How To Prepare The Outside Of Your Home For A Roof Installation

If you have hired roofing contractors to install a new roof on your home, then you are probably more than willing to allow the professionals to do their job without your assistance. Although this is true, the outside of your home may not be completely prepared for the roofers. This can make installation and clean up far more difficult than they need to be. Before the roofers, like those from Acoma Roofing, come to your house, make sure that your home is ready by following the suggestions listed below.

Take Care of Your Lawn

Roofing contractors will often remove roofing shingles from your home and throw the materials in a dumpster or other receptacle. Sometimes, the old shingles are released onto your lawn and later cleaned up. Even if a dumpster is utilized, some materials will end up in your grass. If your grass happens to be tall around your home, then the professionals will need to spend a good deal of time looking for shingles that are encompassed by large tufts of grass.

Mow Your Lawn

You can easily reduce clean up difficulties by mowing your lawn before the roofers arrive. It can take several days or several weeks to complete a roof installation. This depends on the weather and the schedule of your roofer. This means that you should cut your grass as short as possible one day before installation begins.  

In general, experts say that you should only cut one-third of the height of your grass blades when you mow. This is necessary so you do not leave your lawn susceptible to pests and weeds.

Depending on the type of grass that you have, this may mean that you need to leave the grass three or four inches high. If you feel that this is too high and shingle material will get lost in the blades, cut about one-half the length of the blades. Just make sure that you watch your grass carefully to see if it wilts. Cutting your grass short will greatly reduce the energy resources that your grass needs to grow. If your grass starts to turn brown, then make sure to water your lawn in the morning before the roofers arrive for the day.

Collect Grass Clippings

If you own a mulching lawn mower, then you may leave a thick layer of grass clippings across your lawn every time you mow. These clippings can obscure roofing materials just as much as long grass. This means you should collect the clippings after you mow. Consider purchasing a lawn sweeper that will collect the clippings as you run the device over your lawn.

Buy a sweeper with a large bag so you do not need to empty the device as often. Once you collect the clippings, do not place them in plastic bags for later disposal. Lawn clippings can be reused. You can either contact your local town or city government to see when yard wastes are picked up and recycled, or you can build a compost heap in your back yard.

Trim Trees

Many professional roofers know that tree limbs can greatly damage new roofing shingles. The branches can scrape against your roof and loosen the materials or they can completely break off and force holes into the structure. This is one reason why roofers decide to trim tree limbs that are close to your roof. Not only can the limbs cause damage, but they can make it incredibly difficult for the roofers to complete their work without running into trees. This can be incredibly dangerous, and a fall accident may occur.

Typically, roofers will inspect trees before they climb up on to your home. You can reduce this concern, so the roofers can start placing shingles, if you trim trees yourself.

Prune the Right Way

Before you start cutting branches off your trees, you need to identify the branches that sit too close to your roof. You may be able to identify these branches from the ground, but your best option is to investigate the situation like a professional roofer would. Climb up onto your roof and locate all tree limbs that sit within a couple feet of your roof structure.

Once you have identified the offending branches, you can either contact a professional tree trimmer, or you can do the pruning yourself. If you have never pruned a tree before, then it is wise to purchase the right tools for the job. You do not want to trim the tree by climbing a ladder with a standard chainsaw. This may be done by the professionals, but it is extremely dangerous if you are an untrained homeowner. Purchase a pole saw instead. These devices feature chainsaws that are attached to long poles so you can safely cut branches from the ground.

After you purchase the pole saw, make sure to trim branches one or two inches from their base. This is necessary so that the tree can heal around the cut when you are done trimming. Only trim the branches that you think must be cut and ask the roofing contractors if additional pruning is required. Offer to do the trimming yourself afterwards.

If you have hired professional roofers to replace your damaged or old roof, then there are several things you should do around your property to make the roofing job easier for the professionals. Mowing your lawn and trimming trees are two good things to do to prepare your residence.