What You Wish You Knew Before Having Your Roof Replaced

If you’re about to have a roof replaced for the first time in your life, there may be a few helpful details that will come as surprises to you. In this article, we’re going to make the process transparent.

We’re not necessarily talking about big-ticket items that would determine whether you receive a quality job or not. Those things may include asking your potential roofer the following questions:

• Are you licensed?
• Are you insured?
• Are warranties offered?
• Are there other products or services you provide?
• Why do you think I need my roof replaced?
• Do you have local reviews I can read?
• What kind of materials do you use?

Read more: 6 Must-Ask Questions Your Roofer Should be Able to Answer

Rather, these are some smaller, convenient details that your roofer may take for granted as they’re walking you through the process.

Roofing day will be noisy

When it comes time to actually start pulling off your old material and replacing it with the new, you can expect quite a ruckus within your home. Roofers typically like to get started on their work shortly after sunrise, so don’t plan to sleep in too late. Hammers will serve as your wake-up call.

If you’re working from home and need a quiet environment for meetings, or just to concentrate, plan to use a friend or family member’s place for the day. Thankfully, most residential jobs only take a day to complete.

Materials will be dropped off separately before the job starts

Right after you make your down payment, the process will probably go something like this:

• You’ll receive a call from the roofer or their secretary informing you of dates and time windows.
• On one day, a few guys will drop off materials at the worksite.
• On another day, usually, just a few days later, a roofing team will actually start the job.

When the workers drop the materials off at your house, you’ll need to ensure that at least half of your driveway is clear and accessible so they can back their truck in. The materials will be placed on top of your roof. But don’t worry – they’re not heavy enough to cause any damage.

You don’t necessarily have to be home during material drop-off or when the job starts. It’s a good idea to be present as the workers finish the job so you can check for any obvious problems with installation (but with a trusted roofer, this shouldn’t be a concern)!

Insurance doesn’t cover roof replacements in every case

Your home insurance policy isn’t going to replace your entire roof just because it’s old. Most policies only cover roof replacements if they’re damaged from a storm or sudden accidental event. But in some places where hurricanes and floods are more common, you may actually need separate hurricane or flood coverage. If tree branches fall on your roof during high winds, your insurance may only be willing to pay for repairs (instead of a full replacement).

But if you attempt to fix the roof yourself and end up making the damage worse, good luck explaining it to your insurance company. That’s not going to be covered!

Your roofer may offer additional services

If your roof needs replacing, your gutters need replacing, some siding needs replacing, and you want to add a little skylight for your kitchen while they’re at it, it’d be nice to know if your contractor provides all these services before you schedule a workday.

The contractor may be willing to knock a little off the price if you bundle several repair services at once. Even if they won’t budge on price, at least you’ll get all the scheduling and payment over with at once – less admin work!

Get started with a trusted, all-in-one roofer

RoofCrafters will help coordinate with insurance, take care of multiple repairs and upgrades with a trusted, experienced team, and is happy to answer all your questions about the details.

There’s really no reason to look any further than RoofCrafters. Get started with a project planner (for free) today!