One of the most common questions contractors ask before beginning a new roof installation is, “How long will it take to replace my roof?” The answer is not quite so simple. Many factors affect the amount of time it takes to complete a replacement.
Liberty Roofworks has been serving the Charlotte, North Carolina area for nearly 20 years. We prioritize the time of our clients by establishing a realistic time frame for your roof replacement. Our contractors work hard to reach the estimated completion date without compromising the integrity of our workmanship.
In short, a roof replacement can take as little as a day or as long as several weeks, depending on certain factors. This article will outline these factors and give you a better idea of what to prepare for as your installation begins. Keep in mind that these are estimations, so you’ll want to check in with your contractor for a timeline based on your roof.
What Influences the Replacement Time?
We covered how long a roof replacement can take but below, we detail how this timeframe is determined. The type of roof you have, its accessibility, the weather during your replacement, and the season it takes place in are the biggest factors in dictating the completion time.
We also cover a few situations that can add extra time to the replacement and ways to prevent them.
The Layout of Your Roof
How your roof is designed, including the hip, valley, and other features, are part of the layout that determines how difficult the job will be. A layout with intricate placements or a high pitch will require roofers to be more careful while working on the replacement. You want your contractors to work as safely as possible.
The hip, alley, and pitch are a few prominent features that roofers will be concerned with, but roofing systems offer a complex variety of pieces that make up that system. Contractors will have to work around all of these areas to complete the project.
Not only will they have to be more careful to properly cover the complexities of a quality installation, but they will have to safely maneuver around the site. The time needed for the repair and the bonus of moving more slowly to complete the project can add several days to your overall replacement schedule.
The Material of Your Roof
Similar to the style of the roof with pitch heights and layout, the material is going to determine how difficult an installation is going to be. The other factors in this guide are going to influence how long it takes for your roof replacement to be completed, but the material alone can affect the time.
Asphalt shingles are popular and relatively easy to install. They can take about one to two days when metal and wooden shakes are considered moderately difficult, so they can take around two to five days to replace. Tile is considered difficult to repair, so it can take anywhere between five days to two full weeks to install.
These are not definite estimations, but being familiar with how difficult it is to handle your roof material can help you assess how long your replacement should take before getting a date from your contractors.
The Size of Your Roof
It is self-explanatory that the more square feet to be installed, the longer it is going to take. The average size of a residential roof is approximately 2,500 square feet or 25 squares, but properties with a garage commonly exceed 3,000 square feet or 30 squares. Contractors are used to working with a wide range of sizes.
The bulk of the time replacing your roof is going to be spent navigating the space of your roof. If contractors have a smaller space to work on with few obstacles, they can quickly complete the job. This is a factor that cannot be interfered with, so having a bigger house by default may mean a longer replacement time.
The layout, material, and size go hand in hand with a time estimate as your contractors actively work on the roof construction.
The Accessibility of Your Roof
Accessibility refers to the ease contractors will have getting onto the roof to remove the current roof, clear the site of debris from the removal, and then return with the new materials. Proper accessibility is made difficult by having no clear access point to the roof and blockage around the perimeter of shrubbery.
This requires workers to spend more time creating access points before even getting started. If your home has a fence closely surrounding your home or distracting landscaping, expect the process to take several hours longer, if not several days, to make up for lost time navigating the setup of your home.
Do what you can ahead of time to create a more accessible point on your roof before your appointment. This can shorten the replacement time and allow the crew to get started right away without having to do any minor remodeling of your home.
Structural Damage
Damage can sometimes be discovered as the original roof system is being removed. Fixing the damage could include a simple replacement of plywood or more extensive repairs, resulting in rebuilding underlayment or other supporting structures.
The level of damage or need for unexpected materials will determine how much extra time will be required to solve the damage issues. This can potentially take only a few hours to several days if it is severe enough.
Regular maintenance can prevent unwanted surprises on the day of your appointment.
The Weather Forecast During Your Appointment
Rain, snow, and temperatures that are either close to freezing or sweltering are a guaranteed sign your replacement is going to be rescheduled. Any of these weather conditions will make it impossible for the workers to properly install your roof. The weather needs to be relatively mild and dry, so the roof is in perfect shape.
If it rains or snows during the replacement, the crew will secure the site with a tarp until the weather passes. This will protect their progress but can add several days to the completion date if the poor weather persists. They will pick up right where they left off once the roof is dry.
You can only look so far ahead in the weekly forecast to prepare for bad weather. Rescheduling is an option if poor weather is spotted just before the replacement is intended to take place.
The Time of Year
Spring is when business for roofing companies begins to pick up because the weather is more consistent, and it stays bright outside longer. Contractors will have more hours during the day to finish the project as soon as possible. Plenty of daylight prevents delays due to seasonal weather problems and early nightfall.
When the sun sets earlier in winter, roofers will have to pack up for the day several hours earlier than before the time change. They do not work overnight. Think about how complex your roof is and how much time may be added because of the season.
The project may take longer during the winter, but the company may be easier to book in their off-season.
Speed Does Not Equate to Quality
Quality is more important than speed when it comes to your roof. Some replacements can be done in a day but do not expect it to. If you want the process to be quick and easy, then you will end up with problems sooner rather than later. Do not trust any companies that advertise guaranteed single-day replacement.
A quality replacement will take at least a few days. A single-day installation will most likely end with shingles haphazardly arranged on the top of your home and a mess of materials strewn on your lawn. If workers do not have the proper time to do the job, they will not be able to clean up the construction mess either.
Roof replacements are an investment. You want to hire a professional who gets the job done within a reasonable timeframe while providing excellent service.
Feeling Confident About the Replacement Process
Our contractors at Liberty Roofworks are here to guide you through the entire replacement process. This list of influences on your roof replacement time is a great start in preparing for your scheduled roof replacement. You may not encounter all of these scenarios, but it is important to be prepared.
The roof replacement process can be stressful as you rely on contractors to deliver quality service in a timely manner. We promise to work with you to repair your home as quickly as we can.
The question of “How long will my roof replacement take?” cannot be answered by a guaranteed time. These factors listed above that influence the estimation time will give you a realistic idea of what to expect. This article should have you feeling confident and prepared when faced with any obstacles during the replacement.