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We recently went through the experience of getting a new roof and let me tell you – it was rough. I learned a lot in the process of getting a new roof, so there are a few things I want to share with you in this article!
Now, some roofing problems may not require the services of professional roofing companies and can be handled in-house (or on the roof!) Basic roof repair can be done yourself. However, if you’re looking for a new roof altogether, you don’t need me to tell you that you’ll need to get the pros in.
I’m going to cover a few things in this article, so feel free to scroll down to your question if you don’t have time to read the whole thing! I’m answering these questions:
- Should you stay in your house when you’re getting a new roof? (quick answer: NO! Do not remain in your house and do not let your pets remain in the house while you’re getting a roof)
- How long does it take to replace a roof?
- How much does it cost to replace a roof in the US?
- How can you spend less on a roof replacement or repair? (Hint: Use a reputable local company).
- What types of roofs are out there?
Should You Stay in Your House When You’re Getting a New Roof?
Do not be there. Absolutely, 100%, get the heck out of your house. Don’t be like me and listen to people online who say “it’s not that bad, only people who are sensitive to noises will want to leave.” No, you will want to leave.
Unfortunately for me, I had to be there day 1 of the roof replacement. Conveniently, my husband said he “forgot” I would be home and scheduled the roof replacement for Monday and Tuesday… the only days I would be home, getting work done. “No problem,” I told myself, “I can work through anything!”
Well, you can’t work through anything. Take my word for it: flee your house.
Can You Leave Your Pets in the House During a Roof Replacement?
Can you? Yes. Should you? I don’t think so. I highly recommend you board your pets.
The only exception I would make is: only board your pets if you know your pets are crazy. My cats are crazy, but they just hide all day and don’t actually freak out that much.
My dog, on the other hand? Oh no. I spent 70% of my day bribing her to be quiet, because she just wanted to bark her head off. She’s actually a normal, well-behaved dog 99% of the time, too. However, if someone is in her space, making incredibly loud banging noises, she goes nuts.
Again, don’t listen to the people online who said you and your pets will get used to the noise. Your dog (unless it’s deaf) will not get used to the noise. And if you have a dog that is in anyway protective of you, forget it. It will bark its head off.
How long does it take to replace a roof?
Unfortunately, it depends on a lot of factors. Are you getting a full roof replacement, like we did, or are you only getting a smaller repair? How big is your house? What’s the weather like?
All of those answers will impact the answer to ‘how long does it take to replace a roof?’ However, in general, you can expect a typical roof replacement on a 1,000-2,000 sq. ft. home to take anywhere from 1-3 days. Of course if they need to replace other things like the fascia, soffits, and gutters, things may take longer.
How much does it cost to replace a roof in the US?
According to Home Advisor, in 2018, it will cost on average $6,600 to install a new roof.
Typical range: $5,113-$9,763
Low End: $1,200
High End: $30,000
Our roof replacement only cost us a total of $1,000 though. Why? Keep reading!
How can you spend less on a roof replacement or repair?
Believe it or not, terrible weather and a good home insurance policy can help you get a significant discount on your roof repair or replacement. I don’t know if I would call it “lucky”, but here in Phoenix, we get monsoons. Monsoons are very bad wind storms that kick up a lot of dirt, debris, and dust.
All of that junk combined with powerful winds typically means cars, outdoor furniture, and yes, roofs, sustain serious damage. If an inspector agrees with you, you may be able to have your homeowner’s insurance policy pay for the majority of a roof replacement or repair.
That was the case with us – a monsoon did some serious damage, we called several roofing companies, and one was able to work with our insurance to get an entire roof replacement with minimal cost to us (minus the cost of increased homeowner’s insurance down the line… but we needed the roof replaced!)
You can also save on a roof repair or replacement by:
- Getting several quotes from reputable roofers in your city – ask neighbors, friends and family for recommends, then check the Better Business Bureau to ensure the roofer you choose is licensed and doesn’t have any outstanding complaints.
- Check if your roof is under warranty – if your roof is damaged and is still under warranty, you may be able to get all or a portion of it fixed.
