Many lots in Creve Coeur fall toward the back of the house, and that is where a walkout basement often opens onto a patio. The lower roof over that patio is usually a shorter run tied into the main house, and it tends to get less attention in a roof bid than the large slopes do. When the main roof comes off, the lower edge takes the nails, torn underlayment, granules, and old shingles that slide down the slope. If the patio is not covered, cleared, and planned, all of that ends up on the pavers, the furniture, and the grill.
Town roofing
Start by walking the patio with the roof in mind. Look at where the lower roof edge sits over the pavers, the steps, and any built-in seating. Note whether there is a gutter at that edge, whether the downspout empties onto the patio, and whether a rail or post sits within a few feet of the drip line. Those details decide where the debris will fall and where a crew can safely set a ladder. Take photos from the patio looking up at the lower roof so the crew and the office have the same starting picture.
Freeze and thaw matters here in a way it does not on a flat backyard slab. St. Louis winters push water into the joints of concrete and stone pavers, and a patio that has heaved a little will have loose or uneven sections. Heavy foot traffic from a tear-off crew, plus a dropped bundle or a pile of tear-off debris, can shift those sections further. Ask whether the crew plans to walk the patio at all, and if they do, where they will stack material so that the weight does not sit on the loosest pavers.
Spring hail season adds another reason to settle this early. If your roof is scheduled for spring and a storm hits while the tear-off is open, the lower edge is one of the first places loose material will move. A crew that has already covered the patio and set a clear work zone will have less to clean up after a storm passes through.
Permits are the other piece. Ask the permit desk that covers your address whether the permit lists every roof section on the house, including a lower roof over a patio or porch. If the permit describes only the main slopes, the lower section may need its own line on the application or on the roofing contract, and it is better to find that out before the crew arrives than during the inspection. The contractor should be able to tell you what the permit covers in writing.
What it costs
Patio protection is a real line item, and it is easy to leave out of a bid. The usual items are plywood or heavy tarps over the pavers, labor to move and cover patio furniture, a grill or propane tank that has to be shut off and moved, and cleanup of the patio after the nails and granules come off. Some bids include all of that under general cleanup. Others list it as an allowance or leave it out completely. Neither approach is wrong by itself, but the two bids will not compare well until you know which one you have.
Ask whether the pavers get swept and checked for nails by a magnet, and whether that check is part of the bid or billed separately. A missed nail on a patio is a small problem on the day of the work and a larger one when a child or a dog finds it later. The same applies to any washing of the pavers or the deck surface. If the bid says the patio will be cleaned, ask what that means in practice: a broom sweep, a magnetic sweep, or a pressure wash with a stated limit.
If the lower roof needs repair beyond the shingles, such as flashing at the wall or a damaged gutter at the edge, that work belongs on the same written scope. Keys documents the damage with photos and measurements and puts a written scope in your hands, and the scope should show the lower roof as its own section with its own measurements, not as a rounded number folded into the main roof.
What to ask
- Does the written scope list the lower roof over the patio as a separate section with its own square count?
- Who covers the pavers and patio furniture, with what material, and does that cost sit inside the bid?
- Where will the dumpster and the material stack be placed, and does the patio need to stay clear of either?
- Will the crew walk on the patio, and if so, where will they stand and where will the bundles wait?
- Is there a magnetic sweep of the patio and the lawn beside it at the end of the day, and is that in the bid?
- Does the permit cover every roof section on the house, including the lower roof, and who confirms that with the permit desk?
- If the gutter at the lower edge is replaced or re-hung, is that line in the bid, and does the downspout still drain away from the patio?
Call the Keys office at (314) 220-2333 with the answers in hand, and ask for the patio section of the scope to be walked on site before the start date is set. A short walk now is cheaper than a grill moved in the rain on the morning of the tear-off.