Shorter than most people expect, and the part that takes longest is usually not the roofing.
People imagine a re-roof as weeks of disruption. On a typical house it is usually days of actual roofing, with scaffolding standing either side of it.
| Stage | Typically | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and quotation | A visit, then a few days | Includes checking the loft, not just the outside |
| Scaffold erected | Usually a day | Often a day or two before the roofers start |
| Strip the old covering | Part of a day to a day | Noisy; this is the loudest part |
| Repairs to timber, if needed | The main variable | Cannot be known until stripped |
| Battens, underlay, insulation | A day or so | The part that determines how the roof performs |
| Lay the new covering | Two to several days | Depends on area, pitch and material |
| Ridge, verge, flashings, leadwork | A day or so | The detailing — where quality shows |
| Clear site, scaffold down | A day | Scaffold removal is often a few days later |
This is the question people worry about most, and the answer is that a competent roofer never has the whole roof open at once.
A roof is stripped and re-covered in sections precisely so it can be made watertight at the end of every working day. Temporary covering is used where needed. The house does not sit exposed overnight, and it does not sit exposed through a wet week.
You can, and almost everyone does. What to expect:
Roofing happens all year and no season is unworkable. That said, the practical considerations are real.
Spring and early autumn tend to give the most settled conditions. Late autumn is the busiest time in every roofer's diary, because the first bad weather prompts everyone at once — so lead times stretch exactly when demand spikes. Winter work is entirely possible with more weather days built in.
If a roof is known to need doing, booking it before the autumn rush usually means a better choice of dates and a less pressured job.
Tell us the property and what needs doing, and we will tell you realistically when it could be done and how long it would take.
On a straightforward house, roughly a week of roofing inside a two-week window once scaffolding either side is counted. Larger, steeper or more complicated roofs take longer.
The roof is stripped and re-covered in sections so it can be made watertight at the end of each day. Rain delays the work; it should not leave the house exposed.
Yes, and almost everyone does. Expect noise during stripping, dust in the loft and some vibration — worth moving stored items and taking down anything precious.
What is found under the covering, weather, and scaffold scheduling. Timber defects cannot be known until the roof is stripped.
Spring and early autumn give the most settled conditions. Late autumn is the busiest period in every roofer's diary, so booking before it usually means a better choice of dates.
Apex Roofing covers Cheshire and the surrounding area for complete roof replacement, new slate and tiled roofs and re-roofing.
Tell us about the property and the roof, and we will come back to you — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07377 461095 · WhatsApp +44 7465 861265 · Email apexroofing14@gmail.com