- Try to time it right – typically, late winter or spring are when roofers offer the most discounts, but try to think of times of year when service demand is slow in your city. I’m willing to bet summer is a good time in Phoenix to get discounts, but then again it might be bad too, since no one in their right mind would be on a hot roof in the middle of July here… but it’s worth calling around and seeing when you can get the best discount!
Whatever you do, don’t try to fix your roof yourself. My husband’s family worked in roofing – and even my husband won’t tackle a roof replacement. You might be able to repair part of a tile roof yourself, but I would not recommend you even try it. Too dangerous!
What types of roofs are out there?
There are a LOT of types of roofs out there, including:
- Asphalt – most common in the US
- Clay and concrete – clay is very popular here in the Southwest
- Slate
- Metal – you see these a lot on tiny houses!
- Flat roofing – not super popular, although you do see them occasionally here in the dry desert Southwest
- Wood shakes and cedar
You can read more about different types of roofing materials and the pros and cons of each over on HGTV’s excellent article here.
Other Quick Tips When You’re Getting a Roof Replaced or Repaired
Shut off the water valve to your evaporative/swamp cooler
If you have an evaporative (swamp) cooler, even if you don’t use it, tell the roofing people where the shut off valve is.
For those of you who don’t know what evap coolers are, they’re for dry climates and are similar to air conditioners except they’re less effective and make the air really humid. That’s not the actual description, but that’s my version. They’re very common in Phoenix because they’re generally cheaper to run.
Our evaporative cooler is a piece of junk and we don’t use it. When the roofers showed up, they didn’t mention the evap and we forgot to ask. Unfortunately for me, in order to move the evap to replace the roof, they needed to shut off the water valve to it. Instead of finding the valve (admittedly, I didn’t know where it was, although I could have called my husband), they turned off the water… all day.
And no, turning off the water for the entire day is not common, which I found out after going from 7 AM to 6 PM without any water. Plans of getting any laundry done? Erased! Plans of washing my hands, ever? Thank goodness for hand sanitizer…
If you don’t have an evaporative cooler, you are so lucky. For my fellow dry-climate folks with evaps, show your roofers where the evaporative cooler shut-off valve is (if it’s separate from the water line). If you have to be home (or come home while the roofers are there), you should not be without water!
Cover up your stuff and take valuables off the walls
One thing I didn’t believe the people online about was covering up my stuff because of falling debris. “How much debris could actually fall out?” I thought, naively, to myself.
Oh, lots of debris. Lots of dirt, and junk, and pollution, and probably bird body parts from birds getting stuck in the attic (I have never seen or heard any birds in our attic, but I’m assuming that happens). All of that junk came out of our vents, all around the house, all day long.
It was gross. So, so gross. So much cleaning… if you’re smart (not like me), you’ll find a way to put something, like a trash bag, underneath your vents so that when the inevitable shaking happens and dirt gets dislodged from your attic, you will have something to catch all that debris.
Also, consider taking down any pictures or picture frames from your walls. Nothing fell off the walls while the roofers were working, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had fallen.
Sometimes the worst happens – make sure to read through your contract carefully.
Everything I’ve mentioned so far is excusable either because of poor planning (scheduling roofers while I’m home) or a minor inconvenience (so I was without water for a day).
However, around 3 p.m., I heard a loud crash, louder than normal. It turned out a guy crashed through our roof, into the living room.
Yes, that happened. A man fell through my roof. Thank goodness he was okay and happened to land in one of the safest spots in the house: right in the middle of the living room. He missed a coffee table, chair, lamp, and side table to land right plop in the middle.
It’s actually kind of a miracle, because 10 minutes before, I had been standing in that living room, watching TV.
Luckily, it was in our contract that if a guy falls through our roof, fixing the roof and patching the drywall is covered by the company.
The Most Important Thing to Remember: Don’t Be There During a Roof Replacement
As you can see, lots of weird and unexpected things can happen when you get a new roof. If you only take away one thing, just remember to flee your house when you get a new roof. Even if you don’t put up trash bags to catch the dirt, if you don’t care about losing water, or even if a guy falls through your roof, do leave your house.
