In short
MyJobQuote's 2026 new roof guide says a typical re-roof takes three to five days, a small terrace two to three, and a large or complicated roof one to two weeks. The scaffold is up for longer than that at each end. You can stay in the house throughout; the roof is never left open overnight.
This is a job for our Full roof replacement service.
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The honest timetable
People ask how long the job takes and mean two different things: how long the roofers are there, and how long the scaffold is outside the window. They are not the same number.
| Stage | Semi in King's Lynn | Detached hip roof in Swaffham |
|---|---|---|
| Scaffold goes up | 1 day, usually the week before | 1–2 days |
| Strip, re-felt, re-batten, re-tile | 3–5 days | 1–2 weeks |
| Leadwork, ridge, verges, gutters | Within those days | Within those days |
| Scaffold comes down | A few days after we finish | Same |
The day figures are MyJobQuote's 2026 ranges and they match ours. The scaffold figures are ours: the scaffolder works to their own diary, so there is usually a gap at each end.
What decides it
- Roof shape. A plain gable is two big rectangles. A hip roof with dormers has hips, valleys and abutments, and each one is leadwork and cutting.
- What we find. Rotten rafter feet, a wall plate that has gone, or battens that crumble add a day. We tell you the same afternoon, with photographs, and we do not tile over it.
- Weather. We strip only what we can felt the same day. In a wet week that means smaller sections, and the job stretches.
- The tile. Reclaimed Norfolk pantiles have to be sorted and matched. A new interlocking concrete tile goes down faster.
Living in the house
You do not need to move out. Each section we strip is felted before we leave, so the house is watertight every night. What you will notice: noise from about half past seven, dust in the loft, a skip on the drive and the scaffold across the windows. Anything stored in the loft wants covering. If you have a wood burner we need the flue cold on the day we do the chimney.
Paperwork that can add time
The Planning Portal's guidance says work to an existing roof usually does not need building control approval where less than a quarter of the building envelope and less than half the roof is affected, but a full re-roof is more than that, and a change of covering that alters the weight by fifteen per cent or more needs the structure checked. On a full re-roof we notify building control for you. That does not slow the roof down, but it is a step you should know is happening.
