Most roofs go on in a day. Here is the rest of it.

How long does it take?

For a straightforward asphalt re-roof on an average house, usually one day. Larger, steeper or more complicated roofs run into a second day, and sometimes a third.

What stretches it: pitch past about 7:12, which means staging and fall protection and slower movement; a lot of penetrations, because every pipe, vent, skylight and chimney is a flashing detail; multiple existing layers to tear off; and access, if a dumpster cannot get near the house.

The one genuinely unpredictable item is the deck. Nobody sees the sheathing until the old roof is off, and replacing rotten sheets adds hours. A good estimate prices that per sheet rather than pretending it will not happen.

What do I need to do before the crew arrives?

Outside: move vehicles out of the driveway and off the apron — the crew needs it for the dumpster and material, and you do not want anything under the drip line. Move grills, patio furniture and potted plants away from the house. If you have a satellite dish or solar on the roof, say so in advance.

Inside: this is the part people are not warned about. Tearing a roof off shakes the house. Take pictures off the walls on the top floor, and move anything breakable off shelves. If you store things in the attic, cover them — decades of dust comes down between the rafters.

People and pets: it is loud, all day, directly overhead. Pets in particular do badly with it. If anyone in the house works from home or sleeps during the day, plan to be elsewhere.

Do I have to be home?

No. The work happens outside and the crew does not need access to the house, though they will need access to power unless they are running their own.

It is worth being available by phone, because the deck is the one thing that can change the scope mid-job. If rotten sheathing turns up, you want that conversation to happen while the roof is open rather than after.

Be there at the end if you can. Walking the property with the crew lead while they are still on site is the easiest time to raise anything.

What happens if it rains?

Work stops, because an open deck cannot be left exposed. A competent crew watches the forecast and will not tear off more than they can dry in, and they carry tarps for what they cannot finish.

That is the reason a roof sometimes gets rescheduled the morning of. It is frustrating and it is the right call — water in the deck is a much worse problem than a delayed start.

If rain is forecast mid-job, ask how much of the roof they intend to open at once. The answer tells you how they think.

Can a roof go on in a Minnesota winter?

Yes, and it is done constantly here — storm damage does not wait for spring. But it has to be done differently, and the difference is not optional.

Asphalt shingles seal themselves: a strip of adhesive on each shingle softens in the sun and bonds the course above it. In cold weather that does not happen on its own, so shingles may need to be hand-sealed with roofing cement, and some products call for different fastening. Those requirements live in the manufacturer’s installation instructions, which Minnesota requires be followed — the Department of Labor and Industry states that exterior materials must be installed in accordance with the code and the manufacturer’s instructions.

So the question to ask a contractor quoting winter work is simply: what do the instructions for this shingle require below the sealing temperature, and are you doing it? A roof installed cold and not hand-sealed can look perfect and then lose shingles in the first spring wind.

MN Dept. of Labor and Industry: exterior materials “must be installed in accordance with the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code and the manufacturer’s installation instructions.” Source: MN DLI, Re-siding and the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code

What about the cleanup, and the nails?

Nails are the real issue. A tear-off produces thousands of them and they end up in the grass, the flower beds and the driveway. Magnetic rollers over the whole perimeter are standard practice, and a careful crew runs them more than once, including the day after.

Ask directly whether cleanup and disposal are included in the price. They should be, and the dumpster should be in the quote rather than appearing later.

Give the lawn a look yourself a few days on, especially where the dumpster sat and under the eaves. Finding a nail with a lawnmower or a tyre is how this goes wrong weeks later.

What happens at the end?

The city inspects it. That is the point of the permit and it is the only independent check anyone performs on your roof — the inspector has no financial interest in it, which is not true of anybody else involved.

You should also get documentation: the itemised final invoice matching the scope, the manufacturer warranty registration if the product requires it, and the workmanship warranty in writing. That paperwork is what you need later if anything goes wrong, and it is far easier to collect now than in two years.

Minnesota adds a statutory layer on top of whatever the contract says: any home improvement carries a one-year warranty against faulty workmanship due to noncompliance with building standards, and it is not affected by the contractor dissolving their company. The warranty guide covers that.

When do I pay?

A deposit at signing and the balance on completion is normal. Paying in full up front is not, and on an insurance job it is often not even possible — on a replacement cost policy the carrier typically holds back depreciation until the work is done and documented, so the money has not been released yet.

A contractor asking for the whole amount before starting is asking you to carry all of the risk on a job nobody has inspected. That is worth noticing.

If the job is insurance-funded, know that you have 72 hours to cancel the contract if the claim is then denied, and the contractor has ten business days to return what you paid.