You’ve signed off on a new roof, and in a few days a crew you’ve met once is going to tear the top off your house. If you’ve never hired roofing contractors before, that’s a strange feeling. You don’t know what the day looks like, what you’re supposed to do, or where things tend to go sideways.
Knowing the sequence ahead of time takes most of the worry out of it. Below is the ordinary shape of a residential roof job, start to finish, with the spots where problems usually show up.
APC Roofing has worked on homes in Central Florida, the Daytona Beach area, the Kansas City metro and Springfield, Missouri since 2017. We’re GAF Certified, licensed and insured. Your inspection and estimate are free. Call 866-995-0704 if you’d like us to take a look.
It starts with a real measurement
A good estimate is built on the roof itself, not a glance from the driveway. The contractor measures every slope, counts the valleys, vents and pipes, notes how steep the roof is, and looks in the attic or at the underside of the deck where they can. Those numbers decide how much material gets ordered and how long the crew needs.
You should get the estimate in writing, with what’s included and what isn’t. This is also the moment to ask who your contact will be from start to finish. One person who inspected your roof and can answer your calls through the whole job makes everything easier.
Permits and inspections
Most roof replacements need a permit from your city or county, and permitted work gets inspected. Often that’s once with the old roof off and the deck exposed, and again when the job’s finished. Those sign-offs protect you. They aren’t red tape to dodge.
Your roofing contractor should pull the permit under their own license or registration. If one asks you to pull it yourself, they’re asking you to carry the liability.
What job day looks like
Material usually shows up a day or two early, either on the roof or in the driveway. Crews tend to start early in the morning, especially in summer, because heat and afternoon storms push the work into the first half of the day. A heads-up to your neighbors is a nice touch.
Before anything comes off, the crew protects your property. Tarps go down over walls and shrubs. Windows, pool cages and AC units get covered, and cars get moved out of the drop zone. Then the old roof comes off in sections, so the house is never open wider than the crew can close up that same day.
With the deck bare, the crew checks it for rot and soft spots. Underlayment goes down, then flashing and edge metal, then the new roofing from the bottom edge up toward the ridge. On many homes the whole thing, tear-off to cleanup, fits inside one working day. Bigger roofs, steeper roofs and tile can take longer.
When the roof hides a surprise
Roofs keep secrets until they’re opened. Rotted decking or a rusted-out valley sometimes turns up halfway through, and fixing it wasn’t in anybody’s estimate.
The fix is to agree on the process before the job starts. If the crew finds something, they stop, take photos, tell you what it’ll cost and wait for your OK before going further. A price per sheet of replacement decking, written into the estimate, settles most of the argument before it can start. Extra work found on Tuesday and first mentioned on the final invoice is where a lot of disputes in this trade come from.
Cleanup and closing out
The job isn’t finished when the last shingle goes on. Debris gets hauled away, gutters get cleared of grit, and the lawn and driveway get swept with a magnet for stray nails. Ask for a walk-around with someone from the crew before they leave, the final permit inspection closed out, and your warranty paperwork in hand.
A clean yard when the crew drives off tells you a lot about how the rest of the job was run.
How it works with APC Roofing
- Book your free inspection. Call 866-995-0704 or request a free online estimate.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. You’ll get photos and a written estimate that says what’s included, so nothing on job day comes as a surprise.
- Your roof gets done and the site cleaned up. Many residential roofs are done in a single day, and we clean up like we were never there.
Financing is available through Aqua Finance, Fortifi, Hearth and Home Run Finance if you’d like to spread the cost out.
Still deciding who to hire? Our page on how to check out roofing companies covers licenses, insurance and comparing estimates. For a local page, see roofing contractors in Clermont or roofing contractors in Springfield, MO. And here’s how to get your home ready for a roof installation.
Questions about working with roofing contractors
How long does a roof replacement take?
Many residential shingle roofs are replaced in one day. Large or steep roofs, tile and jobs with a lot of rotted decking can take longer. Weather can push the start date too.
Do I need to be home while the roof is replaced?
You don’t have to be, but be reachable. If the crew finds damaged decking, someone needs your approval before the extra work goes ahead. Pets and small kids are usually happier somewhere quieter for the day.
Who pulls the permit?
The contractor should. It goes under their license or registration, which keeps the responsibility for code compliance with them.
What should I do to get ready?
Move cars out of the driveway, take fragile things off the walls inside (hammering shakes them), and clear patio furniture away from the house. Your contractor should tell you anything else that’s specific to your home.
A roof job you don’t have to worry about
Putting off a roof you know needs work rarely saves money. A small leak keeps soaking the decking and insulation, and the repair gets bigger every season.
When the job’s done right, you get a sound roof, a dry house, a clean yard and no surprise on the final bill. Your satisfaction is our reputation. Call 866-995-0704 to book your free inspection, or start your estimate online.
