Roof Day Odors: What Each Roofer Should Say About Windows

A roof job brings a smell that most homeowners do not expect. Asphalt shingles, underlayment, sealants and the adhesive used at flashing can all give off a sharp odor, and it is strongest on warm afternoons when the roof surface is hot. If your windows are open, if a child or pet is sensitive to smell, or if someone in the house has asthma, the question is not whether there will be a smell. The question is what each roofer will do about it, and when. This page gives you the points to compare across bids and the questions to put to each roofer before a start date is set.

Roofer comparison

Two bids can describe the same roof and say nothing about odor. Read each one for four things: the products named, the hours the sealing is scheduled for, the plan for windows and air intakes, and who the homeowner calls on the day.

• Named products. A bid that says "sealant" and "underlayment" leaves you guessing. Ask for the brand and product name of each material that will be opened on the roof or at the flashing, so you can look up its label and safety data sheet yourself.
• Timing. Sealant and adhesive go on more easily in warm weather, but warm air carries the smell further and faster. Ask whether the crew will do close-up sealing in the morning, when the roof is cooler and the windows on that side can stay closed during the work.
• Window plan. Some crews close the windows on the work side as a routine. Others leave that to the homeowner. Neither approach is wrong, but the bid should say which one applies to your house.
• Air intakes. Furnace returns, bath fans and attic hatches can pull odor into the living space. Compare whether each roofer says how these will be handled, or whether they leave them running and hope for the best.

A roofer who answers all four in writing has thought about your house. A roofer who answers with "it is normal, you will be fine" has not.

What it costs

Odor control is rarely a separate line on a roof bid. It usually sits inside the labor, and that is the first thing to confirm. Ask whether any of these appear as a priced item, are included in the crew's time, or are not covered at all: switching the furnace off for part of a day, running a window fan, returning for a second visit to finish sealing when the weather is cooler, or moving a sensitive person's room away from the work side.

Substitution can change the number. Some roofers offer a lower-odor product in place of the standard one. Ask whether that substitution is listed as an alternate and what it costs, and whether the product installed is the one named in the manufacturer's spec for your roof. Do not accept a "same thing" answer without the product name in front of you.

What to ask

1. Which products will produce odor during the job, listed by brand and product name?
2. Which hours of the day will sealing and adhesive work happen, and can the schedule move if the weather turns warm?
3. Who closes the windows on the work side, the crew or the homeowner, and at what point in the day?
4. Will the crew tell you before they work near a furnace return, a bath fan or an attic hatch, so you can decide whether to switch that system off for an hour?
5. Can you have the safety data sheets for those products before the start date?
6. Who decides to pause the work if someone in the house reacts to the smell, and how do you reach that person on the day?

Why St. Louis houses hold the smell

Late fall and winter change the problem. In October and November, most Chesterfield homes have windows shut and the heat running, so the air inside moves slowly and odor lingers. The furnace then draws air from the rooms and the attic, which is why the intake question matters more in cool weather than in July. In spring and early summer the same work sits next to open windows, and the question shifts to the work side and the timing of the sealing.

Cold also changes the sealing. Many sealants have a minimum temperature for application, and crews sometimes hand-seal flashing in cool weather rather than apply it another way. Ask each roofer what temperature range their product needs, and whether a cold morning could push the sealing into a second visit. A joint sealed in the cold can leave a poor bond, which is one more reason to ask for the product name and not just the category.

Reading the answers

Short, specific answers are the signal you want. A reply that names the product, the hour, and the window plan is more useful than a longer reply that says the crew "takes care of the house." If a roofer will not name products, ask them to name the product line in writing and send you the sheets. If the answer arrives within a day, you have also learned something about how the job will be handled.

Ask Keys Roofing the same six questions at (314) 220-2333, and set the answers beside the other bids. The bid with the clearest answers is not always the cheapest, but it is the one where you will know what to expect when the crew arrives.