Compare the Prep List Each Roofer Sends Before Day One

Most roofers send some kind of prep list before the crew shows up. It may arrive as a one-page email, a printed sheet taped to the front door, or a section of the contract. The list tells you what to move, what to cover, and what to do before the first truck rolls onto your street. Two roofers can send very different lists for the same house, and those differences show how much planning sits behind each bid. This page explains how to set the lists side by side so you can see which roofer has thought through your property and which one is hoping you will sort it out on the day.

Get the list in writing, and date it

A prep list that exists only in a phone call does not give you much to compare. Ask each roofer to send the list by email or on paper, and check whether it carries a date and the job address. An undated list cannot be matched against a later version, and if the roofer revises it after you sign, you need to know which copy governs. Note whether the list says it replaces earlier documents or sits alongside the contract. A list that says nothing about its status should be treated as advice, not as a commitment.

Check how far ahead it arrives

Count the days between the date you received the list and the planned start. A list that arrives two days before tear-off leaves little room to clear a driveway, move patio furniture or arrange for a pet sitter. Ask each roofer when the prep list will reach you relative to the start date, and write the answer down. Roofers who send the list at signing usually have a fixed schedule. Roofers who say it will come "closer to the date" may still be building the job around crew availability, so ask them to name the day.

Read the list for specifics, not reminders

A useful prep list names things. It says which side of the house the dumpster will sit on, whether the crew will need the side gate open, and which exterior outlets they may use. It names the hours the crew will be on site and says when the job stops for the day. A weak list reads like a generic reminder: "Please clear your yard and secure valuables." That sentence does not tell you what the crew will do or where. Give each list a simple tally, with one point for each item that names a location, a time or a person. A list that scores low on specifics has left the planning to you.

Look for the items that matter most in St. Louis. Freeze and thaw cycles mean a pre-start walk can turn up older flashing or soft decking that the crew needs to reach early, so the list should say how the crew will access the attic if that happens. Hail season bends gutters and fascia, so the list should say whether the crew will protect the gutter line during the work. Ice damming at the eave can leave stains on the ceiling below, and the list should tell you where to look and whom to call. Each of these is a place where a generic list falls short.

Ask what the list asks you to do

Count the tasks you are being asked to complete. Some lists ask the homeowner to remove everything from the top shelves of the garage, move every vehicle off the drive, cover every plant and close every window. Others ask for only a few things and say the crew will handle the rest. Neither approach is automatically better. What matters is whether the roofer has set the work in the right order and whether the tasks match what the crew will actually do. A list that asks for an hour of homeowner labor without explaining why should prompt a question.

Ask each roofer whether the crew lead has reviewed the prep list. A list written only by the office may request things the crew does not need, or may miss things the crew will certainly need. If the roofer will confirm in writing that the crew lead has seen the list, you have a clearer line of responsibility than you would from a list that comes from an unnamed office account.

What each list should say about your time

A roof job takes several days, and the homeowner is often asked to be available for a visit, a sign-off or a question. Look at whether the prep list states when your presence is needed and when it is not. Some roofers say no one needs to be home. Others want a contact on site at the start of each morning. The list should name the number the crew will call if something comes up, and it should say whether that number is the office line or a crew lead's mobile. The office number for Keys Roofing is (314) 220-2333, and a prep list from any roofer should say who answers the phone during the job.

Questions to put to each roofer after the list arrives

• When did you send this list, and does it replace anything I already signed?
• Who on your crew reviewed it, and will you name that person?
• Which days will the crew need the driveway, side gate and garage clear?
• Where will the dumpster and material pile sit, and who decides that spot?
• What time does the crew start and stop on each day of the job?
• Which number should I call during the job, and who answers it?
• If I cannot finish a listed task before the start, what happens to the schedule?

Write each answer next to the roofer's name. A roofer who answers quickly and specifically has done the planning. A roofer who answers in general terms has made a promise you cannot check.

When the list leaves a gap

Sometimes a prep list leaves out the one thing that matters most for your house. An older chimney, a finished attic, a pool fence or a shared fence line may need a note the list does not contain. Read each list against the rooms and features of your house, and mark every gap in your own notes. Send those gaps to the roofer as a short written question. The answer belongs in writing too, either as an addendum to the contract or as a corrected prep list with a new date.

Missouri has no state rule that sets what a roofing prep list must contain, so the document depends on each company's own practice. That makes it a useful comparison point. Two roofers who both promise a clean job may differ sharply in how much of the planning they put in writing before the crew arrives.

Keeping the comparison honest

Keep each list in the same folder as the signed contract and the written scope. When the crew arrives, check the list against what actually happens. If the crew asked you to move something the list did not mention, or left a mess the list said they would clean, write it down with the date and time. A dated record makes the next conversation with the roofer shorter, and it gives you a clear reference if the job runs into trouble later.