What to Expect During Roof Replacement, Hour by Hour
Most people have never watched a roof go on. They've seen the dumpster in the neighbor's driveway and heard the nail guns for a day, and that's it. If you're the one signing the check, it helps to know what to expect during roof replacement and roughly when each step happens, so you can tell a careful crew from a merely fast one. Here is a typical one-day replacement on an 1,800 sq ft Madison two-story in late October. Most homes take one to two days; bigger or cut-up roofs take longer.
The week before: permit, delivery and dumpster placement
Dumpster placement gets decided first. The dumpster or trailer shows up a day or two ahead, and it needs a spot the truck can reach without cracking the driveway apron; ask for plywood under it if the driveway is newer. Shingles are delivered to the driveway or, on steep roofs, boom-lifted onto the ridge.
If your job needs a permit — check with the City of Madison Building Inspection (or your city or village), and ask the roofer who pulls it — it's often posted in a front window. Move cars out of the driveway, take pictures off the walls on the upper floor (the hammering rattles them), and cover anything in the attic you care about, because dust and debris fall through the deck seams during tear-off.
Tell the crew about anything they should know: a garden bed under the eave, a skylight, a satellite dish, a dog.
7:00 — arrival and setup
The crew tarps the landscaping, the AC unit and the driveway edge, sets plywood against windows below the roof edge, and stages the ladders. On a two-story or a steep isthmus house, roof jacks and planks go on. In fall, they'll also check the deck for frost; a slick deck can delay the start an hour.
7:30 — tear-off
The loudest part. Shovels and tear-off forks strip the old shingles down to the deck and into the dumpster. On a one-layer roof this takes a few hours; a second layer roughly doubles it. Old nails are pulled or driven flush. If rain or snow is forecast before the deck can be covered, a good crew doesn't start this step at all.
10:00 — the deck
With the shingles off, the plywood is visible for the first time in 20 years. The foreman walks it looking for soft spots, rot at the eaves from old ice dams, delamination and gaps. This is when the decking allowance on your quote gets used. Ask to see any sheet they're replacing before it goes in the dumpster, and take a photo. On 1920s houses with plank decking, this is when the decision about overlaying with plywood gets made — and it should have been discussed at the quote.
11:00 — drip edge, ice barrier, underlayment
Drip edge along the eaves. Then ice-and-water shield: Wisconsin's code calls for an ice barrier at the eaves — commonly from the edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall, which is two courses on many Madison houses. Ask the roofer how far up yours will run. Most roofers here also run it in the valleys and around every chimney, skylight and vent. Then synthetic underlayment over the rest, lapped and cap-nailed, with drip edge over the underlayment at the rakes.
At this point the roof is dried in. If the weather turns, the crew can stop here and come back; the house won't get wet.
12:00 — flashing and shingles
Starter strip along eaves and rakes. Then shingles, from the bottom up, nailed to the pattern on the quote. Step flashing is woven in at walls as the courses climb; pipe boots and vent flashings go in as the courses reach them. Chimney counter-flashing is cut into the mortar joints. The foreman should be checking nail placement on the first few courses of each crew member.
Shingles need warmth to seal. On a cool fall day the adhesive strips may not bond until spring sun, so ask how the roofer handles it — many hand-seal the exposed edges along rakes and eaves.
15:00 — ridge
The ridge is cut open about an inch each side for the vent, the ridge vent goes on, and ridge cap shingles cover it. Any roof vent replacements go in now. Skylights get their new flashing kits.
16:00 — cleanup and the magnet sweep
The tarps come off and everything on them goes in the dumpster. Then the magnet sweep: a rolling magnet over the lawn, the driveway, the beds and the street in front. Then a second pass. A roofing nail in a tire is a common complaint after any roof job, and the crews that avoid it sweep twice. Gutters are cleared of debris, and the dumpster is usually picked up within a day or two.
What should be true at the end
- If there's a permit inspection, you know when it is. Some inspectors want to see flashing and the ice barrier before they're covered, so a permit inspection mid-job isn't unusual; ask the roofer how it's scheduled
- Every piece of flashing is new
- The ridge vent is continuous and the deck under it is cut
- You have photos of any replaced decking
- The lawn has been magnet-swept twice
- You have the shingle warranty paperwork, and the workmanship term in years, in writing, from the roofer who installed it
What to expect during roof replacement: noise, dust and the dog
It's loud: hammering and nail guns over the bedroom most of the day. If you work from home, plan to be elsewhere. Pets should be out of the house or in the basement; the noise upsets most dogs. Fine dust comes through the attic hatch and light fixtures on the top floor; a quick vacuum afterward handles it.
Two-day jobs and winter jobs
A larger house, a steep or cut-up isthmus roof, a second layer, or a lot of decking replacement pushes the job to two days or more. The rule doesn't change: the deck is covered with underlayment before the crew leaves on day one. Nobody should leave bare plywood overnight in Madison in October.
Winter replacements happen too. The deck has to be free of snow and frost, which can mean a late start, and shingles need warmth to seal, so ask how the roofer handles a cold-weather install (hand-sealing, cold-rated membrane). The roof replacement page covers what's included, the cost page what it costs, and the post on nails, starter strips and details explains why each step above is done the way it is.
A checklist for the night before
- Cars out of the driveway, and out of the garage if the garage roof is part of the job
- Mirrors and framed pictures off the walls of the top floor
- Boxes in the attic covered or moved away from the hatch
- Patio furniture, the grill and planters pulled a few feet away from the house
- Gates unlocked, and the crew told where an outdoor outlet is
- A plan for pets: a friend's house, daycare or the basement
- The foreman's phone number saved in your phone, and yours in his
Mistakes homeowners make on the day
Being unreachable. If the deck turns out to be soft at mid-morning, someone has to look at it and agree to the extra sheets. Keep your phone on, even if you're at work.
Not looking at the deck. It's the only time in twenty years anyone will see it. Ask the foreman to call you up the ladder or send photos before new plywood goes down.
Paying in full before the walk-around. Hold the last payment until you've walked the yard, looked at the chimney, valleys and drip edge from the ground, and checked the gutters.
Parking where the truck needs to turn. The dumpster pickup needs room. Leave the street in front clear on the last day.
Common questions
What does a roof replacement include?
A full replacement should include tear-off to the deck, replacement of any rotten decking at a stated per-sheet price, drip edge, an ice barrier at the eaves, underlayment, new flashing and pipe boots, the shingles, ridge ventilation, and cleanup. Whether a permit is needed, and who pulls it, should be on the quote too. If any of these are missing from a quote, ask why.
Can a roof be replaced in one day?
Many Madison homes can be, if the roof is simple, has one layer and the weather holds. A steep or cut-up roof, a second layer, or a lot of bad decking pushes it to two days or more. Either way, the deck should be covered before the crew leaves each night.
Who cleans up the nails after a re-roof?
The roofing crew should, as part of the job. Ask on the quote whether cleanup includes a magnet sweep of the lawn, beds, driveway and street, and how many passes. Walk the yard with the foreman before the crew leaves.
What happens if it rains halfway through the job?
A careful crew watches the forecast and only opens as much roof as it can dry in before the weather arrives. Once the underlayment is on, the house is protected, so the crew can stop, tarp the edges and come back to finish the shingles.
Should I be worried about the attic during tear-off?
Expect dust, granules and the odd nail tip to fall through gaps in the deck boards. Cover stored boxes with old sheets beforehand and keep the hatch closed. A few minutes with a shop vacuum afterward usually takes care of it.
Need roof work in Madison?
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