Where should my car be parked during a Calgary tear-off?

Moving your car off the driveway entirely is the safest call on tear-off day, ideally to the street in front of a neighbour's house or around the block.

Here is why it matters more than most homeowners expect. A Calgary tear-off generates a fast, heavy stream of old shingles, nails, felt paper and sometimes rotted decking, all of it dropping from height into a dump trailer or onto a tarp below. Crews work quickly and debris travels. A shingle edge or a roofing nail landing on a hood or roof panel from two storeys up will dent or scratch it, and that damage is on you unless you have a clear agreement in writing with the contractor beforehand. Most roofers carry commercial general liability insurance, but a claim for a dented car is a headache neither side wants.

Move the car before the crew arrives, not after they start. Once bundles of new shingles are loaded on the roof and a dump trailer is positioned in the driveway, repositioning vehicles becomes difficult and sometimes impossible without moving equipment.

A few practical points for the day:

• Clear the driveway completely so the trailer can sit as close to the house as possible; this shortens the throw distance and keeps debris contained
• If you have a detached garage under or near the work area, move anything stored outside it and close the doors
• Warn any neighbours whose driveways or vehicles are close to the drop zone, especially on a semi-detached or zero-lot-line property
• Ask the crew where they plan to stage the trailer before they arrive, so you know exactly where not to park

On the inside of the house, take down any wall art or mirrors on the top floor. The vibration from crews walking and dropping bundles is real, and frames do fall.

The tear-off itself needs no City of Calgary building permit for a like-for-like shingle replacement with no structural work, so there is no inspector visit to plan around. If your roof involves a material change, say from asphalt shingles to metal or tile, confirm with the City whether a permit applies before work starts.