you don't warn them ahead of time.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT ROOFING CONTRACTOR

If you haven't already chosen a contractor for your roofing replacement project, now is the time to do so. Finding a reliable roofing contractor can take a little time and research.

Roof replacements can yield an ROI of over 85%, but only if they are professionally installed. The last thing you want is a fly-by-night contractor to replace your roof, leaving you with endless issues down the line.

The best place to start is by asking for quotes from a few different roofing contractors in your area. Make sure they specialize in residential roof replacement. Also make sure you enquire into their experience and time in business, what insurance they have, and whether they are licensed.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A ROOFING COMPANY YOU CAN TRUST?

Preparing for a roof replacement is simple once you know what to do.

The most important part of prepping for getting a new roof installed is to pick your contractor with care. Make sure you go with one that is experienced, reliable, fully licensed, bonded, and has a stellar track record.

Are you looking for a San Diego roofing company you can trust? Resilient Roofing is a family-owned and operated roofing contractor. We have been in business for over 50 years, are licensed, bonded, dedicated to providing standout customer service, and provide comprehensive 5-year guarantees on our workmanship.

Roy Kuraoka