How Often to Replace Your Roof and How Long It Takes
How Often to Replace Your Roof and How Long It Takes
A month ago, my sister called me. She received three quotes for a new roof, and she was overwhelmed. “How often will I have to do this?” she inquired. It made me realize that I was taking the information about roofs for granted. Not everyone knows how long they’ve got before the roofers show up at their door.
The truth is, it depends on what’s covering your house right now. Most asphalt shingle roofs—the kind you see on about 80 percent of homes—last around 20 to 25 years. That’s the standard answer, anyway. But like a lot of things in life, it’s more complicated than that. Some folks get 15 years out of theirs. Others stretch it to 30. I had neighbors who needed theirs replaced at 18 years, and they weren’t happy about it.
The real factors come down to climate, maintenance, and, honestly, just luck. Here in the South, with the heat and humidity, roofs won’t last as long as they do up North. The sun beats down on those shingles all year long, breaking down the asphalt and causing the shingles to curl and crack. My buddy moved to Minnesota, and his contractor told him he could probably get 30 years out of good shingles up there. Temperature swings matter too. When you live somewhere with extreme hot summers and cold winters, all that expanding and contracting puts stress on your roof.
How You’ll Know It’s Time
You don’t need to wait for a full collapse to know something’s wrong. There are signs. I walked on my sister’s roof last summer, and it looked like a patchwork quilt—some doing dark and brittle with age, others curling up at the edges. That’s your warning bell right there—if you find granules (they look like coarse sand) in your gutters, your shingles are failing. Leaks inside your attic are another obvious one, though by that point, you’ve probably already got damage.
Age is just a number until it isn’t. When your roof gets around 20 years old, you may tend to start getting quotes just to see where it stands. I’ve had plenty of experience with 22-year-old roofs that still had a couple of years in them, and 18-year-old roofs that were done. It is not a science.
How Long Does the Actual Replacement Take?
Here is where many people are shocked – they think they can schedule it for the weekend. They cannot.
A standard residential roof—let’s say a 2,000 to 2,500 square foot ranch or colonial—usually takes about five to seven working days. I’m not talking about hours. Days. My sister’s roof was a six-day project with a crew of four guys—and there were no complications. Their first day was mostly tear-off day, which was just as loud and chaotic as it sounds. They removed all the old shingles, creating a massive pile of debris. Dumpsters everywhere. Nails and shingle bits on the lawn. It’s not pretty.
Days two through five are the actual installation. They are applying the new underlayment, putting in new flashing around the chimney and vents, nailing down the new shingles, and making sure it’s all watertight. There is nothing rushed about roof work; it’s a step-by-step operation. A good contractor knows this. A cheap contractor might try to speed through it, and that’s when you get problems down the road.
The timeline can stretch if your roofers find structural damage underneath all those old shingles. Sometimes the decking—the wood layer beneath the shingles—has rotted from a slow leak nobody noticed. That’s expensive to fix and adds time to the job. Weather plays a role, too. Roofers can’t work in heavy rain, and they can’t work if it’s dangerously hot. I have heard stories about jobs that should have taken one week lasting three weeks because of the weather.
If your roof is involved (many angles, multiple chimneys, skylights), then you might want to plan on a few more days. A simple ranch-style roof is fast. A Victorian mansion is a whole different ballgame.
The Bigger Picture
Here’s what nobody really talks about: replacement isn’t just about the roofing itself. Before the new roof goes on, a professional inspection might reveal gutter problems, ventilation issues, or fascia that needs replacing. These things cost extra, but ignoring them while you’ve got roofers on your house is false economy. You’ll be calling them back in a couple of years anyway.
I asked my sister’s contractor about the crew size. He said four guys were standard for a residential roof. More bodies mean it finishes faster, but it also means more cost. Some companies will do it with two or three guys, which takes longer but costs less. There’s a balance to strike.
Maintenance Matters More Than People Think
Here’s something that’ll actually save you money: keeping up with your roof now means delaying replacement later. Ensure that your gutters get cleaned out regularly, at least twice per year. If you have tree branches overhanging your house, trim them so that they are not dropping leaves and sticks on your roof constantly during the fall and winter. Have a professional inspect it every five years starting around year 15. That’s not expensive, and it can add years to your roof’s life.
My sister was surprised that what turned out to be a $10,000 roof replacement might have been prevented with a simple $150-per-year inspection. But I guess that is how it goes. It starts with one missing from here and one cracked flashing there. Pretty soon, you have a roof that is leaking water (which is your roof’s worst enemy).
Planning Ahead
If you know your roof is getting close, start planning. Get your quotes early. Don’t necessarily go with the cheapest option. I have discovered, sometimes through painful lessons, that roofing is one of those areas where one gets what one pays for. A good contractor may cost you 15 percent more, but they will warranty their work better and will provide better materials.
Block off a week when you expect the job. Your house is going to be very loud. People are going to be coming and going. If you have dogs or young kids, it may be worth considering keeping them somewhere else other than your home for the week. It is probably easier on everyone. And just remember, when this is done, you have a blank slate again. Keep up with it, and you may not have to do that project in another 20 years.
Also Read: