Your home’s roof is one of its biggest investments. Getting a new roof installed can be an exciting experience, and there are a few ways you can be sure you’re fully prepared for a smooth installation.
Interior Preparation for a New Roof
Cover Items in Attic
If your attic is full of boxes of family photos, holiday decorations, and other important belongings with sentimental value, you should make sure to cover all of them with either drop cloths or old sheets. Dust and other small debris is likely to fall in your attic while the installers are walking around and hammering nails into your roof. Keep your belongings safe by covering them up, or if they’re very valuable or extremely sentimental, remove them from your attic altogether.
Remove Wall Decor
Another result of the pounding of hammers and footsteps of the installers is small vibrations throughout your home. To ensure no picture frames, mirrors, or other decor fall off your wall, you should remove them from their hanging position. You should also remove any valuable items off of shelves just to be extra cautious.
Protect the Garage
If your home has a garage attached to the house, you’ll want to make sure you protect all the items in there as well. It’s likely the garage doesn’t have insulation or other protective barriers, so dust and debris falling is bound to happen. You should cover vehicles, bikes, and any other items — similar to the attic protection — with drop cloths or old sheets.
Arrange For Child and Pet Care
Roof installation is loud and can be potentially dangerous. There will be lots of banging around, hammering, and dangerous equipment. You should talk to your children or make arrangements with a babysitter if needed to ensure they’re safe. Same with any pets that may be disturbed by loud noises, or could be put in dangerous situations.
Exterior Preparation for a New Roof
Relocate Vehicles
Before your installers arrive in the morning, move and park your cars a safe distance away from your home or in the garage. This ensures your vehicles won’t get trapped in the driveway and gives your roof installers better access to their tools, which they will need all day. It also ensures your vehicles won’t be damaged by any debris or shingle granules, which can scratch your paint. Be sure to roll the windows all the way up if you’re parking them outside, or cover them with old sheets or drop cloths if they’re inside.
Move Patio Furniture, Grills, Landscape Lighting, etc.
To ensure you don’t undergo any damage to items on your property, you should move anything outside that has value either to an area out of the way or into a garage or shed. Items like grills, outdoor furniture, landscape lighting, potted plants, and other lawn ornaments should be stowed away so there’s no risk of them breaking or getting damaged. You should remember that your roof installers will not help you move these items on the day of installation, so be sure to have them in their respective places before they arrive.
Remove Satellite Antennas
If you have satellite dishes or antennas attached to your roof, you’ll want to make sure to talk to your cable providers before installation. You’ll want to remove any antennas from the roof prior to installation, and have arrangements for them to be put back on after your new roof is installed.
Secure & Protect Windows
In the event that any materials should fall off your roof during installation, whether it’s tools or hardware, you want to be sure they don’t scratch your windows on the way down. Be sure to ask the roof installers to secure your windows with wooden boards until the original roof is off and installation is complete.
Talk to Your Neighbors
As a courtesy, it’s always nice to give your neighbors a head’s up. Mainly due to the loud noises and commotion of construction, but also in case your neighbors are close enough that debris could fall into their yard. It’s also nice to give a warning in case of your neighbor’s children and pets being disturbed by the noise.
Cut Your Grass
Although your team of contractors should use drop cloths to protect your landscaping and grass, you should cut your grass the day before installation. Their cloths will only cover the immediate perimeter of your home (likely about 5-10 feet), but debris and other objects could be hidden in your yard. Having your grass cut can make for a more thorough and quicker clean up.
Mark Electrical Outlets
Your team of roofing contractors will likely need to access power outlets while working on your roof. Be sure to know where your outlets are so you can easily direct the team to them. If you don’t have any outlets on the exterior of your home, running extension cords from a garage or even the interior of your home is fine. Just be aware of potential tripping hazards.
All in all, getting a new roof installed is an exciting time. New roofs increase your home’s value and ensure your family’s protection. Just be aware that a construction zone has many hazards and it’s best to check with your contractors to see if there are any other steps you can take to prepare for your new roof installation. If you have any questions about metal roofs or how to prepare for a new roof, talk to our team of Product Specialists. Our team of experts can help you be prepared every step of the way for your new roof.
