You might be considering roof replacement from your local residential roofers because yours has seen better days, or there may be leakage on your roof due to storm damage, and you are wondering where to begin. Well, you are in luck, as this is one of the wisest decisions you could make for yourself, your family, or your business premises. In this post, we will look at the steps you need to take to achieve your goal of having a total roof makeover.

1. Acquire Relevant Permits

Regarding roof replacement, acquiring a permit from your state and local building departments should be on your roof replacement checklist, even when doing minor replacement. This may include permits from any special homeowner association or architectural review board. Communities like the Home Owners Association (HOA), Architectural Review Board (ARB), and historical associations regulate roofing materials, including roof metal decking, color, styles, and processes that must be followed to maintain the home’s integrity.

Check in with your historical association and ensure all the considered materials, like shingles, are approved before the roof installation begins. This is to maintain the historical status. If you fail to follow these rules, you could pay a fine, or they could issue you an order to fix it, which will cost you additional money.

It’s essential to undergo the permit process as it gives your contractor a guide to specific material and installation requirements that they need to use for that particular geographic area. Having these permits ready helps you avoid surprises from the community after completing your roof replacement. Many HOAs have a standard for how they want homes to look. This means there are rules about what colors and materials can be used on the exterior of your home before the roof installation begins.

2. Set Up the Job Site

Once your contractor arrives, they will set up your job site. This will include moving fragile items prone to damage, like outdoor furniture, pottery plants, and grills. Your roof contractor will ask you to move your vehicles out of the garage, if any, as you might need access while roof replacement is ongoing. This will give you easy access to your vehicle and prevent it from getting damaged. If you have movable plants, consider relocating or covering them to prevent potential damage.

3. Choose a Roofing Contractor

Choosing a roofing contractor is a priority on your roof replacement checklist. It may seem daunting, but settling for the right person for the job is crucial. Here, we will discuss tips to find the right roof repair services.

Avoid making a hurried decision: Sometimes, especially if a storm suddenly damages your roof, you desperately need a quick fix. You want to be able to settle for a roof contractor urgently. In such times, It’s important to take your time when choosing the right contractor for the job, and you shouldn’t go with the first contractor you find. Furthermore, be cautious of any ‘storm chaser’ and wary of contractors who come knocking on your door after a storm passes. Doing a little homework before making a bad decision goes a long way.

Refrain from putting off your decision: Most home and business owners whose roof situation needs urgent attention tend to land on the other end of the spectrum. They try to avoid making decisions, especially hasty ones. Delaying giving your roof the attention it needs only worsens things in the long run; the damage could worsen, forcing you to make a hastier decision than expected.

Begin by choosing a local roofing service: The fact that a contractor is available to do some work in your area doesn’t make them local. For instance, on your roof replacement checklist, you need to be cautious of “Storm Chaser” contractors who appear from the woodwork after a hurricane effect and vanish as fast as they appeared. You don’t want to settle for a company that will not be there when needed. A locally headquartered company is well-equipped to provide the ideal roof for your locale. This will depend on the local weather and climate conditions. Trusting a roof provider who doesn’t operate exclusively in your community but resides there and actively contributes to the community is, however, safe.

Ask for referrals from people you trust: The best way to know if a product or service matches an advertisement is to talk to someone you know who has previously used it! This could be from a friend, a family member, or a colleague who has had their roof replacement done. Ask them about their experience; among the things you’d want to find out are the quality of the roofing materials they use and the level of professionalism and expertise they demonstrate.

Check for reviews and BBB score: On your roof replacement checklist, you’ll need to look for necessary certification and review customers’ testimonials and reviews from their company website and other review sites before hiring a roofing contractor. Notably, roof installation alone can put you at risk as it requires special skills and equipment unless you are a certified and licensed roof technician.

Choosing the right company for the job is essential, but it’s not a walk in the park. Trust is paramount when settling for a particular roof contractor. Check for their Better Business Bureau (BBB) score, and avoid contractors with a low BBB score. A BBB score measures the type of business, how long it has been operating, and whether its operations are legit. BBB score checks for transparency, failure to honor commitments, and mediation settlements, including advertisement issues like inaccurate claims.

Responsibility, safety, and liability: Adding safety to your roof replacement checklist is paramount. Find out the kind of license and insurance coverages they maintain, if any. Due to the nature of work, roofing insurance can be costly, and most contractors must budget for it. Their workers’ safety directly resonates with the workmanship they apply to your roof. How the company treats its installers most likely determines the outcome of your roof.

Base your decision on more than just cost: Most save price considerations for last; it’s not about getting the lowest price as much as it’s about having the best price. Notably, most contractors try to wave what may look like a low price. Still, it may compromise on the quality of roofing materials they’ll use, the services, workmanship, and customer experience. Sometimes, a cheaper roof replacement may be expensive in the long run, and making a bad choice of a roofing provider isn’t worth it as you’ll end up with a bad long-term roof investment.

