How Long Does It Take to Replace a Roof?

What decides the length

Size is the obvious factor. A semi-detached house roof is a smaller job than a large detached one, and a roof with many hips and valleys takes longer than a plain gable. Complexity matters as much as area: every chimney, dormer, roof window and abutment needs its own flashing, and these are slow, careful jobs. A single-storey extension can be done in a day or two, while a four-bedroom house with a hipped roof may take much of a fortnight.

The covering counts too. Large concrete interlocking tiles go down faster than small plain tiles or natural slate, each of which is laid piece by piece and needs more care. Flat roofs depend on the system: a single-ply EPDM sheet can be quick, while built-up layers need time to cure and be inspected. Crew size is also a factor, since a bigger team finishes sooner but needs more space on the scaffold.

A typical sequence

The scaffold goes up first, usually a day before the work starts. The strip follows, for a day or two on an average house, with the old covering coming off in sections and the roof being felted behind it. Any repairs to rafters, wall plates or the fascia line are made next. Then new underlay and battens, which takes a day or so, and the tiling, which is the longest stage. Ridge, hips, verges and flashings come last, and then the clear-up and scaffold strike.

Stages overlap, so the numbers do not simply add up. While one team lays tiles on the front slope, another can strip the back. This is how a good crew keeps the roof closed in at the end of each day while still working quickly. Our article on the roof replacement process goes through each step in order.

What causes delays

Weather comes first. Wind stops work on a roof, rain and frost slow or halt it, and winter days are short. A roofer who promises a fixed finish date in an unsettled month is ignoring this. The next cause is the discovery of rotten timber when the covering comes off, which is common on older roofs and needs a repair before the new layers go on. Materials arriving late, particularly special tiles or slates, can hold up the job. A building control inspection, where one is required, may need to be booked ahead.

Access problems add time. A narrow terraced street with no drive means every tile is carried further, a skip may need a permit and deliveries must be timed. Neighbours' parking and a tight garden affect the hoist. These all show up at the survey if the roofer is looking for them.

Planning around it

Ask for a start window, not a fixed date, and for the main stages with a rough number of days for each. Ask what happens if the weather stops work for several days, and whether extra scaffold days are charged. Ask who will be on site each day. Our quotes set out the stages and say how weather days are treated. For the effect on daily life during that time, see the page on how disruptive a roof replacement is.

Before day one

The time on site is only part of the picture. Between the survey and the start there is the quote, your decision, the materials order and the booking of scaffold. Special tiles or a made-to-order lead flashing can take longer to arrive than the roof takes to lay. If building control needs notifying, that happens before the work begins. Ask for lead times when you accept the quote, so you can plan the weeks around it, and so the scaffold is not booked until the materials are on their way.

Afterwards there is a short tail: a snag walk-round with the roofer, a last check of the gutters and a final tidy of the garden. These take hours, not days, but they are part of a finished job and should be in the plan.

Why fast is not always good

A job that finishes in half the expected time deserves a question. Tiles nailed without checking the gauge, battens laid onto old underlay, ridge tiles bedded on wet mortar: speed comes from skipping steps that you cannot see from the ground. A competent crew is quick because it is organised, not because it cuts corners. The time listed in the quote should include proper setting out, fixings, flashing work and clearing up.

Winter timing has its own effects, which the page on replacing a roof in winter covers. If the roof is leaking now, tell us, because the first step is to make it safe and the proper programme can follow.

We assess the roof at the free survey, look at the loft timbers and photograph the access, then give you a programme alongside the fixed quote. The work is guaranteed for ten years, in writing. The rest of the work is described under roof replacement.