A roof crew needs a clear strip along the eaves on the side of the house where the work happens. On many Creve Coeur lots that strip is the same narrow side yard where the propane tank sits, next to the grill, the patio furniture and a stack of firewood. People move the car out of the driveway without thinking twice, but the tank and the grill often stay where they are because they look like part of the house. They are not part of the house during a roof job. Moving them is a task you schedule before the crew arrives, not something the crew does on the morning of the tear-off.
Why the propane tank is a roofing question
A propane tank is a pressurized container with a valve, a regulator and a hose. The company that fills it sets the rules for how it is disconnected and moved. A roofing crew should not be asked to disconnect your tank, and most crews will not do it. Call your propane supplier several days before the start date and ask them to shut the tank valve, disconnect the regulator and tell you whether they will move the tank or leave the move to you. Get their answer in writing, or in a confirmation text, and check that the date on it matches the roof schedule.
The timing matters because a tank left in the side yard blocks the path the crew uses to carry materials from the trailer to the wall. A tank that gets knocked over while a worker passes it becomes a safety problem for the crew and for you. Keep the tank upright on its own level pad, away from the work zone, and make sure no debris will land on it. If the pad is soft, the tank can settle or lean, so check the ground after a rainy week.
Grills, smokers and fire pits
A charcoal grill, a smoker or a portable gas grill on the side of the house creates two problems during a roof job. The first is heat. A grill that was used that day still holds hot coals and ash in the firebox, and debris from the work can reach it. The second is space. A grill parked against the wall takes up the ground the crew needs to stage its equipment. Move it to the back patio or to the far corner of the yard. Empty the ash pan into a metal container, and let the grill cool completely before it goes anywhere.
A gas grill connected to a fixed line from the house is a different job. Disconnecting it is a plumbing task, and the gas utility or a licensed plumber should handle the shutoff. Do not try to loosen a fitting on a gas line yourself because the roof date is close. Ask the plumber to cap the line, and ask where the shutoff valve is so you can confirm it is closed before the first ladder goes up. A fire pit should be cold, emptied and moved off the lawn for the same reason.
What a Creve Coeur side yard usually looks like
Many lots in the older parts of Creve Coeur have a side yard only a few feet wider than the walkway. Mature trees shade the eave, and the clay soil often stays soft after spring rain, so the ground can give way under the weight of equipment. A crew that stages material on soft lawn leaves ruts behind. A patio stacked with bundles can crack pavers, and a patio with furniture on it leaves no room to work. Walk the side yard with the roofer before the start date. Point out the tank, the grill, the planters, the firewood and any stone edging, and ask which items the crew needs cleared and which can stay where they are.
Frost is the other thing to plan around if the job runs into the colder months. Frost can lift pavers and heave the edge of a patio, and it makes the ground slick under a ladder. If you are scheduling a tear-off in the shoulder seasons, look at the side yard on a cold morning, not only on a mild afternoon, and note where the ice sits. That information belongs on the same list as the tank and the grill.
Items to clear before the crew arrives
Use the walk as a checklist. Each item either moves, gets covered, or stays with a note that the roofer has agreed to it.
- The propane tank, once the supplier has shut the valve and confirmed how the disconnect will happen.
- Any grill, smoker or fire pit, cooled and emptied, moved to the back of the lot.
- Planters, hanging baskets and wind chimes hung from the soffit or the fascia.
- Patio furniture, cushions and umbrella bases, moved out of the path along the wall.
- Firewood stacks, which should sit away from the house and off the lawn.
- Garden hoses and any hose reels mounted on the side wall.
Keep a written list in the same folder as the roof scope. When the crew lead walks the yard with you, check each line against the list and initial the ones that are settled.
What to ask the roofer
Some of these questions belong to the homeowner, and some belong to the crew. Put the crew questions to the roofer or the office before the start date, and write the answers into the scope.
- Which side of the house the crew will work from, and whether any item on your list needs to move for that side to be usable.
- Whether the crew will move any item for you, and which items they will not touch, such as gas lines and propane equipment.
- Who will photograph the side yard before and after the work, so there is a dated record of where things were when the crew arrived.
- What the crew will do if the side yard is still blocked on the morning of the start, and whether the start will move to a later day.
Written answers help if the schedule changes. A verbal promise made on the driveway is hard to check three weeks later.
Setting the date for the move
Put the propane and grill task on the same calendar as the start date. If the start moves because of weather, the tank still has to be handled on the new day, so keep the supplier's name, the account number on the tank and the date the supplier last confirmed. If the roofer says the crew will start early on a dry morning, ask the supplier whether they can move their appointment too. A tank with a shut valve and a clear pad is ready for the crew. A tank that is still connected on the morning of the start is not, and the crew will have to wait while you sort it out.
Give the supplier a clear window, not a time of day alone. Propane deliveries and disconnects run on routes, and a late stop can push the disconnect past the morning the crew needs the side yard. Ask the supplier to confirm the window the day before the start.
After the roof is done
When the crew finishes, do not reconnect anything until you have walked the side yard. A propane tank that was disconnected should be reconnected by the supplier, not by you. Look in the grass and along the wall for loose nails and small pieces of material, and check that the grill and the tank are where you want them. If the crew moved anything during the job, ask them to note it on the completion sheet so the record matches what happened. If the side yard looks different from what you agreed, call Keys Roofing at (314) 220-2333 before you sign off on the work.