Installing a new roof is a major investment and — done the right way — is not a quick process. When our clients ask us, “How long does it take to install a roof?” we are honest with them about the lengthy process.  On average, counting from the day we deliver a roofing quote, it will be about three months before the trucks drive away, leaving you with a newly finished roof. The actual work of installing your roof could take a few days or up to 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the type of roof you want installed. So what’s involved in the process?  

Step 1: Permitting and approvals

Under perfect conditions, from the time you sign a contract with us, it could take 60 days or longer until we finally begin the roof installation.  The first major time consideration is permitting. Obtaining a permit can take up to 45 days. According to Florida Building Code, the plan reviewer has up to 30 days to approve, deny or come back with comments on a permit due to their workload. While some cities do offer express permits for roofing, not all of them do. Furthermore, many cities operate on Monday through Thursday work weeks, so that adds to delays. Additionally, many Homeowner Associations require the color, material and other details of the roof to be approved by its board or from a particular list. The process of obtaining an approval letter could take an additional month. The HOA is only able to give their letter of approval to the homeowner, not companies like ours, so the homeowner has to take responsibility for this component.  Only after the permits and approvals have been obtained can we schedule our pre-construction meeting with the client.  

Step 2: Securing the materials

Another variable in how long it takes to replace a roof is the type of roofing material you choose. On average, it takes 60 days for tiles to arrive on site. We can order materials simultaneously to the permitting process, but we’re often waiting on the tiles, not the permits.  Shingles are the fastest type of material to order. Because most of the country uses this roofing material, the variations of shingles are usually in stock so that speeds up the process.  Tiles take much longer to come in. Given the variety of color and options available for tiles, they often need to be specially ordered from the factory. It could take as little as 6 weeks or upwards of 18 weeks for the special tiles to be made and delivered The materials for metal roofs are also usually in stock, but the installation process takes longer.  As we schedule the delivery of the materials, we factor in weather and scheduling of our work crews so that the tiles or shingles arrive after we’ve done the first step of the installation. If they arrive too soon, they risk getting damaged.   

Step 3: Preparations

After we have materials ordered and the permits secured, we’ll schedule the work to begin. Leading up to that date, the homeowner needs to prepare their home for the project. Remember, installing a roof is messy. It’s noisy. We’ll need access to your driveway. You’ll need to move your cars onto the street, along with any boats, RVs, grills and anything around the exterior of your home that you don’t want to risk getting damaged throughout this process.  In addition to preparing the outside of your home, homeowners should also consider their interior as well. While we do not do any work inside the house, it is wise to secure or put away anything hanging on the walls or ceilings, such as chandeliers, fragile art pieces, China and other breakables. This is because roofing is a loud process that involves a lot of vibrations to the house that could knock things down if not properly secured. If you’re one of the many people who work from home, you’ll need to figure out somewhere else to work for at least the first few days. Installing a roof is a very noisy process, making it difficult to concentrate, and you certainly wouldn’t want to be on a Zoom call with all that racket. You won’t be the only one preparing your home for this process. We come out with tarps, plastic sheeting, and plywood so we can protect your driveway, your pool, the AC unit, windows, garage door, and anything else important on your property.   

Step 4: Installation and inspections

The number of days our crews are working on your roof can vary based on the type of materials you choose and the amount of inspections that are required to ensure the roof is installed correctly.  Of course, the size of the roof also plays a factor when considering how long it takes to replace a roof. A large roof will take a few more days to complete than a smaller roof.  

Installing shingles

Shingles are the quickest to install because that only requires three inspections. We can install a shingle roof between three days to a week, depending on weather and other variables.  On the first day of physical labor, we tear off the roof, replace any damaged wood and call for inspection on work day 1 or 2. Depending on how much rotting wood we find, that could add another day or two.  Next, we install the underlayment in sections. After that is complete, that requires another inspection. Finally, we install the shingles, followed by one more inspection.   

Installing tiles or metal roofs

The installation of tile and metal roofs is a much longer process because the process is a lot more complicated, taking up to two weeks as opposed to a few days. Additionally, with tile roofs, in addition to the other inspections, we must bring on a special engineer to complete a tile uplift test, which verifies that the tiles are adhered correctly.  

Unexpected delays

Sometimes we come across something unexpected during the roofing process that can add time to the process.  For instance, we always allocate the replacement of a certain amount of wood into each project. However, we never know how much rotted wood we’ll find, and we must replace all of it. We cannot install a brand new roofing system over bad or rotted wood. Just like unexpected damage can add to the costs, this can also add to the length of time it takes to complete the job.  

The final step

After the final inspection, we’ll set up a time with the homeowner to complete their final package. We’ll deliver their final invoice for any unexpected costs and collect the final payment.  Along with this, we deliver the warranties for their new roof, including an underlayment warranty, one for the roof covering and another for our workmanship. We’ll print out a copy of all the inspections the roof passed for our customers’ assurance.  Since a high quality roof should last you 20 years, you should only have to replace your roof once in the lifetime of owning your home. That’s why we take the time to install a roof correctly.  To book a consultation to start the process of replacing your roof, call Florida Quality Roofing at 954-458-6095.