How to Prepare Your Home for a Roof Restoration

5 min read

You’ve booked your roof restoration - great. Now what? While we take care of everything on the roof, there are a few simple things you can do before our crew arrives to make the process smoother, faster, and less stressful for everyone.

This checklist covers what to do the day before (or morning of) your scheduled roof restoration.

Outside the House

Clear Access

• Unlock side gates - we need to access all sides of the house with ladders and equipment
• Move bins, pot plants, and garden furniture away from the house perimeter - at least 2-3 metres from the walls if possible
• Clear the driveway - we’ll need space for our vehicle and equipment. If you have a second car that can be parked on the street, that helps
• Retract or remove shade sails and awnings that are attached to the house or overhang the roof edge

Protect Your Garden

• Move any delicate potted plants away from the roof edge - water runoff during the pressure clean carries grime and cleaning solution
• If you have garden beds right against the house, we’ll do our best to protect them, but moving any prized plants temporarily is a good idea
• Note any sprinkler heads or irrigation near the house that could be damaged by ladder placement - point these out to the crew leader

Vehicles and Outdoor Items

• Move cars from directly under or beside the house - overspray and water runoff are unavoidable during cleaning and painting
• Cover or move outdoor furniture, BBQs, and trampolines that are within a few metres of the house
• Take in any washing from the clothesline the day before and leave it in until the job is complete

Pets

• Keep dogs inside or in a secure area away from the work zone - ladders, equipment, and crews moving around can stress pets, and we don’t want anyone getting bitten or a dog escaping through an open gate
• If you have outdoor cats, they’ll generally stay clear on their own, but it’s worth keeping them in for the pressure-cleaning day

Inside the House

Ceiling Spaces

• Let us know if you have anything stored in the roof cavity - the pressure cleaning can occasionally dislodge dust and debris in the ceiling space
• If you have ceiling-mounted smoke detectors, they may trigger during pressure cleaning due to vibration. You don’t need to disconnect them, but be aware it might happen

Windows and Skylights

• Close all windows and skylights - this seems obvious but we mention it because it happens more often than you’d think. The pressure clean uses 3,000+ PSI water and it will find any gap
• Check that window seals are intact - if you know a particular window leaks in heavy rain, let us know so we can take extra care around it

Evaporative Air Conditioners

• If you have an evaporative cooler on the roof, make sure it’s turned off during the restoration. We’ll need to work around it and may need to temporarily move or cover parts of it
• Let us know if it’s been leaking - this is one of the most common leak sources on Perth roofs and we can often address it during the restoration

Communication

Tell the Crew Leader

On the morning of day one, it’s helpful to point out:

• Any known leaks - even if they seem minor. While we’re up there, we can investigate
• Any areas of the roof you’re particularly concerned about - a section that looks worse than the rest, a spot where tiles were replaced years ago, etc.
• Access restrictions - if a neighbour’s property is very close on one side, if there’s a pool fence we need to work around, etc.
• Your preferred contact method - phone or text - so we can send progress updates and photos

Neighbours

• Give your immediate neighbours a heads up - a roof restoration involves noise (pressure washer, compressor) and water runoff. Most neighbours appreciate the courtesy of being told in advance. Let them know the approximate duration (typically 2-3 days)
• If your neighbour parks close to the shared boundary, ask them to leave a bit of extra space during the job

What You Don’t Need to Do

• You don’t need to be home - just make sure we can access the property. Leave a key with us or in a lockbox if gates need opening
• You don’t need to provide water or power - we bring our own pressure washer and generator. If you’re happy for us to use your outdoor tap and power point, that saves us setup time, but it’s not required
• You don’t need to get on the roof - please don’t. Leave the inspecting to us. We’ll send photos of everything we find

On the Day

Expect noise from about 7:30am. The pressure cleaning is the loudest part and usually happens on day one. Painting days are much quieter. We clean up at the end of each day - paths, driveways, and any mess from the work.

If you have any questions during the job, talk to the crew leader on site or call our office. We want you to be completely comfortable with the process from start to finish. If you haven’t booked yet and want to lock in a date, you can request a quote and we’ll take it from there.