How Long Does It Take to Replace a Roof?

On most homes in Howell and across Livingston County, the actual roof replacement takes one day, and larger or more complicated roofs take two or three. The bigger stretch of time is everything around install day: the inspection, choosing your shingles, the permit, getting on the schedule and waiting out the weather. From first call to finished roof, most homeowners should plan on a few weeks, longer in the busy fall season.

The short answer: one to three days on the roof

A typical ranch or two-story colonial with one layer of asphalt shingles is torn off, dried in, shingled and cleaned up in a single day. That covers most of the 1990s and 2000s subdivision homes in Howell, Oceola, Genoa and Marion Townships, and much of Brighton and Hartland. A good crew starts early, has the old roof off by mid-morning and has the house protected from rain well before the new shingles go on.

Two or three days is normal, not a red flag, when the roof is large, steep or cut up with dormers, valleys, skylights and chimneys. Older homes in downtown Howell with steep pitches and turrets, and big lake homes around Lake Chemung, Thompson Lake and the Chain of Lakes, often fall in that range. If you want to see how the hours of a single day break down, we walk through it in what happens on roof replacement day.

What makes a roof replacement take longer

No two roofs are the same, and a few things decide whether your job is a one-day roof or a three-day roof:

• Size and shape. More surface area means more shingles to remove and install. Every valley, dormer, hip and wall adds careful flashing work that cannot be rushed.
• Pitch. Steep roofs need roof jacks, planks and extra safety setup, and the crew moves more slowly on them. That is the right call, not a delay.
• Layers. Two layers of old shingles take noticeably longer to tear off than one. Michigan code does not allow a third layer, so a two-layer roof has to come all the way off.
• Decking repairs. Once the old shingles are off, the crew walks the whole deck. Soft or rotted sheathing, which we often find at the eaves on Livingston County homes after years of ice dams, gets replaced before anything new goes on. That can add a few hours.
• Chimneys, skylights and penetrations. Each one gets new flashing. A roof with two chimneys and three skylights simply has more detail work than a plain gable roof.
• Access. A house set close to the neighbors, a long wooded lot or a steep yard can make it slower to get material up and debris out.
• Weather. Rain, high wind and very cold days all stop or slow work, and a careful crew will not open a roof with a storm on the way.

The full timeline, from first call to finished roof

When homeowners ask how long the whole thing takes, this is the part that surprises them. Here is how a roof replacement usually unfolds:

• Inspection and written quote. A free inspection usually takes about an hour, including the attic. You get a written recommendation with photos of what we found.
• Choosing your shingles. Most people want a few days to look at colors on real homes, not just a sample board. There is no rush on this step, and it is the one you will look at for the next 25 years.
• Permit. A full tear-off usually needs a building permit. Depending on your address, that comes from the City of Howell or the Livingston County Building Department, which covers Howell, Oceola, Marion and Genoa Townships even though many of those homes have a Howell mailing address. Your contractor should know which office your home answers to.
• Scheduling and materials. Shingles and accessories are ordered for your roof and delivered a day or two before install day, usually by a boom truck that sets them right on the roof.
• Install day. One to three days, as above.
• Final inspection and warranty. The building inspector signs off on the permit, and the manufacturer warranty is registered in your name.

The step that varies most is scheduling. In Greater Southeast Michigan, late summer and fall are the busiest months for roof replacement, because everyone wants a new roof on before snow. Spring and winter are often easier to book. We covered the trade-offs in the best time of year to replace a roof in Michigan.

How Michigan weather affects the schedule

Our weather is the wild card in every Livingston County roof schedule. A crew should never tear off a roof with rain in the forecast that afternoon, so a wet week can push an install back a few days. High wind makes it unsafe to handle full bundles and sheets of underlayment on the roof. And in winter, a roof cannot go down over frost, snow or a wet deck, so cold-weather installs are planned around dry, workable days.

Roofs can be replaced well in a Michigan winter, but it takes a few extra steps, like keeping shingles warm so they stay flexible and hand-sealing edges until spring warms the sealant strips. If you are thinking about a winter install, see can you replace a roof in the winter in Michigan.

Why faster is not always better

You may hear about crews that promise any roof in a few hours. Speed itself is not the goal. The steps that make a Michigan roof last are the ones that take time: checking every sheet of decking, running ice and water barrier past the code minimum at the eaves and up every valley, weaving new step flashing in at every wall, and nailing each shingle in the manufacturer's nailing zone with the right number of nails. Skipping those steps saves an hour on install day and takes years off the life of the roof.

As an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor, we install complete Owens Corning systems, not just shingles, and we register the warranty in your name when the job is done. That is a big part of why we plan the day around doing every detail right, not around beating the clock.

How to help install day go smoothly

• Move cars out of the garage and driveway the night before, since the dumpster and delivery usually go there.
• Take pictures and fragile items off the walls on the top floor. Tear-off shakes the house.
• Cover belongings stored in the attic, because some dust and debris will fall.
• Plan for pets and young children. It is loud, and there will be people and ladders around the house all day.
• Mark sprinkler heads, septic covers and anything in the yard you want the crew to avoid.

Roof replacement timing questions

Should I stay home during my roof replacement?

You do not have to, but it helps to be reachable by phone. If the crew finds soft decking once the old roof is off, we call you with photos before we replace it. Many homeowners work from home that day; others leave because of the noise. Either is fine.

How long does it take to roof a 1,500 square foot house?

A simple single-story home of about 1,500 square feet is usually a one-day job with one layer of old shingles. Pitch, layers, decking repairs and the number of chimneys and skylights matter more than square footage alone.

Can a roof be replaced in the rain?

No. A crew should not tear off a roof while it is raining or when rain is expected before the roof can be dried in. Once ice and water barrier and underlayment are down, the house is protected, but good crews still plan the tear-off around a dry forecast.

Get a timeline for your own roof

The quickest way to know how long your roof will take is to have someone look at it. Our roof inspections are free in Howell, Brighton, Hartland, Fowlerville, Pinckney and across Greater Southeast Michigan, and you get a written recommendation and a realistic install timeline for your home. Learn more about our roof replacement process, or call On Top Roofing at (810) 588-3933 to request your free estimate. Our inspectors are HAAG Certified.