Reference Guide
Your roof replacement — day by day, hour by hour.
A residential roof replacement in NE usually takes 1-3 days. Here’s what actually happens on each of those days, what you’ll see and hear, and what to expect.
Day before: site prep
Crew arrives mid-afternoon. Tarps placed over landscaping, gardens, and pool/AC equipment. Dumpster delivered to driveway. Materials staged (sometimes adjacent driveway). 30-45 minutes total. You may want to move cars to street parking for the duration.
Day 1 (morning, 7-8 AM): crew arrival + tear-off begins
Full crew arrives, safety equipment set up, perimeter staged. Tear-off begins methodically — typically starting at the highest point and working down. Shingles, underlayment, and old flashing all removed to the bare deck.
Day 1 (mid-morning): deck inspection + repair
Bare deck is inspected. Soft spots, rot, or damaged sheathing flagged and replaced with matching-thickness OSB or plywood. Decking work typically 5-15% of the roof on a typical replacement.
Day 1 (afternoon): underlayment + ice-and-water shield
Ice-and-water shield installed at eaves (extended 36+ inches up from edge), valleys, around penetrations, and on low-pitch sections. Synthetic underlayment installed over rest of deck. Cap-nailed at manufacturer spec. This is the ‘dry-in’ — your roof is closed against weather even if no shingles are installed yet.
Day 1 (end of day): tarped if shingles not started
If shingle install is starting Day 2, the dry-in alone is sufficient weatherproofing. Larger roofs may have one section shingled and the rest dry-in on Day 1.
Day 2: shingles + flashing
Starter strip installed at eaves and rakes. Field shingles installed with 6-nail high-wind pattern. Step flashing installed at every roof-to-wall junction, properly lapped with each shingle course. Chimney flashing and crickets. Ridge vent and ridge cap shingles. Often Day 2 finishes the job.
Day 3 (if needed): finish, cleanup, magnetic sweep
Final shingle install (larger or steeper homes). Magnetic sweep of all surfaces — driveway, lawn, gardens — looking for nails. Repeat magnetic sweep. Photo documentation of every layer (you’ll get the photo package). Final walk-around with you. Warranty paperwork filed and delivered.
What you’ll notice
Noise is intense during Day 1 tear-off — hammers, debris hitting the dumpster, crew calling out. Day 2 install is quieter. Plan to leave the house for at least part of Day 1 if possible. Crew breaks every 2-3 hours. Music is usually playing. Most crews are friendly — feel free to ask questions about what you’re seeing.
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