Your Trampoline Sits Where the Tear-Off Lands

A trampoline in the side yard is one of the easier things to forget when a roof bid is read. The bid lists squares, underlayment and a dumpster, and seldom asks where the old shingles will land when the crew strips a slope that sits a few feet from a steel frame and a mat. In a St. Louis backyard, a trampoline is often set near the house because the lot is narrow, and it may sit right under the eave you are replacing.

This page is for the homeowner who has two or three roof bids on the table and needs one specific fact before choosing: where each roofer plans to put the tear-off debris, and what happens to the trampoline while that happens. The answer is not in the price. It usually sits in a sentence or two about the drop zone, the tarps and the cleanup, and those sentences differ from one bid to the next.

Why a trampoline matters on tear-off day

Old shingles, nails, flashing scraps and granules come down from the eave when the crew pulls them. Nearly all of it lands within a few feet of the house, and wind can push lighter pieces farther. A trampoline mat is a flat surface that catches nails and grit, and a steel frame can be dented by a falling bundle or a dropped tool. The mat also collects debris that has to be lifted, shaken and checked before anyone jumps on it again.

The risk runs the other direction too. A trampoline left in place can be a hazard for the crew. Workers who step back from a ladder onto a sprung mat can slip, and a frame can catch a foot. Roofers tend to ask for the play set and the trampoline to be moved before the first tear-off, and a bid that says nothing about this leaves the decision to whoever is standing in the yard that morning.

Play sets, swing frames and trampolines share the same problem. They are large, they are often left where the kids last used them, and they are not on the roof. A bid can be careful about the roof and still ignore them completely.

Roofer comparison

Read each bid for three things. The first is who moves the trampoline. The bid may say the homeowner moves it, the crew moves it, or nothing at all. Each answer is workable, but only one of them puts a name on the job. If the bid says the crew will move it, ask whether that happens on the first day, whether it is included in the price, and whether the trampoline is set back down in the same place.

The second thing is the drop zone. A clear bid describes the area under the eave that will be kept clear and says how that area will be marked. Some roofers rope off the side yard, some lay plywood or tarps over the grass near the wall, and some put a sign on the gate. Ask each roofer which of those they use and whether the trampoline sits inside or outside the marked area.

The third thing is the cleanup. A magnetic sweep of the yard after tear-off is common practice for nails, and a clear bid says when it happens and whether it covers the trampoline mat. A nail left in a mat is found by a foot, not a magnet. Compare how many sweeps each roofer promises and whether the sweep covers the side yard or only the lawn.

Where two bids differ on these points, the difference is real. One roofer may move the trampoline and sweep the mat twice, while the other says nothing and plans to sweep only the grass. That comparison matters more on this page than which shingle is on the wrapper.

What it costs

Moving a trampoline is a small job, but it is still labor, and it may come with a separate charge or none at all. Some bids include it in the overall roof price, some list it as an allowance, and some leave it out and expect the homeowner to pay a laborer on the day. None of those is wrong by itself. The problem is a bid that does not say which one applies.

Ask each roofer to put the move in writing as its own line. If it is included, the line should say so and name the work. If it is an allowance, the line should state the amount per move and how many moves are assumed. If the trampoline has to be lifted by two people or taken apart, that belongs on the page too. A trampoline that must be disassembled is more work than one that can be folded and walked to the back fence.

Ask also whether a second move is included if the roof date slips or rain pushes the work back a day. A bid that moves the trampoline once and then has to move it again because the date changed should say who pays for the second trip. That question is quiet in most bids and loud on the morning the crew arrives in the rain.

What to ask

Send each roofer the same three questions in writing and compare the replies. Ask who moves the trampoline and when. Ask where the drop zone will be marked and whether the trampoline is inside it. Ask how the yard will be swept and whether the sweep covers the mat.

Then ask one more question that many bids skip. Ask what the written plan is if someone is hurt near the trampoline during the job, and whether the bid assigns the job of keeping that area clear. The useful answer is simple: who is responsible for keeping the trampoline out of the work zone, and does the bid say so.

Keep the replies. A written answer that says the crew will move the trampoline on day one and sweep the mat on day two is a commitment you can check. A verbal answer at the front door is not. If one roofer answers within a day and another takes a week, that difference is worth noting alongside the price.

A simple check before you choose

Walk the side yard with each bid in hand and mark where the trampoline sits relative to the eave being replaced. Measure the distance from the mat to the wall in feet. Then read each bid against that measurement. A trampoline four feet from the wall is in a different situation from one fifteen feet out, and a bid that never asks for the measurement may not have looked at the yard at all.

Choose the bid that names the trampoline, says who moves it, and puts the drop zone and the sweep in writing. If none of the bids do that, send the three questions again before you sign. The roof will go on either way, and the trampoline should still be usable when the crew leaves.