Working Around the Solar Panels

Most homeowners who call us about a new roof have the same handful of questions. Anna Miller’s was a little more specific: what happens to the solar panels?

Anna and her family live in Rogers, Minnesota, and their solar array sits right where a new roof needs to go. It’s a fair thing to be concerned about. Solar adds real planning to a roof replacement — the panels have to come off and go back on with care, and the deck underneath deserves the same attention as every other square foot of the home. Not every crew wants to take that on, and homeowners can feel it in the conversation.

“We were concerned about finding a roofing company that would be able to work around our solar panels and work through that and take care of everything — and they did a great job with that.” — Anna Miller, Rogers, MN

So we made the panels the first thing we solved, not the last. Anna knew how they would be handled and what her project would look like before a single bundle of shingles arrived. That is usually the difference between a homeowner who is nervous on install day and one who is not.

Taking the insurance paperwork off her plate

The other piece was the insurance claim. For a lot of families, that is the most intimidating part of a roof replacement — the documentation, the phone calls, the back-and-forth about what is covered. It is also the part we do every week, so we walked the Millers through it rather than handing them a folder and wishing them luck.

“The team was very responsive and friendly. They were great to work with. They even helped us work through the insurance claim process, which was awesome.” — Anna Miller

In and out in one day

When a job allows for it, we do the whole roof in a single day. It is not a gimmick — it is the difference between one loud morning and a week of living around a construction site. Anna’s home got a complete shingle roof, tear-off through cleanup, before the day was out.

“So they were in and out in one day and so there was less disruption for our entire family.” — Anna Miller

Leaving the yard the way we found it

The Miller kids play in that yard, which means cleanup is not a nice-to-have. A roof replacement produces a remarkable amount of debris, and every nail that gets missed is a problem waiting for a bare foot or a bike tire. We clean a yard like someone is going to walk it barefoot the next morning, because someone usually is.

“With the kids playing out in the yard, we’re always concerned about safety, and First Choice did an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves. The yard was clean and good to go after they left the property.” — Anna Miller

Solar panels, an insurance claim, and a family that needed their yard back by dinnertime — this project had a few moving parts. It went smoothly because we planned for all of them up front, which is the only way we know how to do it.

“First Choice Exteriors did an excellent job on our house. We’re really thrilled with their work. I highly recommend First Choice Exteriors to anyone looking to get their roof done.” — Anna Miller, Rogers, MN