Compare Each Roofer's Plan for Hanging Planters and Wind Chimes on Roof Day

Look up at the eave of your Chesterfield house and count what hangs there. Most homes have a hanging basket on a hook, a wind chime on a bracket, a lantern on a chain, or a bird feeder clipped to the fascia. None of these is part of the roof, so most roof bids leave them out. The crew does not leave them out. They work directly above the eave all day, tearing off old shingles and sending the debris down a chute or into a dumpster, and anything hanging in that line is in the way.

This page is for the homeowner who is partway through choosing a roofer and wants one specific answer: what happens to the things hanging off the eave on the day the crew arrives. That answer should be written into the bid, and the answers from different roofers often differ in ways that matter.

Why the eave is the problem

In Chesterfield the eave takes the most traffic on a roof job. Ladders go up against the gutter line, tear-off debris drops past the fascia, and boot traffic on the lower courses shakes anything mounted nearby. A hanging planter that swings through a shingle drop can crack its pot or tear its hook out of soft fascia. A wind chime struck by a falling shingle fragment can lose its clapper. A hook screwed into a rafter tail or into the fascia board has to come out before the fascia is touched, and it has to go back into a spot that still holds.

Freeze and thaw matters here too. Over a St. Louis winter, a hook set in a split or weathered fascia board works loose, and the planter then drops in the first hard wind. If the roofer removes the hook and puts it back in the same hole, that hole may no longer hold. Ask about this before the tear-off, not after.

Roofer comparison

Each roofer will have a way of handling these items, and most will not volunteer it. Send the same question to each one and compare the replies line by line. Look for these points:

• Whether the crew removes the hanging items before the tear-off starts, or whether the homeowner must take them down.
• Whether the hooks, brackets and chains come off with the fixture, and who keeps them.
• Where the crew will set the ladder relative to any hook or bracket that stays up.
• Whether the roofer reinstalls each hook in its original hole or moves it to a new spot, and what fastener they use.
• Who patches any hole left in fascia or trim, and whether that patch is named in the scope.
• What happens to a planter, chime or feeder that is broken during the work.

A roofer who says the crew will simply be careful has not answered the question. Ask them to name the steps. A roofer who says the homeowner should take everything down personally is also giving an answer, and it belongs in the bid so the timing is clear before the crew is scheduled.

Pay attention to the timing language. Some roofers want the items gone the day before the crew comes, which means the homeowner must act on a set date. Others remove the items on the morning of the work. Both can work, but the date should be in writing.

What it costs

Removing and reinstalling a hook or bracket takes a short amount of crew time, but it is still labor, and the bid should show it. Some roofers fold it into general labor. Others list it as a separate line. Neither approach is wrong, but a bid that says nothing leaves you guessing whether the reinstall is included.

Ask whether any patching of fascia, trim or soffit is in the price. A hole left from a removed hook is small, yet it is an opening in the building envelope and should be sealed and painted or matched. If the roofer excludes the patch, the bid should say so plainly so you can plan for it separately. Also ask what happens if an item is broken. Most bids will not cover a planter or a wind chime, because those belong to you, so the bid should state that the homeowner removes them and the roofer does not replace them.

When you compare totals, put the eave-item line next to the others. A bid that looks lower may simply have left out the reinstall and the patch. A bid that looks higher may include both. The difference is in the scope, not in the headline price.

What to ask

Send these questions to each roofer in writing and compare the answers when they come back:

1. Which hanging items on the eave do you remove, and which do I need to take down myself?
2. How many days before the tear-off do you need those items gone?
3. Where will the ladder sit, and does it touch any hook or bracket that stays up?
4. Do you reinstall hooks in the same holes, and what fastener do you use?
5. Who patches any hole in the fascia or trim, and is that patch in the scope?
6. If a planter, chime or feeder is broken during the work, what is your process?
7. Will the crew check each reinstalled hook before they leave the site?

Written answers are easy to compare. A roofer who answers each question in clear, specific terms has given you a usable record. A roofer who answers in general terms has told you the crew will be careful, and nothing more.

Where to start

Walk the eave before you call anyone back. Note every hook, bracket, chain and feeder, and photograph each one along with its place on the fascia. Then send the list and the photos with your questions to each roofer. The photos make the replies specific, and the list keeps every bid measured against the same items.

If you want to talk through what a bid says about the eave, Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333.