The short answer
A roof replacement on an ordinary terraced or semi-detached house usually takes several working days once the scaffold is up, while a larger detached house, a hipped roof or a roof with a lot of leadwork can run to a few weeks. Weather, rotten timbers found after stripping and consent for listed buildings are what stretch a programme most often.
A typical programme, house by house
No two roofs take the same time, but the form of the house gives a fair starting point. A small terrace with one plain slope front and back is quickest. A semi-detached house has more area and usually a gable or a hip at one end. A detached house, a hipped roof with several valleys or a roof with dormers brings more area and, more importantly, more of the awkward junctions where time disappears.
The sequence is fixed. Scaffolding goes up and is checked before anyone climbs it. Old slates or tiles come off one section at a time, followed by the battens and any failed underlay, and the timber frame is looked over. Fresh underlay and battens go on, then the new covering, then the ridge, hips and verges, and finally the lead at chimneys and wall junctions. Gutters and fascias come last where they form part of the job, and the plot is tidied.
On a plain roof, the strip and re-cover are often a matter of days. On a bigger or more intricate roof the same sequence stretches into weeks, simply because there is more of every stage. The written quote that follows a survey sets out the expected programme for your own roof, which is a better guide than any general rule. To see how each stage runs on site, read the step-by-step account of a replacement.
Why the covering changes the time
The material you are removing and the one going on both shape the programme. Concrete interlocking tiles are large and quick to lay. Plain clay tiles and natural slate are small, so many more pieces go on across the same area, and each one has to sit at the right gauge and headlap. Slate is also nailed one piece at a time, and the pace slows again where the slates reduce in size up the slope.
Reusing old covering adds a task. Sound pieces are sorted as they come down, cleaned and stacked, while matched new or reclaimed pieces fill whatever count is missing. Sorting takes time at ground level as well as on the roof, though it is how a period roof keeps its character.
Natural stone slates are laid slowly and by eye, because they differ in thickness and size, so a stone roof is programmed more generously than a concrete tile roof of equal area. If the covering is changing type, weigh it up beforehand. A new covering at least 15 per cent heavier than the old calls for Building Regulations approval and a structural check, and those arrangements must be settled before the first tile is lifted.
What stretches the programme
Delays usually come from a short list of causes.
- Weather. Stripping and making the roof watertight are planned around the forecast, and a day of heavy rain on an open slope is a day not spent laying. How the roof is protected meanwhile is explained in what happens when a showery day arrives mid-job.
- What lies under the old covering. Crumbling battens, rafter ends softened by years of damp or a rotten wall plate all need repair before the new roof goes on. A loft inspection reveals a good deal, but a stripped roof reveals everything, and putting defects right adds days.
- Leadwork. Chimney flashings, valleys and gutters lined with sheet lead are cut and dressed by hand. A parapet gutter, the lined channel formed along the foot of a parapet wall, takes longer to rebuild than the slope beside it.
- Consent. A listed building needs listed building consent from B&NES before work starts, and that waiting time comes before the scaffold, not within the working days.
- Access. A narrow street, a shared party wall or a steep plot slows the delivery and removal of materials.
Life at home while it happens
A re-roof is noisy, and the first days are the loudest, when the old covering is stripped and sent down a chute into a skip. Plan around that. Work begins early, scaffold poles pass your windows and the loft may need clearing. Staying put is possible, though some households choose to be elsewhere for the stripping days. Practical tips for a household in residence are collected under staying in the house while the work goes on.
Most of the mess falls in the first stage. Waste is taken away as the job proceeds and the plot is left tidy at the finish, so sweeping paths, gardens and gutters belongs to the handover and is not left for you. If the dust in an old loft concerns you, cover or clear stored belongings in advance. What to expect underfoot and overhead is set out under mess during a re-roof.
Getting a programme you can rely on
Ask for the programme in writing alongside the price. A sensible quote states how many working days are expected for the strip and re-cover, which stages may add time and what happens if the roof structure needs repair. It should also say who arranges Building Regulations notification where the job is notifiable, because that comes before the start date. If the house has a listing, or sits within a conservation area, approach B&NES planning early.
A quote that looks quick because it leaves out leadwork, timber repair or fascia work is quick on paper only. Those items belong in the programme, and a few extra days are worth spending to get the hidden parts right.
The survey costs nothing, and we take pictures of the roof you actually have. Once that is done you receive a timetable, plus a firm price, both in writing. For the money side, the cost guide shows typical UK ranges. Anyone unsure that the roof is due yet can read about typical roof lifespans, or start from the main roof replacement page.
