Affton and Mehlville Ranch Roofs: Compare Each Roofer's Ladder Plan

A ranch house in south St. Louis County often has a long, low roof that runs close to the property line, a carport or attached garage at one end, and a side yard barely wider than a ladder. Those features decide where a crew can stand, where a ladder can rest, and where the tear-off pile can wait. Two roofers can quote the same square count and still plan very different days, so the ladder and staging plan is worth comparing before the price.

Why a long low roof changes the ladder plan

On a steep two-story, a roofer often works from the eave on two or three sides. On a single-story ranch, the eave may sit only a few feet off the ground, so the crew can reach much of the roof from a short ladder. The long run means more walking on the deck and more handling of bundles along the ridge. Ask each roofer how many ladder positions they expect to use across the whole roof, and where the first one goes. A written answer tells you whether they have thought about the length of your roof or are assuming a standard layout.

Mid-century ranch homes in Affton, Mehlville, Oakville and Crestwood often have a low-pitch main roof with a hip or a long gable, and sometimes a second, lower roof over an attached carport. The carport roof usually ties into the house with a short wall and a small amount of flashing. Each bid should show that tie-in as its own line, not as part of a general roof figure, because the tie-in is where the crew's work and the house's water protection meet.

Staging on a narrow side yard

Many of these lots have a side yard about the width of a truck and a dumpster, not much more. Shingle bundles come off the delivery truck and need a dry, flat place to sit until the crew carries them up. In St. Louis, a delivery that lands on wet clay or sits on a soft lawn can sink, and a pallet left under a tree can collect sap and debris. Ask each roofer where the pallets will wait, how they will be moved to the ladder, and whether they will be covered if rain is in the forecast.

Ask also where the dumpster will sit. On a narrow lot, the answer often depends on the driveway. A bin placed on the apron can block the garage door, while a bin placed in the side yard can crowd the path to the back door. Each bid should name the spot in writing, and the roofer should be able to say how the bin gets swapped when it fills.

Carports, attached garages and the back fence

The carport and garage roofs need the same care as the main roof. Ask whether the crew will walk the carport roof or work from the ladder only, and whether the carport panels will be removed or left in place. Many older carports use corrugated panels fastened through the purlins, and a crew that walks them without support can crack a panel or pull a screw. A good answer says which panels are touched and how they are protected.

Back fences along these lots often sit within a few feet of the eave. Ask each roofer whether the ladder will rest against the fence, whether a neighbor's fence will be protected, and who repairs any damage to the fence if the ladder or a bundle hits it. Write the answer beside the bid line for the back slope so the fence question does not get lost in the general scope.

Timing around the weather

St. Louis weather changes the staging plan. In late fall, a wet side yard can soften, and bundles left on the grass can pick up moisture before the crew reaches them. Ask each roofer what happens to staged material when rain is forecast overnight, and whether the crew will move bundles under cover or wait for a dry window. In winter, ask how the crew keeps the ladder footing firm on frozen ground, since a ladder set on soft or heaved soil can shift. Freeze and thaw cycles lift the same patches of lawn a crew uses for staging, so a spot that was dry in October may not be dry in February. Put the weather rule in the bid so the decision is made before the morning of the job.

Roofer comparison

When you lay two bids side by side, look for the ladder plan, the staging spot and the tie-in lines before you look at the totals. A bid that says the crew sets ladders as needed is not wrong, but it does not give you enough to compare. A bid that names each ladder position, the pallet spot, the dumpster spot and the carport handling gives you something to check against the crew when they arrive. If one roofer names those items and the other does not, mark the gap and ask the second roofer to fill it before you decide.

Keep your comparison on one sheet. Write each roofer's answer beside the question it answers, with the date you asked. If an answer changes between the first visit and the written bid, note the change and ask why. The answer that stays the same across visits is usually the one the crew will keep on the day.

What it costs

Ladder setup, staging and dumpster placement are usually part of the labor and haul lines rather than a separate charge. Some roofers add a charge for moving a dumpster twice or for hauling bundles up a long side yard, and some add nothing. Ask each roofer to state in writing whether any of those tasks carry an extra line, and what would trigger it. A bid that prices the carport roof and the back slope separately is easier to compare than one that folds them into a single number, because you can see what each part costs. Keep the price question separate from the layout question, and ask for both in writing.

What to ask

• How many ladder positions do you expect across the whole roof, and where does the first one go?
• Where will the shingle pallets wait, and how are they moved to the ladder on a wet day?
• Where does the dumpster sit, and how is it swapped when it fills?
• Will the carport roof be walked, and which panels are touched?
• Will the ladder rest against the back fence, and who repairs it if it is damaged?
• Which tasks, if any, carry a separate line on the bid?

Put the answers in writing on the bid, not only in a phone call. If a roofer cannot answer one of these questions, that is an answer too, and it belongs on your comparison sheet next to the others.

Calling the Keys office

If you want to walk through the ladder plan for your own lot before you choose, call the Keys office at (314) 220-2333. Bring a rough sketch of the lot with the eave, the side yard, the driveway and the carport marked. Ask the office to show where the crew would stand, where the pallets would wait and where the bin would sit, and ask for those notes in writing. You can use the same sketch with every roofer you talk to, so each bid starts from the same layout.