Your Bird Feeders and Birdbath Need a Line in Each Roof Bid

Most St. Louis yards have a feeder on a pole, a birdbath on a pedestal, or both, and many of them sit within a few feet of the house where the roof crew will work. A tear-off throws granules, nails and torn felt over a wide area. Ladders, shingle bundles and a dumpster can all land on a bath that was set down for the afternoon. Before you pick a roofer, the question is not whether the birds will mind. The question is whether each bid says who moves these items, when they move, and where they go while the roof is open.

Why these items get missed

A feeder is usually not on the house scope. It belongs to the yard, and a roofing proposal is written around the house. The estimator walks the roofline, counts squares and notes the gutters, then leaves. Yard items come up on the day, when the crew asks where to set the ladder and the homeowner remembers the feeder. That is when a pole gets knocked over, a glass feeder cracks, or a birdbath gets moved onto soft clay that holds water after a rain.

Ceramic and concrete birdbaths are also fragile in a St. Louis spring. Hail that comes through in April or May can crack a bath that has survived several winters. Neither the roofer nor the homeowner can prevent hail, but a written list of what sat in the yard before the work started gives you a dated record if an item is damaged during the job. It also gives the crew a clear reason to move the item first.

Winter adds its own problem. A birdbath left full through a freeze can crack at the base, and an empty one can hold a little meltwater that refreezes. If the roof job runs into the cold months, ask each roofer whether the bath should be emptied and stored, and who does it.

What each bid should say

Read the proposal for three things. The first is a named item list, not a phrase like "protect landscaping." A line that says "bird feeder on pole at north corner, birdbath on pedestal by the patio door" tells the crew what they are responsible for. The second is who moves each item. Some bids say the homeowner clears everything before the start date. Others say the crew moves items at the start of each day and returns them at the end. Both can be reasonable, but the bid should say which one applies. The third is where the items go while the roof is open. A bath placed on the lawn beside the house can be struck by a falling bundle. A feeder carried to the back fence is outside the drop zone.

Feeders deserve their own line. Seed hulls and spilled seed land in the gutters and the drip area below the eave, and some homeowners stop filling feeders for the length of the job. Ask whether the roofer wants the feeder down for the whole job or only on the days the crew works that side of the house. The answer changes whether you need to tell the neighbors, and whether the birds will come back to a feeder that has been moved twice.

Ask also whether the crew will run a magnet or sweep through the yard after the tear-off. Birdbaths collect nails and granules in the water, which is a problem for the birds. A magnet pass over the bath area is a small step that some bids include and others leave out.

What it costs

Moving a feeder by hand takes an hour or two and a little seed. A crew that moves a pole-mounted feeder, a stone pedestal or a heavy ornament is doing extra work, and that work should appear as a line in the bid if you want the crew to do it. Some bids include the move with no separate line. Others add a charge or leave the move out and bill it later as a change. The lowest number is not always the cleanest bid. If the lowest bid leaves the move to be settled on the morning the work starts, the cost has only been postponed.

Repair or replacement of a broken feeder or birdbath is a separate question. If the crew damages an item, the written scope should say who replaces it and whether that means a repair or a cash amount. If the item breaks from weather during the job, the roofer's responsibility depends on what was documented before the start. This is why a dated photo of each item, taken before the crew arrives, belongs in your file.

What to ask each roofer

Send the same questions to each company in writing, so the answers can be compared side by side:

1. Which items on my property do you want moved before the start date, and which will your crew move?
2. Where will each item be stored during the tear-off, and is that location outside the drop zone?
3. Will the feeder come down for the whole job, or only on the days the crew works that side of the house?
4. Is a magnet or sweep included in the yard after the tear-off, and will the birdbath be checked for debris?
5. If a birdbath or feeder is broken during the job, does your scope say whether it is repaired or replaced?
6. Will you give me a dated photo log of the yard before the first nail?

A roofer who answers these with specifics has thought about the yard. A roofer who says "we take care of it" has given you an answer without saying what it covers. Compare the replies line by line, and ask for the item list to be written into the contract. If you want to walk through your yard with Keys Roofing before you sign, call the office at (314) 220-2333.