What to Expect
It’s not every day you get roof repairs or replacements, so we’ve compiled a guide that helps homeowners know what to expect when their home becomes a construction zone for a new roof. You can always reach out for additional questions!
What to Expect
Thank you for selecting Top Hat Roofing to upgrade your home’s outer beauty. The exterior of your home will be undergoing a major construction project. Our goal, beyond delivering quality workmanship and safety, is communication with you. We want to make this as convenient as possible for you. Some precautions must be taken to minimize surprises or challenges while your home undergoes a complete roof demolition—knowing the SWFL roofing business and seeing firsthand how projects progress. Here are a few examples of what to expect during your roof project to make this as convenient and smooth as possible before construction begins.
With the arrival of the crews, your house is now considered a Construction Zone. Please treat it as one.
Exterior
- As with all construction projects, noise is a factor. We suggest you have an out-of-the-house activity planned, and if you have a pet, to bring them along or have them stay with a family member or friend. If you plan to be home, consider using the day to run errands and get some shopping done. If you work from home and are able, go into the office.
- When the roof is torn off, it will be hotter in your home, so you may want to set your AC one to two degrees lower than normal until the new roof is put on. This is done as soon as possible, but supply demand delays may cause this transition period to take up to a week.<
- During and after the installation of the underlayment, there is a possibility you may experience a slight smell inside your home due to the off-gassing of asphalt base products. This is completely normal and should dissipate after a few days.
- On Average, there are over 20,000 nails installed on your roof. During the tear-off, those are all removed and are loose, tumbling, rolling, and falling toward and off the edge of the roof. Our Crews do everything they can to clean them up. The majority are caught with the tarps laid at the beginning of the project. Whatever is missed is typically picked up with a commercial-grade magnet. However, with various landscaping and thick grass, it is very common for them to be missed. Please always wear shoes outside and watch for your pet’s paws and your children’s if you have any. (Nobody likes a nail in the foot!) Please know it is your responsibility to be very vigilant around your home while it is undergoing construction.
- We will always take reasonable measures to protect your landscape and home. There will be debris everywhere, as well as dust and dirt. If you have any nicknacks on your lawn or around your house that can break, you should move them somewhere safe inside or 10’ away from your house to ensure no damage. Your lawn and planter beds will be covered with tarps to try and keep nails, screws, debris, etc., from hiding in the plants and grass. With that, we live in FL, so it is hot, and your grass & plants will show wilted. Usually, after a few weeks, everything will look back to normal.
- We use commercial-grade magnet runners, but things can be missed. The magnet rollers are big and heavy, which can make it difficult to get into the smaller areas, but we do what we can to find everything that fell off the roof into the grass and planter areas.
- You should not have anything in the driveway that could be damaged by the roofing material being taken off the roof or thrown into the dumpster: boats, RVs, Vehicles, Etc.
- The containers used to discard the roofing trash is heavy and hard on the driveways. They are typically switched throughout the day depending on the roof type and size of the project. There is the possibility of enlarging existing cracks on the driveway or creating new ones. These are damages that cannot be avoided at times. Please ensure your cars or anything of value is out of the driveway/roadway so there is enough room for the trucks to come in and out smoothly.
Interior
- Remove any hanging lamps or chandeliers from your ceiling, as the vibration on the roof could potentially allow it to fall.
- Dirt & Debris will fall into your attic. Please cover or remove any items you have stored in there. We do not clean up or cover your attic as it is not part of the roof estimate.
- Remove any and all pictures or shelves that could fall off the wall while we are on the roof.
Unpredictable Circumstances
We try to make sure we can see and catch everything there is when putting on your roof, but something things cannot be seen until the roof is off. Here are some possibilities that could come up. Please know we consult with you on everything above and beyond items that must be replaced to maintain a secure structure. (i.e., Wood decking)
- Damaged or defective plywood decking that will need to be replaced.
- Damaged or defective fascia, soffit, etc. that will need to be replaced.
- Wall flashing will be re-used when salvageable. If not salvageable, the stucco wall must be cut to remove the existing flashing. New wall flashing will be installed, as well as the stucco. This will need to be re-painted. We are not painters; we will not paint if replaced.
- We are not responsible for any damage caused to electrical wires, lines, conduit, plumbing, sprinkler lines, air conditioning lines, ducts—Etc. On the underside of the roofing deck or insulation that is unforeseen or unknown. We can’t see into the attic or inspect it.
- We are not responsible for any satellite dish detached or reattachments.
- We are not responsible for Solar water heaters or solar water electric systems on your roof.
- We are not responsible for any reused existing skylights, as the seal on the skylights needs to be maintained for them to stay watertight.
- Suppliers’ equipment delivering material to the job site could leave tire marks on concrete or crack the driveways. We are not responsible for fixing or replacing in or under any circumstance.
Scheduling
We reserve the right to start construction on the day of choosing. Dates for the performance of work as indicated are estimated to the best of our ability and are made in good faith but are not guaranteed. Our installation schedule varies greatly depending on the time of year, weather conditions, and anomalies on other construction projects. Workmen’s hours are dawn to dusk, Monday through Saturday. As with all construction, noise is a factor. If this is an inconvenience, it is advisable to make other arrangements during the time we are working.
Should you ever have a question, comment, or concern, we encourage you to reach out. We are here to provide a service and work for YOU.