3 Ways Your Property is Cleaned Up After a Roof Replacement

Are you getting your roof replaced? Are you worried that your property will be left a wreck after your roofers finish their job? This is a reasonable concern! 

Roof replacements can get messy, but let me assure you: a high-quality roof replacement should always include a high-quality clean-up.

Debris like nails, shingles, pieces of fascia and flashing, roofing felt, and underlayment can get scattered around your roof and property during the replacement. 

However, part of the contractor's job is cleaning up the mess, and a good roofer will take care to lay down tarps and have a dumpster on-site to quickly and efficiently remove debris.

On average, we work on over 750 roofs per year. We know that our homeowners value our meticulous clean-up process, so we want to share our methods with you. 

It’s important to know what a solid clean-up process looks like before choosing a contractor so you’ll know whether their provided services meet the mark. Keep reading to learn what the clean-up process should look like before, during, and after your roof replacement.

1. During Tear-Off

When it comes to roofing, a clean workspace is a safe workspace. Because of this, your roofers will start the clean-up process during your roof tear-off and continue tidying up throughout the entire replacement. 

The clean-up process really depends on your contractors. Some crews will dedicate a few people to removing trash, debris, and nails throughout the day. Others will pause the replacement so that the full crew can clean up their workspace before continuing the job.

Our crew uses shovels to toss debris from the roof tear-off onto a tarped landing zone. From there, the ground crew will use wheelbarrows to make sure everything gets picked up and then transported to a roll-off dumpster. This helps us keep our workspace clean and prevents a messy construction site from growing into a disaster zone.

2. After Installation

After installation, your crew will take several steps to make sure everything gets cleaned up. Let’s go over what that process should look like:

• Clear the new roof- After your new roof is installed, your roofer will use a powerful backpack blower to clear your roof of any debris or leftover granules that might have come off the shingles during your replacement.
  
  
• Remove tar stains off sidewalks and siding- Roof tar is designed to seal, bond, or repair areas that are deteriorating on your roof. When removed and tossed from the roof during your replacement, old shingles with leftover tar can stain nearby sidewalks and siding. Your roofers should clean any affected areas, but if they don’t, you can use a store-bought tar removing solution to do the job.
  
  
• Clean the gutters- To remove loose debris and nails, your gutters will either be cleaned by hand or with a leaf blower. However, it is possible that a nail could be missed, particularly if it goes unnoticed or down a downspout that hasn’t been cleared during ground cleanup. We always advise homeowners to keep an eye on downspout areas the first few times it rains to assure that any stray nails don’t end up in their driveway.
  
  

3. Post-Inspection

The last step of a roof replacement is post-inspection; this is when your contractor will inspect your yard and landscaping to look for any debris that was missed during the initial clean-up process. 

Our team conscientiously cleans up the work site after every repair or replacement project. However, we do not guarantee that we find every stray nail.

We do, however, use meticulous methods to assure your yard and driveway are free of loose nails. After the final cleanup, we sweep your property with two different magnets to remove loose nails. A small, handheld magnet is used around shrubbery and flowerbed areas. A larger, roller magnet on wheels is run completely around the perimeter of your home to make sure the yard is free of loose nails.

To make their search as quick and easy as possible, it’s helpful to cut your grass short before your replacement begins. If you have a sprinkler system, you should also turn it off at least two days before your replacement to prevent your yard from getting mushy. 

You can learn more ways to protect your home for a stress-free roof replacement by reading this article.

So, What Else Should You Know?

While every roofer may have a different clean-up method, they’re all designed to ensure that your new roof is left in better condition than before their work began. You should feel confident in your roofers’ ability to give you a job well done on both the top of your home and their clean-up service for the property down below. If you don’t, it may be time to reconsider your contractor.

One of the best ways to ensure high-quality roofing service is to hire a seasoned contractor. With years of experience helping homeowners just like you, their methods have been fine-tuned to leave customers fully satisfied with their replacement and clean-up after the job is done. 

Read this article to learn more about why it’s so important to hire an experienced roofer.

We know a little something about experienced contractors because we are experienced contractors. For the past 30 years, we’ve helped homeowners in Raleigh get the high-quality roofing experience they’ve been looking for. 

If you live in Raleigh and need help with your roof repair or replacement, fill out the form below and we'll get in touch right away.