Compare How Each Roofer Parks and Idles on Your Street

A roof crew does not stop being your neighbor when it drives off the job. For the days it takes to tear off and reshingle a house, its work trucks sit at the curb, a trailer or dumpster takes up part of the street, and engines run while bundles of shingles are unloaded and tools are loaded. Many homeowners only think about this after a neighbor calls. Before you choose a roofer, you can ask each one where the trucks will park, how long they will idle, and who moves them when the street gets blocked.

Roofer comparison

Each written bid should answer three questions about the street. First, where will the work trucks and any trailer stop, and does that spot sit in front of a driveway, a fire hydrant, or a neighbor's mailbox? Second, will a delivery truck need to stop during the day, and if so, at what hour? Third, what does the roofer do when a car is already parked in the spot the crew planned to use?

A roofer who has worked on your type of street will answer these quickly and in specifics, such as which side of the street stays clear and the time the shingle truck usually arrives. A roofer who has not will often say they will figure it out on the day. That is an honest answer, but it leaves you nothing to hold them to. Compare the answers side by side. The bid that names a parking spot, a delivery window, and a plan for a blocked spot gives you something to check on the first morning. The bid that is silent gives you a surprise.

Street rules differ by place. In the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and the smaller cities inside the county, the right-of-way belongs to the municipality, so a dumpster, trailer, or stored material in the street may need a temporary permit from the city that controls that block. The municipal desk for your address can tell you whether that applies. Some cities also restrict parking on one side of a narrow street during certain hours, and a crew that has not checked can get a ticket or a tow notice on day one. Ask each roofer who pulls the street permit, when it will be filed, and whether a copy will come to you.

What it costs

Idling is a cost that shows up in fuel and in the neighbors' patience. A work truck left running for an hour while the crew waits on a delivery burns fuel that is not free, and in cold weather crews often run engines to keep diesel fuel flowing and cabs warm. In summer the same truck may run its air conditioning. None of this has to appear as a line on your bill, but it is part of the roofer's overhead, and the way a roofer plans for it tells you how the job will be run.

Some municipalities have anti-idling rules that limit how long a vehicle may run while parked on a public street, and some apply only to certain vehicle types or hours. You can ask your city clerk or the municipal desk whether your street has any such rule. If it does, the roofer's plan should say how the crew will stay inside it, for example by shutting off engines during waits and timing the delivery closer to the moment it is needed.

Permit fees for a street obstruction vary by city, so the question that matters is who pays them and whether the bid includes them. If the bid does not mention a street permit at all, ask whether it will be added later as a separate charge. A permit fee that appears on the final invoice with no earlier mention is the same kind of surprise as a missing dumpster line. Put it in the written scope before you sign, with the amount or the word included next to it.

Trailer rental, if the roofer uses one for debris or equipment, is also a cost to ask about. Find out whether the trailer is included in the bid, how many days it stays on the street, and whether it is removed at the end of each workday or left overnight. A trailer left on the street overnight takes up space for longer, and it is more likely to draw a complaint.

What to ask

Send each roofer the same short list of written questions, and compare the replies rather than the tone of the phone call. Ask:

• Which side of the street will the work trucks use, and which spot stays clear for driveways and hydrants?
• Who files any street or right-of-way permit, when will it be filed, and will I receive a copy?
• Does the bid include the permit fee, the trailer, and any dumpster placement on the street?
• What hours will the material delivery arrive, and where will the truck stop while it unloads?
• Will engines be left running during waits, and if so, for how long? Does the plan follow any idling limit in my city?
• If a neighbor's car blocks the planned spot, who moves to the next spot, and who tells me?
• Will any trailer or equipment stay on the street overnight or over a weekend?
• Who on the crew is the contact for street questions each day, and how do I reach that person?

Ask for the answers in writing and keep them with the scope. A parking plan that exists only in conversation is usually forgotten by the second day. If a roofer hesitates on any of these, that hesitation is useful information before the first truck reaches the curb. Questions like these are worth putting to every roofer in writing, and the Keys Roofing office can be reached at (314) 220-2333 for the same questions about any job.