How to prepare your Matthews, NC home for a new roof
Most of the work of getting ready happens on the ground: room for the crew, nothing fragile in the way, and a plan for the day.
The short answer
Most of the prep for a new roof happens on the ground. Move the cars, clear a wide path around the house, take fragile things out of the attic and off the top-floor walls, and plan where the pets and kids will be. The roofing crew handles the roof, the tarps and the cleanup. Your job is to give them room and to know what to check when they finish.
This guide is for Matthews homeowners who already have a roof booked, or are close. If you have not picked a crew yet, start with our list of roofing contractors in Matthews, sorted by Google rating and review count, and come back to this once the date is set.
What should you do in the yard and driveway?
IKO, a shingle manufacturer, publishes a homeowner checklist for roof replacement day. Its yard steps are below. They are simple, and they are the ones that save a scratched car or a crushed planter.
| Step | Why |
|---|---|
| Park cars on the street the night before | IKO says the street, not the garage. |
| Clear about 15 feet around the house | Move toys, patio furniture, lights, statues and feeders, and cover what you cannot move. |
| Mark the plants you care about | Tell the person running the job which ones need extra care. |
| Mark sprinkler heads and ponds | Anything in the ground a roofer could trip on or step into. |
| Unlock the gates | The crew needs to reach every side of the house. |
| Mow the grass | Short grass makes nails and debris easier to find. |
| Check an outdoor outlet works | Or leave a door open near one for the crew’s tools. |
On a Matthews job the driveway usually goes to the tear-off. One of our drone photos from a Matthews re-roof shows the dump trailer parked right there, with shingle bundles up on the ridges. Plan on the driveway being busy for the length of the job.
What should you do inside the house?
IKO’s checklist covers the inside of the house too:
- Move sentimental and fragile things out of the attic.
- Cover the attic floor with tarps or drop cloths.
- Cover anything valuable in an attached garage whose roof is being replaced too.
- Take pictures and decor off the walls, the top floor first.
- Keep breakables from touching each other or the wall.
The attic matters more on an older house. A lot of Matthews roofs are on their second layer of shingles, and the decking under that second layer has not been seen since the first re-roof. When the old layers come off, the deck is open from above, so anything stored in the attic below it is worth moving or covering.
What about pets, kids and the neighbors?
IKO suggests a friend’s house or a kennel for pets on the day, or keeping them indoors with their crate and familiar toys if that is not possible. It suggests the same for young children, with your phone number left with the roofers, and a reminder to older children to wear shoes outside and watch for debris.
Tell the neighbors on both sides before the crew arrives. There will be noise, and IKO notes they may want to move cars off a shared driveway or cover plants near the property line. If the crew needs to reach your house through a neighbor’s gate, ask that neighbor ahead of time.
What does our crew handle on the day?
Before the first shingle comes off, our crew puts tarps over the beds and walkways. The tear-off gets bundled as it comes down instead of thrown into the yard. Our owner, who inspected the roof and wrote the estimate, is on site for the install.
Then the old roof comes off to the decking. Our crew walks the deck, replaces any sheet that is soft, and photographs the decking before the underlayment goes on. New underlayment, ice-and-water membrane in the valleys, drip edge, flashing and pipe boots go down, then Owens Corning Duration architectural shingles and the ridge vent. If your gutters are due, they can be replaced in the same job while the drip edge is exposed. The full scope is on our roof replacement page, and what we see most on local houses is on our page about the roofs we work on in Matthews.
We do not quote a day count before the inspection. The size of the roof, the number of layers coming off and the amount of decking that needs replacing set how long it takes.
What should you check after the crew leaves?
Before our crew leaves, a rolling magnet goes across the lawn, the driveway and the beds to pick up nails. Then we walk the finished roof with you, and the 5-year workmanship warranty is handed over in writing at that walkthrough.
IKO adds two checks of your own. Go over the driveway and grass for scuffs, paint marks or oil drips and tell the roofer the same day. If you notice anything about the roof later, report it then rather than waiting.
Start with the inspection
Prep starts once there is a date, and the date comes after the inspection. Call (704) 352-1112 or request a free roof inspection. Our owner walks the roof and the attic, photographs everything, and you get a written estimate with no obligation on it.
Sources. IKO, How to Prepare for a Roof Replacement, read October 30, 2026. Our process, materials and cleanup are as described on our own service pages.
