The short answer
Mostly a re-roof is counted in days rather than weeks, but the length varies with roof area, its shape, the covering and how much repair is found underneath. A small terraced house with a plain gable is quick. A big hipped roof, a slate roof or one with several chimneys and valleys takes noticeably longer. Weather and hidden timber repairs are the usual causes of delay.
What sets the length of the job
Time on a roof comes down to area and complexity. A plain gable has two big slopes and few joints, so the crew can lay a lot of covering in a day. A hipped roof adds sloping corners, each with its own ridge line, cut tiles and fixings. Every valley, dormer, rooflight, chimney and abutment needs hand-cut covering and lead, which is slower than open slope.
The covering counts as well. Concrete interlocking tiles go on quickly because each one covers a large area. Plain clay tiles are laid in smaller units with a tighter gauge, and natural slate is cut and fixed one at a time, so each square metre takes longer. Cotswold-style stone slate in diminishing courses is slower again. The final programme comes from the survey, which measures the slopes and notes every detail, and it is set out in writing with the quote. Ask how many people will be on the roof, because a larger crew shortens the stripping and relaying but not the curing of mortar or the drying of a wet day.
Typical timings by type of house
These are descriptions of relative effort, not promises. Your own programme is agreed after the survey.
| House type | What it means for time |
|---|---|
| Small terrace, plain gable | Quickest, a matter of days once the scaffold is up |
| Semi-detached, gable or hip | Longer, with a chimney or two and more edges |
| Detached, hipped, with valleys | Noticeably longer, with hand-cut work at every junction |
| Bungalow, large footprint | Low access helps, but the area is large |
| Slate or stone slate roof | Slower per square metre than concrete tile |
Scaffolding goes up before the work and comes down afterwards, and both visits sit outside the roofing days, so ask for the whole timeline and not just the days on the tiles. Our page on scaffolding for a re-roof explains the sequence.
How a re-roof runs, day to day
The first stage is the scaffold and a protective cover. Then the old covering is stripped in sections, and the underlay and battens that sat beneath it come off too, which our note on removing old roofing felt explains. New underlay and battens go on, each section covered the same day so the loft stays dry overnight. After that, the tiles or slates are fixed, the ridge and hips are bedded and mechanically fixed, and verges are finished.
Lead flashings at chimneys, abutments and valleys are fitted as the covering reaches them. Fascias, soffits and gutters follow if they are part of the job. The last stages are clearing the roof, checking the gutters, sweeping the drive and garden for stray nails, and taking the scaffold down. Waste leaves the site in the same visits, so the property is left tidy. Because each slope is finished before the next is opened, the length of the job is the sum of the stages, and a gap in any one of them delays the rest. That sequence is deliberate: it keeps the house watertight every evening, which matters more than finishing a day sooner.
What stretches the programme
Weather is the most obvious cause. Rain stops the work on an open roof, and strong wind makes it unsafe to handle sheets, slates and lead. A programme allows for a little weather, but a wet spell can add days. Our guide on roofing in the rain explains how the work is protected when showers arrive.
Hidden timber repairs come next. Once the covering is off, rotten battens, rafter feet or wall plates may show, and replacing them takes time. Chimneys can add time too, if the stack needs repointing or new flashings before the covering reaches it, and so can party wall details on a terrace. Access plays its part: a house on a narrow street or with no side path slows deliveries and waste removal. Finally, a late change of mind, such as a different tile, a new rooflight or extra insulation, can reset the order of work. Ask about these at the survey, and agree any change in writing, so that the programme and the price move together. A fixed start date is easier to keep when the materials are ordered early, particularly for slate, clay or reclaimed tiles that are not held in stock everywhere.
Planning around the work
A full loft needs clearing before the roofers arrive, which is a job in itself, and our page on emptying the loft before a new roof covers what to move. Park cars away from the walls, cover anything in the garden and tell neighbours the dates. You can usually stay in the house, though it will be noisy, and our page on living in a house during a re-roof sets out the day-to-day detail. Allow some time at the end for the final inspection, the gutter check and the clear-up, which is done properly and not rushed to meet a deadline.
Not every roof needs a full strip, and the shortest job that properly fixes the fault is the one we recommend. Our page on repairing or replacing a roof helps you weigh up the options. For the whole process, see roof replacement. Once the survey is done a written quote arrives, with photographs of your roof, and our workmanship is guaranteed for 10 years in writing.