Answers · What the work involves
How long does a roof replacement take?
The short answer
Most ordinary houses are one to three days of work once the crew starts. Size, pitch, complexity, the number of layers coming off, deck replacement and the weather all stretch it, and a large or steep roof with multiple valleys and penetrations can run to a week.
What makes it longer
- Steep pitch, which slows everything and may require staging or harness work.
- Multiple layers to tear off.
- Complexity: valleys, dormers, skylights, chimneys and changes of plane all take time and are where the skill is.
- Deck replacement found on the day.
- Material: tile and some metal systems take considerably longer than asphalt.
- Weather, which stops work and can push a job across a week.
The question to ask
How many days will the roof be open, and what happens overnight and if it rains? A competent crew dries in as they go — underlayment down over any area stripped that day — so the house is protected every night rather than at the end of the job. That answer tells you whether they have thought about your house or only about their schedule.
Also asked
- What happens if it rains during the job?
- Work stops and the exposed area should already be dried in with underlayment. Damage to the inside of your house from an open roof left uncovered is the contractor's responsibility, which is one of the reasons the liability insurance certificate matters.
General information about roofs and about hiring, not advice about your building. Roofing contractor licensing, permits, insurance practice and deductible rules are set state by state and province by province across the United States and Canada, so your own authority is the current answer.