Behind The Scenes Of How Long Your Roof Replacement Takes

The word “average” is an interesting word. If you have two people in a room and one has $2 and the other has $98, on average they each have $50. While the average new residential roof takes about a day to install, that does not mean your roof will take one working day. Your roof replacement could be longer. So, how long does roof replacement take?

Wide Open Spaces

You pride yourself on your magnificent home and its expansive roof. Vast stretches of roof, a few simple planes of perfectly positioned shingles. Yet all that acreage takes time, both to clear away and to re-roof. 

A large roof, even the simplest roof on, say, a ranch house, will add time to the roof replacement project. All that surface needs to be worked on in three steps:

1. Removal of the old roof
2. Preparation of the deck (sheathing and underlayment)
3. Installation of the new roof

Simply covering the square footage of a big roof takes more time than a smaller roof would. 

Long Time Gone? 

Fiberglass-asphalt shingles are unitized, easily cut as needed, and designed to install quickly. Good roofers can put down dozens of shingles per hour. Other materials may take considerably longer. 

Metal roofing, for instance, requires a great deal more precision work than shingles, since metal panels may stretch from the ridge to eaves. Each panel requires precise cutting, careful installation, and neat cutting for roof penetrations, chimneys, and other obstacles. 

If you have an existing roof made from a complicated material (concrete or ceramic tiles, cedar shingles, or a green roof), you may find your roof will take longer to perform the tear-off than normal. 

Top of the World

The height, complexity, and details of your roof can add time to a roof replacement. If your home is two-and-a-half stories tall, has many steep expanses meeting at multiple valleys, or has dormers, you can expect the job to take more time.

Safe access is only one factor your roofer has to consider, but it is an important one. The steeper and taller your roof, the more risk of falls your roofing crew takes on.  

Hips, ridges, and valleys all increase a roof’s complexity and add time to the work. Say you wanted a nice, simple shingle roofing job. Dormers are like tiny roofs by themselves, with all the necessary steps:

• Starter course
• Field shingles
• Ridge shingles

Additional delays can arise when dealing with numerous roof penetrations (electrical, sanitary stacks, vents, satellite television, and so on), chimney crickets, or complicated eaves. 

If your gutters need replacing, that added step can lengthen the installation period for your new roof. 

Let ‘Er Rip

If your roof’s sheathing is in bad shape, expect a delay in the normally brisk pace of reroofing your home. Once your roofer’s crew gets the old roof off (no matter the material), the underlayment and sheathing are laid bare. 

If the sheathing is rotten, sprinkled with black mold on the underside, or shows heavy water damage, you can expect to hear the crew rip up the sheets of sheathing and replace them. 

Usually, a reroofing job provides a small allowance for new 4×8 sheets of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). That is factored into the price, but additional necessary sheets will be added to the cost.

An additional delay could be caused by the need to either make a run to a lumberyard for more sheathing or to schedule a delivery.  

Cold Day in July

Weird weather can definitely play havoc with a roof replacement. When you consider what is included in a roof replacement (materials, crew, equipment, homeowner’s schedule), a lot of separate parts must come together just so. Let a spell of bad weather enter into the mix and you may have to wait a few days. 

Weather patterns that will delay a roof replacement project:

• Heavy or intermittent rain any time of the year
• High winds
• Snow or freezing rain in fall and winter

If a roofer begins a tear-off and the weather turns bad, you still have no worries. A sturdy tarp will temporarily protect your exposed roof until the bad weather passes. A tarp, properly installed, can last up to a year (but your roofer will complete the job within a few days). 

Ready to Run

A good, reliable local roofer is your best hedge against an unexpected delay in roof replacement. Choose a company that is ready to run with your work, eager to get the job done for you, and happy to do a superior job. 

To ensure complete satisfaction, turn to the trained professionals of Yellowhammer Roofing. Contact our offices today to schedule a site visit to your Birmingham or Nashville-area home. We can work with your schedule and provide you a beautiful new roof in the shortest possible time.