Question answered
How long does a roof replacement take?
The short answer
A roof replacement takes as long as the area, the complexity of the junctions, the new covering and the weather allow. A plain two-slope roof on a modest house is days of work, while a large hipped roof with chimneys, valleys or slate takes longer. Wet or windy days stop the job, and a scaffold that obstructs the pavement needs council permission applied for in advance.
A re-roof is measured in days rather than months, but the exact length depends on the roof's shape, its covering and the weather. The scaffold licence can also decide the start date before a single tile is lifted.
House type and roof shape set the pace
The biggest influence on timescale is how much roof there is to strip and cover, and how many awkward junctions it has. A small gable-ended terrace is the quickest case. A hipped bungalow has more edges, with hips and ridges to cut and finish. A detached house with dormers, valleys and several chimney stacks has far more detail, and detail is where the days go.
The covering matters too. Concrete interlocking tiles go on faster than small clay plain tiles, which are laid in many more pieces, and natural slate is slower again because each slate is fixed and dressed by hand. A roof with a lot of lead, around bay windows or a dormer cheek for example, adds time for cutting and welting the metal.
No single number suits every house. After the survey we put an expected programme in writing alongside the quote, built around your roof rather than an average.
How the days on site are spent
Most re-roofs follow one order. The scaffold goes up first and is inspected. The old covering is stripped in sections, so the roof is never left open to the sky overnight. Then comes the condition check of the timbers underneath, which can change the plan, since a rafter that looks sound from the loft side may be soft at the end.
Next are the underlay and the battens. Underlay is the waterproof sheet beneath the covering, and battens are the thin timber laths the tiles or slates hang from. After that the covering is laid, and the ridge, hips and verges are finished with mechanical fixings rather than mortar alone, as BS 5534 now expects. Lead flashings and valleys are dressed in, and the gutters and fascias are dealt with before the scaffold comes down.
Stripping and covering are the visible bulk of the programme. Clearing the site, taking the waste away and a last inspection from the ground add a little at the end.
Weather days are part of the plan
Heavy rain halts stripping, and strong wind halts the lifting of tiles, slates and long ridge runs. A gale off the Channel can close a roof for the day on this coast, particularly on exposed bungalows and seafront terraces. A careful roofer opens only an area that can be made watertight again by evening, which is why the work moves in sections.
We would rather lose a day than lay a roof in the wrong conditions, because rain on half-felted battens or a gust through a stacked pallet of tiles costs more than the day saved. Expect a few lost days in any programme, and a few more if the job runs into autumn. Our page on re-roofing in winter covers the colder months in more detail.
At close of work each day the roof is left secure, so a weather delay never means an open roof or a wet loft.
The scaffold licence can set the start date
A scaffold that narrows the pavement or sits in the road is a legal matter before it is a practical one. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 makes it an offence to leave one there without the council's written permission. Ours is the county council, which wants 10 working days between the application arriving and the poles going up. Across the boundary, Brighton and Hove deals with its own applications and quotes 3 days as its minimum.
The scaffolders submit the application, so raise it when you talk through the programme. A house set back behind a long drive may not need permission at all, and the scaffolders and the council can confirm that. The written quote follows our survey, and it tells you whether permission is likely to be needed and what that does to the earliest start. The waiting time is real, so it is worth asking early rather than discovering it once the materials are ordered and the diary is full.
What can add time once the roof is open
Surprises are almost always underneath. A rotten rafter, a decayed wall plate or a sagging purlin has to be put right before the new covering is laid, and the repair adds days. A covering considerably heavier than the old one can call for a structural check and a Building Regulations application, so the weight of the new material is settled before the job is booked.
Chimneys are another source of extra time, because new leadwork and repointing are best done while the scaffold is up. Partial jobs are quicker, though not in direct proportion to the area: replacing one side of a roof explains why. What drives the total cost, besides time, is covered in the most expensive part of replacing a roof. Everything we do under this heading sits on the roof replacement page, and the survey is where we turn all of this into dates for your house.
Timing a re-roof around your own plans
Can the work start the week after I accept the quote?
Only if the pavement is not affected, or permission for the scaffold is already in hand. Where it is needed, the county council asks for at least 10 working days, and the scaffolders apply. Materials also have to be ordered. We confirm the start date in writing once these are settled.
Will rain in the forecast delay the whole job?
It delays the stripping on the wet days, not the whole job. We plan the roof in sections so each part is made watertight before we leave, and we hold back on any day when wind or rain would make the work unsafe or the finished joints unreliable.
Tell us about your roof
Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.
- Photographs of what we find
- A written quote with one total price
- Or call 01903 299063
10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.