A fire pit, chiminea, or outdoor fireplace in a Creve Coeur backyard can look like ordinary yard furniture on a sunny afternoon in May. On the day the old shingles come off, it is a source of hot ash that a light wind can carry up over the eave. Roof crews do not usually plan around it, and many bids do not mention it, so the homeowner has to bring it up. This page covers where the embers go, what a bid should say about the feature, and what to ask before a crew date is set.
Town roofing
Creve Coeur has a range of lot shapes. Some older streets have deep back yards with patios close to the house, and some newer lots are narrower, with a deck that runs nearly to the property line. The fire feature matters to the roof in three ways: how far it sits from the eave, whether it sits under an overhang or beside one, and which way the wind usually blows across your lot during the spring and fall months when much of the roof work is scheduled.
Hot ash does not need a visible flame to cause trouble. A pit that was lit the night before can still hold coals, and a bucket of ash emptied into a bin can keep smoldering for hours. Roof work in St. Louis tends to run through spring and early fall, which means warm afternoons, dry decking, and crews working on open roofs for a day or more at a time. A fresh bundle of underlayment is not a surface you want anything dropped onto.
The roof is not the only exposure. A fire pit near the house also sits in the path where the crew stages tear-off debris, the dumpster line, and the magnetic sweep. If the feature has a stone ring, a chiminea on a paver pad, or a propane fire table, each of those belongs on the lot plan. Keys Roofing walks the yard with the homeowner before the first nail and records the position of each feature in the written scope, with photos and measurements, so the homeowner holds the same record the crew works from.
The distance and the wind
No single number settles this. A fire pit ten feet from a house with a wide overhang is a different question than the same pit sitting at the back fence. The useful checks are simple. Measure the distance from the fire ring to the nearest eave, note whether that eave is open or boxed, and watch the lot on a windy afternoon to see which way smoke and ash drift. Write those three facts down. They are the inputs a roofer needs to say whether the feature moves for the job, stays put with a cover, or gets set aside for the week.
What it costs
Moving a fire pit is not normally a roofing line item, and a roof bid does not have to price the feature itself. What the bid does need to show is who handles the move, whether that work is in the price or left to the homeowner, and what happens if the feature cannot be moved on the day the crew arrives. A line that says the homeowner will relocate the pit is a decision, and it should be written as one. A line that says nothing is a gap that gets resolved on the roof, in the middle of the morning.
If the feature is a stone ring, a patio block, or a heavy cast iron piece, the homeowner may hire a separate hauler or a landscaper to move it, and that cost sits outside the roof price. If the roofer agrees to move a light metal pit or a portable chiminea as part of the job, the bid should say so and name the labor. Neither choice is wrong. What matters is whether the number on paper matches what will happen in the yard.
Ask whether any cover, lid, or temporary metal container for ash is included. A closed metal bin costs little, and leaving it out is how a loose ash pile ends up beside the house.
What to ask
Before a crew date is set, put these questions to each roofer in writing and compare the answers on one sheet:
- Where does the bid place the fire pit, chiminea, or grill relative to the eave and the tear-off debris, and is that position written into the scope?
- Who moves the feature, and is the move priced in the bid or left to the homeowner?
- Will the feature be cold, covered, and clear of the roof work for the full period the roof is open, including the day the underlayment goes down?
- Does the crew have a rule for hot ash, such as a metal container with a lid, and who empties it?
- If an ember or a scorch mark appears on the new roof, the deck, or the siding after the work is done, who inspects it and who repairs it under the written scope?
Ask for the answers in the proposal itself. A verbal promise at the door is not part of the scope, and the crew will work from the written document. If a roofer says the fire pit will be fine but the proposal is silent on it, the gap should be closed before anyone signs.
Timing the fire pit around the roof
Much of the risk falls on the first and last days. Tear-off produces the heaviest dust and debris, and the open deck on the first day is the most exposed part of the job. The final day, when the crew cleans the yard and runs the magnet, is when a stray coal or a dropped ash bin can be missed. Ask the roofer which days the feature will be off limits and whether the homeowner should keep it cold for an extra day after the work ends.
Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333 to talk through the lot before a date is set. Bring the distance, the wind notes, and any photos of the feature in place, and ask for the lot plan to be attached to the proposal.