4. Remove Fragile Interior Decor

As a homeowner, you can do a few things before roof replacement to make the contractor’s job easier. Before a roof installment, prepare for your belongings inside the house. You may ask yourself “Why” since a roof installment occurs outside your property.

Home siding installation causes vibrations, which may cause things to drop from the ceiling. Also, it may create dust, which accumulates over the years. Here are some indoor and outdoor prepping for your home before a roof replacement project begins.

First, empty kitchen cabinets and shelves; then, gather loose items like pictures, paintings, and decorations. Next, cover your furniture, including anything in your garage and attic. Finally, remove the rugs in case you have an open beam ceiling. Your roof replacement checklist should cover everything that can get dirty and collect anything that might fall off the shelf. Since roof replacement is messy, prepare your yard and move all lawn ornaments like gnomes, garden lights, and patio furniture to safety. Cover your pool or Jacuzzi if you have one; otherwise, you’ll need to thoroughly clean afterward.

5 Make Arrangements for the Kids and Your Pets

Due to loud noises and vibrations that come with roof replacements, finding an alternative setting for your pets and kids is ideal. While this may only occur between one and two days, depending on the replacement’s complexity, noise exposure should be limited for the safety and comfort of children and pets. Though the homeowners should be present during roof replacement, it’s unnecessary. If you want to spend time with them away from home until the loud noise subsides, consider that an additional option.

6. Alert the Neighbors About the Noise

Your neighbors should also make it to your roof replacement checklist (and no, we aren’t talking about replacing them). Studies show that 29% of Americans cite noise as unavoidable when replacing roofs, which can call for alarm with neighbors. Here are some of the things you need to share with them before residential roofers begin working on your roof:

Share your roof replacement timeline for when the contractors will likely start and end the installation. Bring them up to speed on your roofing progress; this will help as the new developments may affect them. Send them a short apology note if the installation falls on a weekend due to unavoidable circumstances.

7. Provide a Power Outlet for the Roofers

When replacing a roof, it’s important to note that a residential roofer doesn’t have mobile units they can utilize to provide a power source, and they depend on you to provide them with one. Note that providing access to exterior electrical outlets should be on your roof replacement checklist, as this will ease your contractor’s work and aid them in completing roof installation on time.

8. Move Your Vehicles

Avoid parking your vehicles on your driveway or garage to prevent anything from accidentally falling on them while the roofers are on duty. This gives the contractors as much accessibility as possible while giving them space for keeping their equipment and materials.

Debris falling off the roof could lead to your vehicle getting a scratch or enduring other damage. Also, a place is usually set aside for old materials and debris during roof installation. This can be either a dumpster or a specialized truck that can sustain all the garbage until the installation is complete.

For easy accessibility, most roofing companies will prefer to park the dumpster or truck in a driveway as it’s closer to the home. This allows contractors to throw old materials from the roof into the dumpster directly. As a result, this avoids causing damage to the lawn and minimizes ground cleanup.

9. Deliver New Roofing Materials

Your roof contractors will organize the new roofing materials for delivery, including on the commenced day of the roof replacement. Coordinating the delivery of new roofing materials after the old ones are damaged saves your contractor the havoc of loading new materials on top of the old roof. This saves the contractor from moving the new materials again to tear off the roof.

10. Install a New Roof

Your contractor will install your new roof after delivering new materials and tearing off the old ones. They will follow all state and local building codes as the roofing manufacturers require, ensuring you get high-quality roof installation. They’ll also install the roofing components that comprise the whole roof system section by section in their respective order. Installers with experience who use quality roofing materials will ensure the new roof is durable.

11. Clean Up

After your new roof installation, your contractor will finish the final cleanup. This will save you the costs of a local roof washing service. Usually, they’ll begin by cleaning debris from the new roof and gutters. They’ll clean the ground after cleaning the roof and gutters. Ground cleaning may take up to an hour, depending on the size of your home.

The installers will pick up the debris from your roof and home compound, including in your landscape, and remove the tarps. They will then use magnets to pick up loose nails that drop around your home and run the magnet twice or thrice until they pick up all the nails.

12. Inspect the New Roof

After the installation and cleaning of your roof, your roof contractor will have a supervisor walk through to ensure the quality is top-notch. The quality control person or supervisor will get on top of the roof to inspect the installation, ensuring you have the best workmanship possible, depending on the material you invested in.

Double-checking chimneys, pipes, vents, and skylights, including all roof-to-wall details prone to leakages, is essential. Hiring a roof contractor who counter-checks their work twice means fewer concerns arising from your roof replacement, leaving you contented.

Rarely do people think about their roof as it’s a silent guard and protector over their house or business, performing what it was cut to do with minimal fanfare. A residential roofing company doesn’t come across your normal attention radar until a problem arises. Of course, even high-quality and best-built roofs will not last forever. At some stage, an issue requiring your attention will arise. If you’re searching for a roof contractor and wondering where to begin, ensure your roof replacement checklist includes the items discussed here.