How to Prepare Your Charleston Home For Roof Replacement

Even if you’re not scheduled for a roof replacement until spring, it’s never too early to at least think about how to prepare your home. Of course, you’re not responsible for getting up on the roof and tearing off the old roofing materials, but you still play an essential role in the project.

Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to run shingles up to the roof. We won’t even ask you to pick up nails or throw the old shingles in the dumpster.

This guide shows you how you can help your roofing installation team complete the job on time and with minimal stress to you and your family.

Consider Taking a Day Trip

If you’ve never hung around a roofing job site, you likely don’t realize the level of activity associated with a roof replacement. There’s debris, equipment running, and lots of hammering. Don’t forget the noise made by the old shingles hitting the ground as they’re torn off the roof.

While your roofing contractor won’t tell you to leave home, you might want to find something else to do on project day. If you have kids, we usually suggest clients schedule the roofing project for a time when the kids aren’t home. Loud noises may cause anxiety levels to rise.

If the kids stay home, at least keep them occupied inside. Pet should also remain secured inside your home. Dogs especially have a way of getting in the middle of things, which could result in injury.

Antennas and Satellite Dishes

If you have existing satellite dishes or antenas, keep in mind, these must be removed during the re-roofing process. 

While the roofing contractor may do a great job removing and reinstalling these items, it’s better to have the cable or satellite dish company send a technician to come out and take care of removal/reinstallation. Some providers will charge you, while others wrap the cost of removal into an additional service plan.

Your roofers may have the best intentions when they remove and re-install your equipment, but they cannot ensure you won’t experience issues with your cable or satellite service after reinstallation. Even if the roofer puts the equipment back in the exact same spot on the roof, you may have an issue caused by an alignment problem.

Avoid any complications by calling your service provider well in advance of your roofing project so that they have time to add you to their calendar.

Where is your Power?

No, we’re not talking about superhero power (although we think it’s pretty neat). Instead, we’d love it if you could locate your outdoor outlets so that we can hook up our equipment.

Since not all homes in Charleston have outside electrical outlets, we may need to run extension cords to your interior outlets. A good roofing contractor will make sure they run the cords either through a window or door to avoid a bunch of tangled up cords.

If you don’t have outside outlets, you may consider adding a few!

Secure the Attic

Not all homes come with a usable attic space, but if your home does, it’s an area where you’ll spend quite a bit of time preparing for the new roof. Yes, roof replacement impacts your attic!

The ceiling of the attic bears the brunt of all the hammering and foot traffic. Consider the noise good vibrations as it not only enhances the appearance of your home but your safety.

That said, during a roof installation, you’ll notice a significant amount of dust and debris falling from the attic ceiling. Whether you store the family heirlooms in the attic, or you’ve set it up as extra living space, it’s critical that you protect the attic’s contents.

Drop cloths or old sheets make good protective covers for your collectibles and attic furnishings. Of course, you can also remove things entirely until the project is finished.

What to Do with Wall Art

It may sound a little over-the-top, but if you own wall décor and you want to avoid it falling off the wall, take it down. Seriously, if the attic ceiling can succumb to all the hammering, so can the walls (and anything hanging on them).

Since wall décor is secured with hooks, you shouldn’t have much trouble removing artwork from the hooks and storing everything on the floor or in another room.

The same goes for other fragile pieces such as china displayed in a china cabinet, statuary, or other breakables that could topple over due to vibrations caused by the hammering or moving tools and machinery around on the roof.

Your treasures may well have survived children, pets, and even hurricanes, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, so take a minute and assess what you have, and then wrap your pieces up in bubble wrap.

Tip: Don’t forget crystal chandeliers and light fixtures. Take them down and store them safely in another room.

Look Around the Yard

As careful as they’d like to be, roofers can’t always avoid things like patio furniture. Besides, roofing projects are like kid’s craft days—things get messy before you can see the end result.

Shingles may fly, and tools and ladders may get in the way of your picnic table and BBQ grill. On the flip side, those items will surely get in the way of your roofers.

Don’t put your outdoor furniture and your installation team at risk. Take a few minutes before the roofers arrive and store everything in the garage, a shed, or far enough back in the yard that the roofers don’t need to worry about breaking anything.

Since we’re talking about yards, this is an excellent time to prune low-hanging limbs from your trees and cut the lawn.

Ready to Schedule a Roof Replacement

Now that you’ve at least mentally prepared your home, why not go ahead and schedule your roof replacement? You’ll be doing the best thing possible to protect your home from the rain and wind we often get here in South Carolina.

Here at Contract Exteriors, we’re focused on helping our clients prepare for a new roof. Whether you need a replacing roof estimate or you’re ready to start your roofing project, we’re here to help. When you search for roof replacement near me, we’ll be there!

Contact our team today and let’s get your home covered with a brand new roof!