A New Roof Isn’t a Complicated Job, But Some Are More Complicated Than Others

When the time has finally come for a new roof, there are lots of things to worry about. It is a big job that is going to involve some stress.

One of the most obvious questions is just how long will it take?

That won’t be too hard to guestimate, though there are a few caveats to run through first. Once we’ve gotten a handle on those, we can give you a firm estimate that shouldn’t entail more than a day or two.

If you are in the Wilmington and New Castle, Delaware, area (or nearby parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey), we’ll be happy to make a site visit and talk roofing repair or replacement schedules.

First, let’s start with a couple of issues that aren’t unique to your property.

It’s Not Just the Winter Weather

The quicker a roof gets laid down the better. Working in the winter is not only slower, but the days are a lot shorter, meaning less progress on any given day. And roof installation in the dark is not a thing. So, the roofing season starts with the longer days of spring and runs until the daylight starts getting scarce.

Summer Isn’t Always Smooth Sailing

Just because it’s the “good weather” season doesn’t mean the weather will be good for roofing. For safety and technical reasons, serious rain or significant heat will delay a roofing job. Along with not wanting to put our crew in danger, the roof deck can’t be wet when the underlayment is laid down because moisture would get sealed under the roof. Things also warp in extreme heat, especially when there’s direct sunlight involved.

Some Things That Might Make Your Roof a Little Trickier

The two things that might make replacing a roof take a little longer boil down to these questions: “How many roofs make up your roof?” and “How hard is it to get to your roof?”

That Looks Complicated

A roof with lots of elements—dormer windows, facets, valleys, angles, and changes of pitch—will certainly slow things down. C’mon, there is math involved. And making angled cuts to shingles where elements come together is a more painstaking process than laying down shingles on a long, flat roof section.

Extremely steep roof pitches also necessitate more work done from ladders or lifts instead of directly.

Roofs above a one- or two-story structure are easier to work on than taller ones where safety procedures are more complex.

Working around solar panels also introduces more challenges to the process.

Since such realities will make a re-roofing take longer, it will also increase the cost compared to a simpler roof of the same square footage.

A straightforward job of about 3,000 square feet will usually take about a day to complete. But a complicated one with lots of challenges? Probably closer to three.

Can’t Get There From Here

The final issue that could slow things down is if your roof is hard to get to. Most of the work is happening on the roof, but all the equipment and materials have to get there first. And the old shingles and other construction debris being discarded have to be carefully removed—not just directly from the roof but the premises altogether. If your building is down a narrow dirt lane, that will slow things down.

Likewise, bushes or trees around the building, fences, other nearby structures, and any other impediments to accessing the roof will have to be worked around.

The bottom line is that when the weather is good roofing jobs go surprisingly fast. We know what we’re doing and lugging bundles of shingles on a roof in the full sun doesn’t inspire loitering. If getting to your roof is a little more time-consuming than normal, or if your roof is especially intricate, it might take a little longer—but the job will get done nonetheless.