If your Creve Coeur lot has a basketball hoop on a pole at the end of the driveway, or a portable backboard parked near the garage, it is in the path of the roof crew. The hoop often sits closer to the house than people expect, because the driveway apron is where the goal usually goes, and the eave overhangs that apron on many of the ranch and split-level houses in the area. Before the tear-off starts, someone needs to decide whether the hoop comes down, moves, or stays put with a cover over it.
Why a hoop gets in the way
A roof crew works from ladders, and the old material comes off in a steady stream that drops over the edge of the eave. Shingles are staged in bundles on the driveway or the lawn, and a dumpster sits on the drive or at the curb. A pole base set in concrete is not a problem by itself. The trouble is the backboard and rim, which stick out over the drive at about the height a shingle bundle or a chunk of old felt will reach. Kids also tend to use a hoop on the same afternoon a crew is working, and a crew cannot stop every game to move a ladder.
The pole is a ladder problem too. A crew may need to set a ladder at the eave closest to the hoop, and a post in the way can force the ladder to a bad angle or keep the crew from standing square to the wall. A portable hoop with a weighted base is easier to move, but it still needs a clear rule about where it goes while the work runs.
Three ways to handle it
The first option is to take the hoop down for the length of the job. A pole that was built to be removed can be unbolted or lifted out of its sleeve, and the rim and net come off by hand. Ask the roofer whether the crew will do this or whether you should do it yourself before the first day. If the pole is set in concrete with no removable sleeve, this option is off the table, and one of the other two applies.
The second option is to move a portable hoop to the back yard or the side yard for the work days. This is the simplest choice for a homeowner with a weighted base. Pick a spot that is clear of the dumpster route and of the path between the house and the street, so the move does not create a new problem.
The third option is to leave the hoop in place and cover the backboard and rim with a heavy tarp or a moving blanket while the crew works beneath it. This works only if the roofer agrees, because the cover has to hold in wind and must not block the ladder line. If you choose this option, put it in writing on the scope.
What to ask each roofer
Compare the answers across bids, because the answers show how each crew plans to work your lot. Ask these questions before you sign:
- Does the bid include moving or removing the hoop, or is that left to the homeowner?
- Where will the dumpster sit, and does that spot clear the hoop post and the backboard?
- Where will the ladder go at the eave closest to the hoop?
- Who puts the cover on if you keep the hoop in place, and who takes it off?
- When the hoop goes back up, who sets it, and who checks the base for damage?
A roofer who answers all five with a specific plan usually has thought about your lot. A roofer who says the hoop is the homeowner's problem has told you the bid does not cover it, and the cost of moving it may then show up as a second trip. Ask that the answer appear on the written scope, not only in the conversation.
Creve Coeur lots and the driveway apron
Many Creve Coeur homes have a driveway that runs close to the garage and the side of the house, and some have a turnaround in front of the garage door. A hoop at the apron is often within reach of a dumpster loaded at the driveway edge. If your driveway is narrow, the crew may need the dumpster on the street or on a strip of lawn, and that changes where the hoop fits. Measure the distance from the hoop base to the eave before the crew arrives. A tape measure and a phone photo are enough to show the roofer where the hoop sits relative to the roof edge.
If the hoop sits on a sloped part of the lot, the base may be set higher than the driveway. Check whether the base is anchored into a footing that extends into the soil, because a loose base can shift when the crew stands near it. A roofer should not lean on the pole to steady a ladder, and that is worth saying out loud at the start of the job.
Protect the hoop, and document it
Before the first day, photograph the hoop, the pole, the backboard, and the base. Note the condition of the net and the rim. A dated set of photos shows what was there before the crew arrived, and it helps if anything is damaged during the work. Keep the photos with your copy of the written scope. Do not sign any release that takes away the crew's responsibility for the hoop without reading that release first.
When the work is done, check the hoop before you put it back in use. Look at the base for loose bolts, and look at the rim for bends from a dropped bundle or a tool. If anything is damaged, tell the roofer in writing on the day you find it, with photos attached.
What it costs
Moving a portable hoop is a few minutes of work, and the cost of moving a pole set in concrete depends on how much labor it takes to remove or reset it. The bid should show that work as a separate line rather than a vague allowance. Ask each roofer for the number, or ask whether it is already included, so the bids can be compared on the same terms. Keys can walk the lot with you and write the hoop into the scope with photos and measurements, so you can decide which of the three options fits your yard before the crew is on the roof.