I like to find a silver lining in everything, so even though this post was basically “weird things that happened to me during a roof replacement”, in the end, we are getting a new roof. We ended up getting it sooner than anticipated, too, thanks to a terrible monsoon storm that tore shingles off our roof (and led to insurance giving us some money for the roof). We are lucky to have extra money to pay for the roof now, instead of letting the roof get worse.
But I have made a note to myself: only homes with new(ish) roofs in the future! 😉
Have you ever experienced a roof replacement, or have you recently gone through getting a new roof? What were your experiences like?
Oh gosh, that’s crazy one of the guys actually fell through! I’m glad he’s okay and that they’re covering everything. That’s awful your water was shut off for so long, though. Yikes. I’m with you on making sure whatever house we end up buying has a newer roof.
I’ve never been through something like that, but at one of my old jobs, they decided to completely renovate the office, and the construction was SO loud and distracting. We had our office door shut the entire time and it still drove us crazy. I hate being around construction.
I definitely learned my lesson that if I ever go through a roof replacement again, I am definitely staying in a hotel. A hotel cost is a small price to pay for reliable water, peace and quiet, and no dudes falling through the roof. 😉
I know construction is useful (when it’s done), but I hate it too! The dust and debris always bothers me :-/
Holy crap I can’t believe a guy fell through the roof! That sounds like something from a movie! So many things could have happened and glad he was OK. Also glad to hear it’s done!
I am so, so glad he was okay! Except for scratches and bruises, he got off very lucky, as did we! I can’t imagine what could have happened if he landed on me, or on something sharp… I’m so glad it’s over with too!
Similar thing with me. Guy stepped through fibreglass shield around furnace pipe on roof and his foot went through to my utility room ceiling. Minimal damage to drywall as there was some chicken wire there. Collar around pipe was ripped which they replaced and two pipe jacks on roof (it was covered). I don’t know if it stated it in my contract they would fix it but I demanded a HVAC person come out and fix it and make sure pipe was not damaged. Their mistake, after all.
Oh my gosh!! What an experience and a half that was. Gees. At least it’s good for a story over a drink (and a blog post)?
I have to say that I am impressed at the price (even though it’s only half). I thought it would be a LOT more for a roof. At least, I know that it would be in this neck of the woods.
Oh, definitely! And now that it’s over, I definitely feel a lot better about it. At least I don’t have to worry about the roof leaking anymore!
Actually, our price was closer to $7,500, but because a (typical lately) terrible storm came through and seriously damaged the roof, insurance paid for a huge chunk of it. These storms have been coming once every two years though – we’ve just let the roof get beat up because we were crossing our fingers it could survive. Many of our neighbors have gone to insurance a few times already, either for new roofs or to fix damage from storms. One of these days insurance is going to wise up and probably make roof damage an additional cost, because these storms are becoming common in Phoenix!
thanks for telling your story. That was a great story, I learned a lot. I too was home for a new roof install and it was a nightmare living threw the noise and they did not do a tear off just a re roof. now it is 32 yrs later and I need to remove both roofs and put in a new one. I wanted to ask you about the garage where I store all my valuable stuff I am saving. They said they are able to cover up into the rafters. I am uneasy about my stuff getting ruined. This will be completely exposed since there is no attic in the garage. Do you think I should trust them or possibly move the stuff inside or to a storage unit?
Honestly, just to be safe, I’d move everything to a storage unit. I really don’t think you can trust anyone except yourself to be careful with your stuff – no one cares about your valuables like you do. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way, through companies damaging or destroying my things, that it’s best to safeguard everything yourself. I’m sorry you’ll have to pay for the storage unit, but luckily you’ll only have to pay for a month (or less if the storage unit will pro-rate it!) until your roof is finished. Let me know what you end up doing!
I love tip number two. We often forget about this, but it really helps if you think about it.
