Roofer Madness
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Warning ! This Book could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of grief

Find out how to choose a roofer who will prevent your worst nightmares and make your
project a success.

6) War Zone or Work Site?

If precautions are not taken before the tear off begins, property can be damaged. If your property is close to the neighbour’s, the old roofing can hit their house as it comes down, leaving black tar marks on the walls. Flower beds can get trampled, bushes and shrubs can be crushed and broken nails can be left on the lawn or driveway. There are ways to protect your property with tarps and plywood barriers. Every property will have a different approach depending on the roof pitch, access and surroundings. If you have a flat roof and can park a disposal bin right against the house you don't have to worry about this too much. Unfortunately, that is usually not the case.

What to do before you Start
1. Go around your property with the potential roofing contractor and point out the areas you want to protect. Have the contractor propose a solution to protect them and then make sure the solution gets written into the contract. Getting details like this in writing increases the chance that the protection instructions will be passed on to the installer who actually does the work. And you are covered if they don't provide adequate protection which results in some damage.

2. Ask the salesman if the crew will have a magnetic roller to pick up nails. This will be a clue as to how seriously they take the clean up. There is really no other way to get nails out of some surfaces like grass or gravel.

3. Ask your potential roofing contractor how they will keep the water out of your house if it rains. Remember, we live on the "wet coast" and it can rain at any time, unannounced. There are several things that can be done to minimize this risk to almost zero.

- Make sure the crew that shows up is big enough to get the old roof off and the new roof on in a timely manner (two installers and two laborers minimum). If the roof is too big to do in one day, even with a larger crew, then have them do it one section at a time.

- Have an agreement with your contractor to always tarp unfinished roof sections at the end of every day. Never leave a roof open overnight no matter what the forecast is and never let the installer on the job talk you into leaving it exposed overnight. It only takes an hour of rain in the middle of the night to warp your hardwood floors, ruin your cabinets, stain your carpet, wreck your furniture or peel
the paint off your walls.

- Ensure the contractor will always have a tarp on the job should the weather
changes during the day.