What to Expect on Roof Replacement Day in Columbus

How Long It Takes

A straightforward single family roof in Central Ohio is commonly a one day job with a full crew. Larger homes, steep pitches, cut up rooflines with multiple dormers and valleys, or a second layer that has to come off can push it to two or three days. Weather stretches it, because a crew will not tear off more than they can dry in before the day ends. If your roof is opened and rain arrives, the exposed section gets covered, and that is normal rather than a sign something has gone wrong.

The Evening Before

• Move vehicles out of the driveway and off the apron, or park on the street. You will not be able to get out once the trailer and materials arrive.
• Take things off the walls upstairs. The hammering vibrates the structure, and pictures, mirrors, and shelves do fall.
• Cover what is in the attic. Tear off shakes loose decades of dust and debris through the deck. Anything stored up there wants a sheet over it.
• Clear the perimeter. Patio furniture, grills, planters, and anything fragile within about ten feet of the house.
• Agree where the trailer goes. A loaded dump trailer is heavy enough to crack a residential driveway, which we cover in our article on what to do when a roofer damages your driveway.

The Day Itself

Crews usually start early, often by seven, because working before the afternoon heat is safer and better for the shingles. The order runs roughly like this: protection goes down over landscaping and windows, tear off begins and debris goes into the trailer, the deck is inspected and any bad sheathing replaced, then underlayment, ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, drip edge, flashing, shingles from the bottom up, and ridge vent last.

The noisiest phase is tear off. It is genuinely loud, directly overhead, and it goes on for hours. If you work from home, plan around it or work elsewhere. If you have a baby napping or a dog that panics at noise, make other arrangements for the day. That is the single most common regret we hear.

Do You Need to Be Home?

No, and many homeowners are not. What matters is that someone is reachable by phone, because decisions occasionally come up mid job, most often about decking. If rotted sheathing turns up, you want to be able to approve it quickly rather than have the crew waiting. If you agreed a per sheet price in the contract, that call takes thirty seconds.

Pets, Kids, and Neighbours

Keep pets inside and preferably at the far end of the house, or out with someone for the day. Dogs react badly to footsteps overhead and to strangers in the yard, and gates get left open. Keep children away from the perimeter entirely, because debris and nails come off the roof. And tell your neighbours the day before, particularly if you share a driveway or a narrow street, since it is a courtesy that costs nothing and prevents friction.

Cleanup and What to Check

• Magnetic nail sweep of the driveway, walkways, and lawn. Ask them to run it twice.
• Gutters cleared of debris and granules from the work.
• Landscaping back where it was and undamaged.
• A walkthrough with you before the crew leaves.

Expect to find a few nails over the following weeks regardless of how good the sweep was. They work up out of the grass. A good contractor comes back with the magnet without arguing about it.

The Next Few Weeks

Some granules in the gutters and on the driveway are normal on a new roof. Slightly raised shingle tabs are normal until warm weather seals them down. What is not normal is old flashing left in place, persistent waviness after several hot days, or exposed nail heads. Our checklist on whether your new roof is normal covers how to tell the difference, and you should also receive your manufacturer warranty registration and, where applicable, the final permit approval. Our roof replacement page sets out what a properly scoped job includes.