I see this question from the client’s perspective. If they are a homeowner, they want to know some things about any given roofing company’s re roofing philosophy. Will they be exposed to the elements? Why? Is there a way to lessen this risk? Are they insured? How much? What type of insurance do they have? Claims made? (oh, perish the thought!)… do they “felt in” what they remove at any given re roofing day? What type of felt will they use? 15# felt?? (which can blow off more easily in sudden summer storms than stronger heartier felts)? 30#? 40#? Ice & water shield? What is the projected crew size for the project? The questions are heart felt and deserve honest open answers at the time of signing the bid proposal. Length of time is undoubtedly the most frequently asked question that all homeowners have when considering replacing a roof. A great way to determine how long it will take to replace a roof is to just ask the roofing contractor when they are giving you an estimate. You might be surprised at the answers.

Commercial building owners have others things in mind such as tenant relocation during the project, loss of productivity, sensitive computer or network vulnerability exposure, and for some clients like psychoanalysts… dentists, government officials, health departments… noise factor and SMELL factors definitely come into play. Other clients like schools want to know how child safety will be handled.

These factors and more all effect project duration.

It is important to realize that not every estimate is written in stone. A roofer may estimate that a project may take two weeks to complete, but if there are conditions that arise that delay the work, it may take longer. Unforeseen items like dry rot or inferior roof deck sheathing may delay the project. Obviously, bad weather is a factor that can interfere with work, so it’s always advisable to be flexible in your expectations and plan for roof replacement when the weather is more favorable. Usually most midsize to small projects only need 3 to 5 days of a good weather window to successfully complete.

If a roofer tells you that they believe it would take two days to complete the roofing project, and you have plans to leave town the second day of the project, you may want to reschedule. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the project in case there are emergencies, poor weather conditions or any additional work that must be completed.