How to Prepare Your Home for a Roof Replacement

Before the start date, settle the paperwork

Several of these take days or weeks, so start as soon as you sign. None of them can be fixed the morning the crew arrives.

Confirm insurance and the payment schedule

Ask for a certificate of insurance showing general liability and workers' compensation, sent to you by the contractor's insurance agency. General liability is what responds if your driveway, gutters, siding or landscaping get damaged.

Get the payment schedule in writing and pay by check or card so there is a record. Ask for a lien waiver with the final payment, and ask who supervises the crew each day.

Confirm exactly what is being installed

Check that the shingle line and color, underlayment, ice barrier at the eaves and valleys, ventilation and flashing are all written into the contract. A verbal upgrade is easy to forget once the job starts.

If the scope or the number still feels unclear, our guide to roof replacement cost in Wisconsin walks through each piece. This is also the moment to decide on add-ons that are easier while the roof is open, so read whether to replace gutters with a new roof before you skip them.

If hail or wind started this project, keep the adjuster's scope next to the contract so the two can be compared line by line. See how our storm damage team works with insurance claims.

Get HOA approval and ask about the permit

If you live under a homeowners association, submit your shingle color and material for approval before work starts. Being told to change color after tear-off is an expensive problem.

Permit rules differ between cities, villages and townships, so ask your contractor whether your address needs one and who pulls it. The safest answer is that the contractor handles it in the company's name, and your local building inspection office can confirm the rule.

Ask how damaged decking is handled

Nobody can see the condition of the roof sheathing until the old shingles are off. Soft or rotted decking around chimneys, valleys and old leak spots is a normal find, so it is handled as a separate line in most contracts.

Ask three things before you sign. How is damaged roof decking measured, will you get photos, and do you approve it before the crew replaces it?

A good contract also states the price per sheet up front. If that number is missing, ask for it in writing before you sign.

Plan around dishes, skylights and solar panels

Anything that passes through the roof needs a plan. Satellite dishes come off and go back on, so expect a short TV interruption and arrange it with your provider ahead of time.

Skylights get reflashed or replaced while the roof is open, so decide which before the start date. Solar arrays need an installer lined up well in advance, and our guide on whether to replace your roof before installing solar panels covers the order of work.

Agree on deliveries and the dumpster spot

Confirm when the shingles, the dumpster and the crew will arrive, since these often come on different trucks and days. Walk the driveway with your contractor and agree on where the container sits.

Ask for boards under the dumpster wheels if your driveway is soft or already cracked. Ask how the gutters will be protected during tear-off as well.

The week before, prep the yard, attic and walls

An hour or two this week makes install day calmer for everyone.

Clear and protect the yard

Move patio furniture, grills, planters, garden decor, toys and hoses at least 15 feet from the house. Cover anything that cannot be moved, because debris falls during tear-off.

Then handle the items people usually forget.

• Mark fragile shrubs and plants, and tarp the beds you care about
• Mark sprinkler heads near the house and turn the irrigation off
• Mow shortly before the start date, because stray nails are easier to find in short grass
• Unlock gates and clear the side yards so crews can reach every wall

Take dated photos of the driveway, gutters, siding, trim and air conditioner. If anything gets damaged, those photos make the conversation short.

Protect the attic

Tear-off can send dust, old nails and debris through gaps in the roof deck. Move stored decorations, luggage, photo albums and furniture out of the attic, or cover them with plastic.

Lay drop cloths on the attic floor. Finished attic rooms and knee-wall storage need the same protection.

Take things off the walls and shelves

Nailing a roof sends vibration through the whole house. Take down framed pictures, mirrors and shelf collections, starting on the top floor.

Keep breakables from touching each other or the wall. Items in a stairwell deserve extra care.

Cover what is stored in the garage

Many garage ceilings are open framing with the roof deck right above. Tarp the workbench, bikes and anything else you would rather not clean granules off later.

The day before, cars, access, pets and neighbors

Handle these the evening before, not the morning of.

Park on the street overnight

Move every car out of the driveway so the delivery truck, dumpster and crew can get in. Park outside the garage too, because granules, dust and stray nails can sift down through an uninsulated garage roof onto whatever is below.

Sort out power and access

Crews need electricity for compressors and saws. Confirm an outdoor outlet works, or agree on where they can plug in.

Leave gates unlocked and make sure the crew knows who to call if something comes up.

Plan for pets, children and neighbors

Roofing noise is constant and starts early. Pets are usually happier with a friend or a sitter, or in a quiet interior room with their crate and toys.

Young children do better away from the house for the day, and older children should wear shoes outside until the cleanup is done. Tell the neighbors on each side about the start date, the noise and the chance of stray debris.

During the work, what to expect

Expect an early start, steady noise and a yard that looks worse before it looks better. Most single-family roof replacements are finished in one to three days, weather permitting.

What happens if the weather turns

A careful crew opens only as much roof as it can cover with underlayment the same day. That way the house is not left as bare decking overnight.

Underlayment sheds a normal rain, but it is not a finished roof. Ask before you sign how the crew handles weather delays and overnight protection, and if water ever shows inside, photograph it and call your contact the same day.

Whether to stay home

You do not need to be home, and many people work a normal day through it. Stay reachable by phone, because decking and flashing questions need quick answers.

When the materials land, check that the bundles match the shingle line and color you chose. A mistake caught on day one is a phone call, while one caught at the end is a second tear-off.

Stay off the ladders and out from under the work area. Falling debris is the real hazard during tear-off.

To see how a job runs from the first inspection to the final walkthrough, read about our process.

After the work, walk the property and collect paperwork

Do your own check before you sign off, ideally with the crew lead or project manager beside you.

• Watch for the magnet sweep over the lawn, beds, driveway and walkways, then walk it again yourself a day or two later
• Compare your before photos for dents in gutters, siding, trim and the air conditioner, and report anything right away
• Check the attic with a flashlight for debris and disturbed insulation
• Ask what was found under the old shingles, with photos and the number of decking sheets replaced
• Ask whether the flashing at chimneys, walls and valleys was replaced or reused
• Collect warranty paperwork for both the materials and the workmanship, plus a lien waiver with the final payment

Register the manufacturer warranty if registration is required, and send your insurance agent the invoice and completion date. Keep it all in one folder, because buyers ask for it when you sell.

Then watch the first few hard rains. If anything shows at a ceiling or window, call your contractor right away.

Not sure yet whether it is time to replace?

Buckshot Exteriors is family-owned, has served homeowners since 1979, and works out of Madison, Wisconsin and Centerville, Iowa. The on-site inspection is free, and if hail or wind is involved, we meet your insurance adjuster on site to document the damage.

Call (608) 909-9109 to schedule a free residential roofing inspection, or send us a message and we will get back to you. If you would rather read first, our replacement cost guide above explains how quotes are built.