A backyard chicken coop near the eave is easy to leave off a roof bid, because nobody thinks of it as part of the house. In Creve Coeur, many lots have room for a run, a coop, and a few raised beds along the back wall, and the coop often sits close enough to the gutter line that a ladder, a debris chute, or a trailer will pass right beside it. If your coop is in that zone, the roof crew needs to know where it sits, who moves it, and where the birds will be while the tear-off is underway. This page is for the homeowner who already has a bid in hand and is deciding what to ask next.
Town roofing
Creve Coeur lots vary a good deal. Some are narrow city parcels with a short back yard, and others run long behind the house with room for outbuildings and animal housing. A coop on a short lot often ends up within a few feet of the wall, the downspout, or the side gate. On a longer lot the coop may be farther back, but the crew still has to walk past it to reach the back slope, carry shingle bundles along the side yard, or set a dumpster near the garage. The question is not whether the coop is close to the roof. The question is whether it is inside the path the crew will use, and whether the bid says so.
The St. Louis freeze and thaw cycle adds a wrinkle. Many coops sit on a wood platform, a set of blocks, or a gravel pad that has shifted over several winters. A coop that looks level in October may rock on its base by the time the crew arrives in spring. Before anyone moves a coop, the homeowner should know whether the base can be lifted, whether the coop is anchored to it, and whether the floor boards or the nesting boxes will separate if the structure is picked up.
Where the coop sits against the eave
Start with a tape measure and a sketch. Measure from the coop's nearest corner to the house wall, to the gutter run, and to the nearest downspout. Then measure from the coop to the side gate and to the place where a dumpster or trailer would stop. Write those numbers on the sketch and mark the coop footprint in a different color from the rest of the yard. A roofer who walks the lot will see the coop, but a written number is what keeps the crew from crossing it at seven in the morning.
Ask the crew to show you where the ladders will stand. Ladder placement is one of the first things a crew decides on a tear-off day, and a coop in the path can push the ladder toward the wall or toward the coop run. A ladder foot on wet clay near a coop is also a fall risk, so the homeowner should know whether the crew plans to stand a ladder next to the coop at all. If the answer is yes, the bid should say how the coop will be protected, and whether the crew will move it or simply avoid it.
Moving the coop on roof day
Most coops are not built to be picked up and set down. A small coop may be light enough for two people, but a larger one with a run, a fenced yard, and built-in roosts is a different job. The homeowner should decide early whether the coop stays where it is, moves to a temporary spot in the back yard, or goes into a garage or shed for the length of the job. Each choice has a different cost in labor and in risk to the birds.
The birds need their own plan. A roof crew does not usually handle livestock, and a bid that says nothing about the flock leaves the homeowner to find a place for the birds on the morning the trucks arrive. Common choices include a temporary pen behind the house away from the work zone, a secure room in a garage, or a neighbor's yard for the day. The homeowner should also check whether the birds can stay in the coop while the tear-off is going on above them. Nail sweepings, granules, and shingle dust can reach the run, and a bird that eats a nail or a piece of granule is in trouble. Ask the crew whether they run a daily nail sweep and whether the sweep covers the coop yard.
Noise matters too. A tear-off is loud, and a flock can be frightened by the sound of the air nailers, the pallet jack, and the roof boards coming off. Some keepers move their birds for the whole week. Others keep them in the coop with the door shut and the run covered. Either way, the homeowner should give the crew a clear answer about which days the coop area will be quiet and which days it will not.
Dumpster, trailer and the coop yard
A dumpster is not a small thing next to a coop. Its wheels and sides can crush a wire run, and a bin dropped at an angle can tip a light coop frame. The bid should say where the dumpster lands, how far it is from the run, and whether a coop-side bin is possible at all. If the only clear spot is in the back yard, the homeowner should ask whether the bin will be placed on a board or on the lawn, and who fixes any ruts or dents left behind.
The shingle bundles also need a place to wait. Bundles stacked near a coop can draw animals, and a bundle dropped beside a run can be stepped on by a bird. Ask the crew where the bundles will sit, and ask whether the homeowner can designate a spot away from the coop. This is the same question a homeowner asks about any staging area, but the coop adds a reason to be precise about it.
What it costs
Moving a coop is a labor item, and the cost depends on the size of the coop, the distance it must travel, whether the base needs to be rebuilt, and whether the birds have to be relocated for the day. Some homeowners do the moving themselves before the crew starts. Others ask the roofer to include it. Either way, the bid should show who does the work, and it should not leave the coop move as an unpriced promise. A line that reads coop protected in place, with no mention of the birds or the ladder path, does not tell the homeowner what to expect on the morning of the job.
If the crew is asked to move or protect the coop, the bid should describe the protection. Plywood over the run, a tarp over the coop top, or a fence around the coop yard are all different levels of effort, and each one has a cost. The homeowner should compare those costs across bids, not just the total roof price.
What to ask
- Will the coop stay in place, move to a temporary spot, or go into storage for the job, and who does the moving?
- Where will the ladders stand relative to the coop, and does the crew plan to stand a ladder next to the run?
- Does the bid include a plan for the birds on tear-off days, or is the homeowner expected to provide one?
- Does the daily nail sweep cover the coop yard and the run, and who checks it before the crew leaves?
- Where will the dumpster and the trailer stop, and how far are they from the coop?
- Where will the shingle bundles wait, and will they be kept away from the coop?
- If the coop base is damaged during the job, who repairs it, and how is that written into the bid?
Ask each roofer for these answers in writing. A bid that describes the coop, the birds, and the ladder path is easier to compare than one that treats the coop as an afterthought. Keys documents the job with a written scope, photos, and measurements, and the coop belongs in that record. If you have questions about the coop line on your bid, call the office at (314) 220-2333 and ask for the written scope to show it before the crew is scheduled to arrive.