Window Screens Come Off on Roof Day, and Each Bid Should Say Who Hangs Them Back

Window screens sit in the path of a roof job more than most homeowners expect. Tear-off throws shingle grit, nail heads and granules sideways as well as down, a ladder has to rest against the wall beside the windows, and the crew carries bundles past the sills on the way up. A screen that looks sturdy from inside can bend at the corner where the frame joins, or pop out of its track when someone leans a ladder on it. Each roofing quote should say what happens to the screens before the first shingle comes off, because a quote that is silent on them leaves the removal, storage and reinstall to whoever is standing on the ladder that morning.

This page covers the screens on the windows you can reach from the ground. It does not cover storm panels, skylights or hail on the screen mesh, which have their own pages on this site. The question here is narrower: when the roofer takes a screen out, where does it go, who puts it back, and what happens if the frame or mesh does not survive the trip.

Why screens get removed on roof day

Most crews do not pull every screen. They pull the ones in the drop zone, meaning the windows directly under the slope being torn off and the windows next to the ladder line. The rest stay in place. That sorting is a reasonable practice, but it only works if the quote names which windows are in scope. A bid that promises to protect the windows without a count leaves the crew deciding on the day, and a crew deciding on the day tends to decide based on how fast the job is moving.

St. Louis adds weather to the problem. Screens are often aluminum or vinyl-framed, and a frame that spent the winter going through freeze and thaw cycles can be more brittle than it looks. Vinyl frames stiffen in cold and crack at the corner keys when pressed. Aluminum frames bend, and a bent frame will not seat back into its channel without a second pair of hands and some patience. Mesh that has already been dented by hail may tear the moment it is lifted, so the photo file you made before the job is useful here too. Screens that were fine in July can be stiff enough in late October that a careless lift breaks a corner.

The drop zone also changes with the house. A ranch with a low eave may have screens within arm's reach of the ladder, while a two-story with a tall gable may have screens that the crew never touches at all. Ask the roofer to walk the house with you and point to each window that will be opened or moved. That walk costs a few minutes and gives you a count you can check against the bid.

What the bid should say

Compare the quotes on four points. First, the count: how many screens are touched, and which ones. Second, the handling: whether screens are unhooked and set aside, or whether they are left in place with a cover. Third, the storage: where the screens sit during the job, whether inside the garage, leaned against the fence or stacked on the lawn where they can be stepped on. Fourth, the reinstall: who hangs them again, and whether the bid assumes all of them go back into the same openings.

A quote that names all four points is easier to compare than one that says the windows will be cared for. The first is a checklist the homeowner can verify when the crew arrives. The second is a sentiment that nobody can check.

Roofer comparison

When two roofers are on the list, put their screen language side by side. One may say the crew removes screens in the drop zone, labels each one with a piece of painter's tape showing the window it came from, and stores them in the garage. Another may say screens stay in place and the crew covers the window with a drop cloth. Neither approach is wrong on its face. The difference shows up when a screen has a bent corner. The first roofer is handling each screen by hand and will know which one was damaged and when. The second roofer may not discover the damage until the cloth comes off, which can be after the crew has packed up for the day.

Ask each roofer whether the crew will photograph the screens before removal. A dated set of photos showing the frame and mesh is the simplest record of the screens' condition before the job, and it gives both sides something concrete to point to if a frame comes back bent. Keys Roofing documents damage and puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, and the same kind of dated record can be made for the screens. If you have questions about how Keys would handle the screens on your house, the office number is (314) 220-2333.

Also compare how each roofer talks about the screens on the second day. Some crews keep a running note of which screens are down and which are back up, and they tell the homeowner at the end of each day. Others only address the screens at the end of the job. A roofer who can tell you on day two exactly how many screens are still off the windows is showing you the same habit that will matter when the roof is finished.

What it costs

Screens rarely appear as their own line on a roof bid, which is why they are easy to miss. Some roofers bundle screen removal and reinstall into general labor. Others list a per-screen charge for removal and another for reinstall. Some bids assume the homeowner will remove and store the screens personally, which shifts the work and the risk back to the house. Ask which of these applies, and whether the number includes screens on windows the crew does not plan to touch. If the answer is that the homeowner handles them, ask what the roofer will do if a screen is left in the wrong place and the crew has to move it on the day.

Replacement costs matter if a screen does not survive. A new screen frame is a separate purchase from new mesh, and a custom-sized frame can take longer to arrive than the roof itself. Ask the roofer whether the bid includes replacing damaged screens or only reinstalling them, and whether any replacement is a separate quote. A homeowner who knows that before the first ladder goes up can decide whether to order a replacement early or wait until the roof is finished.

What to ask

1. Which windows are in the scope for screen removal, and how many screens is that?
2. Will each screen be labeled with the window it came from before it leaves the opening?
3. Where will the screens be stored during the job, and who keeps them out of the path of foot traffic?
4. Will the crew photograph the screens before removal, and will you receive those photos?
5. Who reinstalls the screens, and is that in the bid or a separate line?
6. If a frame or mesh is damaged in removal, who repairs or replaces it, and at what cost?
7. Does the screen price include the windows the crew does not need to open?

Written answers to these questions make the screen part of the bid visible. A roofer who can answer all seven without checking a note is likely to have handled screens on many jobs. A roofer who cannot answer them yet should be willing to put the answers in writing before the crew is scheduled, so that the screens are settled before the ladder goes up rather than after the first bundle lands.