Omg, what an event! As common a task as having your roof replaced, you offered some legit insight on what to expect for people who may have to encounter this in the future. I never even knew an evap existed (although I’m a relatively new Arizona resident). Not to mention the roofer falling through the ceiling… that must’ve been unreal!
If you have an option, you might as well not get an evap, even though they’re popular here. Unless you’re okay with being randomly sweaty in your own house – with evaps, you have to keep the windows open in order to circulate air. So moist air + 110 degree temps = it feels like you’re in the South. And Phoenix is hot enough without adding humidity!
Anyway, off my evap-hate soapbox, haha 🙂 I couldn’t believe all that happened during our roof replacement! I hope my experiences are helpful to other people – I would have appreciated a review like mine before all this happened.
Thanks for sharing the advice! I have been planning on renovating my roof, so it is good to know what to be prepared for. I’ll definitely show the roofing contractor where the shut off valve is for our home’s HVAC system. Hopefully the roofing renovation process will be a bit smoother than yours was!
No problem, Delores! I hope your roofing renovation goes smoother, too, and I’m glad my advice was useful! 🙂
I have been thinking of getting a new roof lately. The one that I have is starting to leak an awful lot. Our house is starting to get really bad water damage because of it. This is definitely good advice for when I have my roof replaced. I will definitely have to make sure that I am not there when I get a new roof.
I like what you said about terrible things happening. It was funny to read about the man falling through your roof. I am sorry that you had to deal with that. You have a great attitude though. Thank you for sharing. We have been thinking about getting a new roof, the process seemed a little bit intimidating. I feel a lot better after reading this.
With number two, I would say to just always board them. They don’t want to be there while it’s happening. It can really hurt them, and cause health issues.
That’s a really good point! I’m glad our pets were okay, but not everyone’s pets can deal with the noise and disruption. If I had to do it again, I would board all of us – me and the pets! 🙂
It’s really good to know about your experience. I feel like I’m similar to you in that I don’t really follow what people say online. From what you said, though, it sounds like a good idea to just do what people say. It sounds like roof replacement is a bit of a project that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Thanks for sharing!
That’s right, Gerald. Sometimes people give conflicting advice online, but in this case, they were right! Just stay out of your home 🙂
My husband and I are hoping to get a new roof this year. Hopefully these tips will help us be prepared for when the work starts! The tip about boarding pets while the work is being done seems like a good idea. We will have to keep that in mind.
That is very good to know that roof replacement causes enough noise to bother pets. I can see that my dog with his personality, would be upset by such noises. He barks every time someone walks down the sidewalk in front of the house. I can deal with noise on the roof. I really don’t want to deal with an upset St. Bernard.
I agree with your tip to cover up your stuff. I recently just replaced my roof, and I underestimated the amount of dust and debris that would be accumulated. It has taken us weeks to clean everything up, and I could have avoided such an extended clean up process if I had just covered my things up in the first place. Additionally, I like your tip to take down any pictures or frames from the walls. Though we didn’t have anything fall or break, it is something that could happen, so it’s a great precaution to make. Thank you for sharing such great insight!
How terrifying to have someone come through the roof! If I didn’t know to be out of the house already, that would have sent me packing pretty quickly! Thanks for the tip to cover your things. I feel like that’s something I would have forgotten. This was a great article! Thanks!
You insurance must have covered your roof if you only paid $500. That’s a pretty important detail to leave out honestly. Sounds like you had a rough experience but good thing everything worked out for you. Thanks for sharing your story!
I did mention in the post that insurance paid for a good portion of the roof, but thanks for highlighting that! A new roof certainly costs more than $500, which is why it’s very important to have homeowners’ insurance. As much as people like to complain about insurance, it’s very important to have, especially if something like this happens and you need to have your roof replaced.
Thanks for commenting!
Ah yes you did mention it. I must have missed that. You’re right, it’s definitely a good lesson to be prepared for anything.
