The day you bought your home was a day of mixed emotions: joy, fear, anticipation, worry. You face similar emotions on the day you sign off on a roof replacement. A little knowledge goes a long way toward soothing frayed nerves. After the bids and accepting one roofer’s estimate and signing a contract, what’s next?
Order Up!
Your roofer orders exactly the roofing materials you selected. This means you and the roofer agree, in writing, on the material itself:
- Reliable, economical fiberglass-asphalt shingles, or
- Innovative, modern composite shingles, or
- Durable, long-lasting metal roofing, or
- Beautiful, traditional tile roofing
You choose and sign off on all options at this time, such as color, style, accessories, and details.
Materials are drop-shipped to your home to await the roofers. A superior roofer will be in close contact by telephone to schedule installation (with accommodations for changes in weather).
Demo
In roofing, “demo” means demolition, not a demonstration. Your old roof is removed and properly disposed of, with minimum debris and a lot of careful cleanup to follow.
Your new roof cannot go on until the old roof is removed, so any good roofing crew starts by protecting your landscaping, situating the waste container properly, and then peeling away the outdated or damaged old roof.
Nailed It
Your new roof will probably be installed in a day or two. A home’s roof complexity affects the speed of new roof installation:
- Pitch (steepness)
- Height
- Gables, valleys, and roof surfaces
- Roof penetrations (sanitary stacks, vents, and wiring)
- Dormers
- Surface area
Some materials, too, are less forgiving than others. For speed, nothing beats the one-two-three of a three-tab shingle roof. At the other end of the craft are tiles, which must be carefully hand-laid and precisely fitted.
Eyes On
With the final roofing nail in place, your roofing crew is not done. A thorough clean-up (to include a magnetic broom swept across your yard) is next, followed by a close inspection. Drip edge? Check. Flashing? Check. On and on, with a long list of details to examine.
Reputable roofers never ask for more than a third of the installation price up front, so expect a balance bill by mail after final inspection.
Please contact VanWeelden Co. today to ensure we are on your list of bidding roofers. We have the technical know-how and hands-on experience to bring genuine joy to your Iowa home’s roof replacement.
