In an age of convenience where everything is prepared fast, delivered fast, and returned fast, it’s no surprise that there are expectations in place for certain services. If our coffee order takes more than a couple of minutes to prepare, or our online order takes more than a few days to arrive, we start to get antsy.
The same goes for home services. If you have roof work scheduled you may be wondering how long it takes to replace a roof. The good news is that most roof replacements only take one day! However, we’re going to dive into five considerations that can cause roof replacements to take a bit longer.
Average Roof Replacement Timeline
Typically, most roofing contractors perform an inspection prior to scheduling the replacement. If the day of the replacement falls on a pleasant day, a crew of 5-6 contractors can typically tear off and replace an average-size shingle roof on the same day!
But what if the weather isn’t so pleasant? Or you want a clay tile roof instead of an asphalt shingle roof? Or you have a big house? These are all considerations that can affect the average one-day timeframe and cause roofing work to last an extra day or two (or more).
5 Factors That Can Affect the Timeframe
Usually, roof replacements take a few days at most. If you’re in the market for a new roof and want the process to go as quickly as possible, consider the following factors to help you set realistic expectations for how long your roof replacement will take.
1) The Material You Choose
Even though asphalt shingles are the most popular type of roofing material, you don’t have to choose them for your roof replacement. Other roofing materials offer great benefits like durability, aesthetics, and longevity, so many homeowners like to explore their options.
If you choose a material other than asphalt shingles, your roof replacement may take longer than one day. Typically, the average timeframe of each roofing material is:
- Asphalt shingles: 1 day
- Metal roofing: 2-5 days
- Cedar shakes: 2-5 days
- Clay tiles: 5-14 days
- Slate tiles: 5-14 days
Many homeowners find a happy medium with metal roofs because they don’t take very long to install, and they offer fantastic aesthetics and durability. Most metal roofs can last 40-70 years while asphalt shingle roofs typically last 15-25 years.
2) The Weather
There’s a reason prime roofing season falls in the summer. With ideal temperatures and less extreme weather, more roofs can get replaced without any holdups.
Roofs cannot be replaced when there’s rain, snow, freezing temperatures, or even when it’s too hot. This is because:
- A) It’s not safe for a roofing crew to be on top of a roof when rain and snow could cause them to slip and fall, and;
- B) Replacing a roof requires completely stripping a roof of its protective layer, leaving your home vulnerable to intense water damage from rain or snow.
If your scheduled roof replacement date happens to fall on a day with rain in the forecast, the work will need to pause and get completed at another time. If rain starts falling in the middle of your replacement, the crew will tarp your roof and complete the replacement when it’s no longer raining.
Ideally, the crew can come back the next day. But if their schedule is very full or if there isn’t a dry day forecasted in the near future, your roof replacement may be on hold for a few days or weeks.
3) The Size of Your Roof
It may go without saying, but the larger your home is, the longer it will take to replace your roof. With more surface area to cover and more materials to lay, the work won’t be completed as quickly as a smaller home.
However, this factor typically isn’t too much of a consideration unless the size of your house is drastically larger than average. Slight differences in square footage won’t usually affect the average timeframe of a roof replacement.
4) Your Roof’s Complexity
Some roofs are fairly flat. Others have numerous angles, valleys, facets, and steep pitches. Roofs with a more complex scope will take longer to fully replace.
The more complex angles a roof has, the more technical the installation is. Perfectly executing complex twists and turns on a roof takes more care and precision. Plus, contractors need to take extra safety precautions on more complex roofs. For safety purposes, contractors need to move slower, which may cause your roof replacement to take an extra day or two.
5) The Time of Year
Roofing crews can’t usually work in the dark. So even if you live somewhere where it doesn’t get too cold in winter, it still gets dark around 5 pm. If you get a roof replacement during the winter months, it might get spread out over two days so that your roofers can work in the daylight.
The opposite happens in the spring and summer months! With sunlight lasting longer in spring and summer, roofers can work on your roof for a longer duration. Typically, roof replacements get completed quicker in the spring and summer in ideal conditions.
Efficient Roof Replacements With a Skilled Team
Even though these five considerations can slow down a roof replacement, a skilled roofing team can generally complete a roof replacement in a few days in ideal conditions. As you look for a trusted roofing company for your upcoming roof replacement, look no further than Scro’s Roofing.
Our 5-star-rated team has been serving the Triangle area for decades. We know the ins and outs of all different kinds of roofing materials, and we look forward to executing a fantastic product for you.
Contact us today to get started!
