1. Clear the Driveway and Garage Our crew needs the driveway for the dumpster and our trucks. Please make sure all your family’s vehicles are moved out of the garage and parked down the street, or at a neighbor’s, by the morning our crew arrives. This keeps them safe from falling debris and gives us the space we need.
2. Prep Your Yard and Patio We will be working all around the perimeter of your house. Please move everything away from the house by at least 10-15 feet:
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Patio furniture (tables, chairs, umbrellas)
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Grills
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Potted plants
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Kids’ toys (bikes, wagons, playhouses)
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Lawn decorations and garden statues
While AR Roofing uses tarps to protect your landscaping, moving these items prevents them from being accidentally damaged.
3. Prepare for Vibrations Inside A roof installation will cause vibrations throughout your house. Please take a quick walk through your home and secure or take down any items on your walls that are fragile or not securely fastened. This includes pictures, mirrors, and shelving. It’s also a good idea to cover any valuable items in your attic, as small bits of dust or debris can be shaken loose from the roof decking.
4. Plan for Pets and Children A roofing job is an active construction site. For their safety, please plan to keep all children and pets inside and away from the work zones at all times. The noise can also be very stressful for animals, so having a quiet, interior room ready for them is a great idea.
5. Ensure Access Please make sure all gates to your backyard are unlocked and that an exterior power outlet is accessible for our crew’s tools.
A little preparation goes a long way. These simple steps help the AR Roofing team get right to work, protecting your home and installing your new roof system as efficiently as possible.
How to Prepare Your Home for a New Roof: The Homeowner’s Checklist
Your new roof installation with AR Roofing is a major home improvement project. Our professional crews are fully trained and equipped to protect your property and install a top-quality roof system. We see it as a partnership, and a little preparation on your end can have a huge impact on making the project run safely, smoothly, and without any surprises.
Think of it as preparing your home for a one- or two-day “construction event.” Here is a comprehensive checklist of what you can do the day before our team arrives.
Part 1: The “Drop Zone” (Outside Your Home)
The area around your home’s perimeter will be the primary work zone. Old materials will be coming down, and new materials will be going up.
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Clear the Driveway: This is one of the most important steps. The AR Roofing team will need your entire driveway for a dumpster and for our material trucks and crew vehicles. Please move all of your family’s cars out of the garage and park them far down the street or at a neighbor’s house. Parking them on the street directly in front of your home may still put them at risk from dust or debris.
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Move All Patio & Yard Items: Walk the entire perimeter of your home. Anything within 10 to 15 feet of the foundation should be moved to a safer location, like a shed or the middle of the yard.
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Patio furniture (tables, chairs, umbrellas, cushions)
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Grills (gas grills should be disconnected and moved)
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Potted plants and hanging baskets
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Kids’ toys, bikes, and play structures
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Lawn ornaments, birdbaths, and garden statues
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Pool equipment and covers
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Landscaping Protection: Our AR Roofing crews will lay tarps over your foundation plantings, flower beds, and A/C unit to protect them from debris. However, if you have a particularly fragile or prized heirloom plant, it’s a good idea to give it some extra protection yourself, such as a simple plywood A-frame or extra burlap cover.
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Unlock Gates: Please ensure all gates to your backyard are unlocked so our crews have full, easy access to the entire roof and for the clean-up process.
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Provide Power: Our team will need access to an exterior power outlet for some of their tools. Please make sure one is accessible and the breaker is on.
Part 2: The “Shake Zone” (Inside Your Home)
A roof installation is not a quiet process. You will hear constant hammering, nail guns, and footsteps on the roof. This activity will create vibrations throughout your entire house.
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Secure Your Walls: The vibrations can and will shake things off your walls. Walk through every room and either take down or securely fasten all:
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Pictures and mirrors
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Shelves
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Clocks
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Decorative plates or other wall-hung art
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This is especially true for items on cathedral or vaulted ceilings.
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Check Your Attic: The underside of your roof deck is the ceiling of your attic. Vibrations can shake dust, dirt, and small wood splinters or roofing nails loose, causing them to fall into your attic. If you use your attic for storage, cover any valuable, open boxes, or sentimental items with old sheets or plastic tarps.
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Look Up at Fixtures: Take a quick look at your ceiling fans and any heavy hanging chandeliers to ensure they are well-secured to their ceiling boxes.
Part 3: The Day of Installation (Family & Pets)
This is our final, and most important, safety consideration.
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Keep Kids & Pets Indoors: An AR roofing job site is a construction zone, period. For their safety, please make a plan to keep all children and pets inside and away from all exterior doors.
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Plan for Noise: The process will be very loud, and this can be extremely stressful for pets, especially dogs. It’s often best to keep them in a basement room or an interior, windowless room where the noise is most muffled. Some homeowners even find it’s a good day to schedule pet daycare.
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Know Your Contact: You will have an AR Roofing project manager or crew lead on-site. We’ll introduce them to you so you have a direct point of contact for any questions that come up during the day.
This checklist may seem long, but it’s all about preventing the most common and avoidable “Oops!” moments. By taking these few steps, you help our team stay focused, safe, and efficient, getting your beautiful new roof installed perfectly and leaving your home as clean as we found it.