That’s crazy that one of your roofers feel through your roof and into your living room! That must have been really scary. One thing you might want to ask a roofing contractor before they start work on you roof is if they have the proper safety equipment. It can be a serious liability to the company or you should someone get seriously injured on the job.
Thank you for the suggestion, Aaron!
Thanks for your post. I agree with you that it is probably best to not be home when the new roof is being installed. It probably isn’t as big a deal when they are putting the shingles on, though I do imagine that it will be very noisy. I just worry about the debris from the old shingles.
My family and I are going to have our roof replaced, so I’m grateful I was able to find your post! I never would have thought about doing any of the things that you have listed, especially boarding my pets like you suggest. My pets are typically pretty calm, but I imagine that having someone working on the roof could worry them a little bit. I’m going to take your advice and put my pets into a boarding kennel before the re-roofing starts! Thank you for the great tips!
I think that your first tip is the most important for your sanity. I, too, had a new roof installed and I decided to stay home. Just like you say, the noise was horrible. I couldn’t concentrate on anything the whole time the crew was there. I would recommend leaving for the whole thing.
You have some great tips here for preparing for a new roof installation. I would never have thought of all these myself, and we are looking at getting a new roof soon, so thank you! I will make sure to cover up everything, I can imagine how big a mess you had to deal with.
THANK you so much! I’ve been trying to get our roof replaced for the last 9 months and suddenly he’s coming today (just found out 10 minutes ago!). I was planning on laying in bed today and I have daily head pain and get migraines from loud noise, but I wasn’t even thinking of the noise…duh! SO VERY THANKFUL FOR YOUR INSIGHTS! Don’t know what I’ll do, but I do have ear plugs, so at least I can start off with those before I have to find shelter somewhere else. Getting ready to cover stuff–eww…bird carcasses; we live in a log cabin without an attic, so I hope none fall down! Poor you! Will also take down important pics! Looking forward to the rain staying outside though when the new roof is up and I REALLY appreciate you sharing your experience and insights. Hope you no longer have any problem with monsoons in your home! Blessings!
You are so welcome!! I’m so glad you found it helpful! Ear plugs will certainly help, but it’s really a steady “thud thud thud” that, I would imagine, really bother someone who suffers from head pain/migraines! I don’t get migraines, and even I was having trouble concentrating while they were working (and I got a headache, too!)
Please, please cover stuff! I really wish I had, it was pretty gross. But like you said, a new roof is GREAT and it keeps out rain, helps keep the house insulated, saves money, etc. We no longer have any problems with monsoons, in terms of water leaking at least! 🙂
Best of luck and let me know how it goes!!
I’d like to know where Home Advisor got those prices from. In Florida, they start in the $20Ks and go up from there and our home is only about 2000 sq ft, and in a working class neighborhood. We’re required by HOA to use tile, and the lowest quote we got was $28K. They all (4 siff companies) also said the roof replacement would take a month (not a few days). Who can afford a month in a hotel, and boarding of pets?!!
must have been pretty skinny guy framing would never allow a hum to fall through an entire roof to a living room.
He was pretty thin from what I remember, I also think our roof was shot and he stepped on a rotted area, so that could be it too.
Thanks for your suggestion to call around late winter or early spring when a lot of roofing companies are offering discounts or during a time of year when there is less demand in my particular area. My husband and I are thinking of redoing the exterior of our home, including the roof and color of vinyl siding, to spruce up the place. We’ll have to call around to find a great roofing company in our area!
Crazy that a guy fell through, always use proper safety equipment or a licensed contractor with a great track record of safety – we’ve seen this happen to a few homeowners when delaying repairs for too long.
Ok. So we are actually getting one TODAY and YES it is ridiculous. How is this even possible in the time of COVID? NOT-ESSENTIAL. And, we have no where to go. Ugh.
I’m a bit late to the party haha. But anyway I’m from the UK and I’m due to have my roof replaced and chimney removed followed by a few new ceilings (due to previous work men sticking legs through the ceiling- which by the way was messy but hilarious- the holes were patched up badly) your post made me laugh and I will take your word on moving out for a few days. Thanks 🙏🏼