Many homeowners are concerned about having a high-quality roof replacement and they forget to take precautions to safeguard the rest of their home and belongings. The preparation tasks may take some time, but they can prevent a significant amount of damage and stress. Let’s consider the following tips for ensuring a seamless roof replacement.
Move or Cover Plants
If you’ve invested money in landscaping to beautify your property and enhance your curb appeal, you don’t want your plants, trees, and flowers damaged during a roof replacement. This is something that can happen quickly and accidentally. Move portable planters to an area where they won’t be damaged. If your plants can’t be moved, it’s ideal to cover them with a sturdy tarp and hold the tarp down with heavy objects so they won’t move or blow away.
Relocate Vehicles
Make sure you don’t have any vehicles, including boats, cars, vans, ATVs, motorcycles, bicycles, and trucks, near your home. They could easily get damaged during a roof replacement, whether it be scratches, dents, or broken glass.
Another issue is that your vehicles might be in the way of our roofers, who need a clear area to work. Our team will need to throw materials to the ground, and the last thing you want is those materials landing on one of your valuable vehicles. Additionally, make sure not to park in areas where our work vehicles may need to be located. We need to be able to easily access tools and other gear to complete the process of your roof replacement as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Homeowners who live on smaller properties with limited parking areas often find it beneficial to stay elsewhere temporarily while their roof replacement occurs. This allows them to park freely without worrying about their vehicles getting damaged and prevents them from having to listen to all the hammering and other noises that go on during the process.
Move Decorations
Various decorations on your property, including bird baths, birdhouses, and string lights, could accidentally be ruined. Move them to a safe area where they’ll be out of the way. Cover items with a tarp if they’re too heavy to move.
Relocate or Cover Outdoor Furniture
Although outdoor furniture is designed to withstand the elements, that doesn’t mean it can’t get damaged by falling debris, especially if there are glass components present. Move the pieces that are light enough to transport and cover the ones that aren’t. Shield glass-top tables with plywood if you’re unable to move them.
If you have a grill, make sure it’s closed so no nails fall inside. Put a grill cover over the top to protect the exterior.
Cover Pools and Hot Tubs
Pools and hot tubs are an expensive investment. Many homeowners leave them uncovered when the weather is nice, but they could become damaged or dirty from falling roof debris. For example, nails or pieces of shingles can fall into the pool and tear the liner. Ensuring your pool and hot tub are sufficiently covered can help prevent damage while protecting their structural integrity.
If you have a kiddie pool that your kids or pets use, avoid leaving it inflated during the roof replacement. Protect this item from getting torn by removing the water, deflating the pool, and moving it to an area where it won’t get ripped.
Shield Sprinkler Systems
Sprinkler heads can become damaged during a roof replacement. They’re often hard to spot if they’re dark or in tall grass, so it can be wise to cover them, so our roofers know where to avoid stepping and accidentally damaging them. It also prevents heavy debris from being thrown onto them.
Use small, colorful plastic buckets placed upside down over each sprinkler’s head and put a rock on top of it. This indicates to the roofers where they shouldn’t step, and the rock secures the bucket in place. It won’t accidentally blow away or get tipped over.
Put Tarps Down on Your Property
You may be surprised how many nails can end up in your yard during a roof replacement. We do everything possible to prevent wayward nails, but it can be difficult to find all of them, especially if your grass is tall. This could cause significant damage and even result in injuries if you let your dog or child out to play and they step on a nail. The nails that end up where you park could result in flat tires.
Your best course of action is to put tarps down on the areas that are immediately surrounding your home. Don’t forget to secure them with rocks to prevent them from sliding and blowing in the wind. Once the roof replacement is complete, carefully ball up the tarps and throw them in the trash with the garbage still wrapped in them. This makes cleaning up the property of nails and other loose debris much more manageable and decreases the chances of finding missed debris later. You may even want to consider using a metal detector in your yard to confirm your property is safe.
Cover Items in Your Attic
It’s never a good idea to leave your items uncovered in your attic during a roof replacement. Dust and debris can rain down into your home and cover everything. Even if your items are in boxes, it can be easy for tiny particulates to make their way into the boxes and onto anything in them. Your best option is to cover everything in the attic with a tarp so once the replacement is over, you could pick up the tarp and throw it away without worrying about dust and debris coating your belongings.
Take Breakables Off Shelves and Walls
Many homeowners might not be aware that breakables on the shelves and walls within their homes could be at risk for damage during a roof replacement. This is the case even for walls two or more floors down from the roof.
The equipment we use during a roof replacement may result in vibrations throughout the home that could trigger breakables to fall off walls or shelves. Removing all items, such as artwork and photographs, from your walls and putting them in a safe place is ideal. You should also walk around your home and remove anything off shelves, including vases, that could fall over and break.
Take proper steps before a roof replacement to help protect your home and belongings. KPost Company in Dallas, TX offers roof replacements and a variety of other roofing services, including repairs, maintenance, installation, and inspections. Contact KPost Company today for more information about how we can help you with all your roofing needs.
