On average, a residential roof should be replaced every sixteen years. When that time comes around for your roof, you may think it is a project you can attempt doing yourself; however, there are many tools and steps required to successfully remove a roof.
Roof Removal Tools and Safety Equipment
Before you try and remove a roof yourself, understand that there are a few materials you’re going to need.
- Broom magnet
- Cat’s paw
- Chalk line
- Extension ladder
- Flat bar
- Hammer and nails
- Hammer-tacker stapler
- Ice and water barrier
- Leather gloves
- Plywood
- Pry bar
- Safety belts, ropes, and a harness
- Sturdy footwear
- Tarps
- Tear-off shovel
- Trash container
The Steps to Remove a Roof
Now that you know what tools are required, here is what needs to be done to remove a roof.
- The first step in getting a new roof is to obtain a permit from the city, otherwise, you could face a fine.
- Removing the old roof from a home requires a trash dumpster in the driveway or alongside the home so that it is in a convenient location to catch old shingles and other roof debris. A tarp should also be spread over nearby bushes and trees. Windows can also be protected by covering them with plywood.
- Next, the old shingles will need to be torn off with a tear-off shovel, cat’s paw, flat bar, and pry bar. Any fasteners will need to be removed as well. A broom magnet can also be helpful to complete that.
- After removing all of the shingles, the debris will need to be cleaned off the roof with a push broom.
- After the roof is clean, it’s time to cut an ice and water barrier. This can be measured out and cut to size using a chalk line. A roof’s ice and water barrier is especially important in Florida where severe storms are common, so it should be properly placed using a hammer-tacker stapler.
Once these steps have been completed, the new roofing materials will be ready to be marked for placement and installed; however, all work should first be inspected by a roofing professional before laying down a new roof.
Why Removing a Roof Is Not a Do It Yourself Project
Florida has some of the strictest building codes in the nation. Without passing a proper inspection from the city, removing your own roof could hurt you in the future from filing an insurance claim. Furthermore, your insurance provider will not accept a DIY-replaced roof as an approved replacement and could drop you as a policyholder.
Instead of risking your coverage by taking on a massive roof replacement project on your own, rely on your local roofing professionals at RBS Construction & Roofing to remove a roof for you.
Need to Remove a Roof? Call RBS Construction & Roofing
The highly qualified Central Florida roofers at RBS Construction & Roofing have all the equipment and know all the steps required to remove a roof in Central Florida. In fact, our locally- and family-owned and operated roofing business has been serving Orlando homeowners with professional roof removals and installations for over thirty years.
If you need help inspecting, removing, or replacing a roof, please contact the experienced and equipped roofers at RBS Construction & Roofing today at 407-859-8163.