DIY guideRecords and planning

Plan a roof, window or gutter replacement

Work out its age, look it over from the ground, get three quotes for the same work, and talk to an attached neighbor before anyone starts.

7 steps

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Check your papers, old permits or the last owner's records for when the roof, windows or gutters went in.
With binoculars, look for curled or missing shingles, soft window frames, fogged glass, and gutters that sag or overflow.
Stay on the ground: never climb onto the roof to look.
Take wide and close photos of each problem, and of any water stains inside.
Ask Handyman for quotes, and have each one list the same work, materials and warranty, so you compare like with like.
In a semi or a townhouse, talk to your neighbor first: where your roofs or walls meet, the work has to join theirs.
Ask each contractor whether the work needs a permit and who gets it, and keep the papers.
Water coming in, a sagging roof line or cracked glass: ask Handyman for a pro to make it safe now. Work up on the roof is a pro's.

Handyman says: Leaking now? I'll find a pro.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.