How Long Does A Tile Roof Replacement Take?
This article is adapted from Mikel Wallesen's video above.
Read the video transcript
The Short Answer
On average, a tile roof replacement takes 5 to 10 days from start to finish. The job in this video started on a Monday and wrapped on Friday, so 5 days total. That is on the faster end, and it comes down to what the roof actually looks like once we get up there.
Why The Timeline Is Never One Number
Every tile roof is different. Two houses on the same street can look similar from the driveway and still take a very different amount of time to redo. The three things that move the needle the most are square footage, pitch, and how cut up the roof is.
A big open roof with long straight runs goes fast. Guys can strip tile, dry in the new underlayment, and load tile back up without stopping every few feet to work around something. A roof that is up and over with lots of valleys, hips, dormers, and skylights takes longer because every one of those areas has to be cut in by hand and detailed properly. That is where a roof leaks if you rush it.
What Adds Days To The Job
Here is what typically stretches a tile replacement past that 5-day mark:
- Valleys and hips. Every valley has to be cut and lapped correctly. More valleys means more cut-in work.
- Steep pitch. Anything steeper than a walk means slower movement, more safety setup, and fewer guys able to work at once.
- Skylights, chimneys, and wall flashings. These all need fresh metal and proper tie-ins. You cannot cheat this step.
- Broken or missing tile. If a lot of the existing tile is cracked, we have to source matching replacements, and that can slow the load-back down.
- Weather. Even in Arizona, a summer monsoon or a stretch of high wind can pause work for a half day.
- Access. Tight lots, narrow gates, or long carries from the drop zone to the roof add hours.
What A Typical 5 To 10 Day Schedule Looks Like
Every crew works a little differently, but on most of our tile jobs the flow is close to this:
- Day 1 Tear off. Old tile comes down, old underlayment gets stripped, deck gets inspected, and any bad wood gets called out.
- Day 2 Dry-in. New underlayment goes down. On tile we run a two-layer system so the roof is fully protected before any tile comes back up.
- Day 3 to 4 Metal work and load-up. New valley metal, flashings, and edge metal get installed. Tile gets staged back on the roof in the right spots.
- Day 4 to 5 Tile install. Field tile gets locked in, hips and ridges get set, and everything gets fastened per code.
- Final day Cleanup and walkthrough. Magnet sweep for nails, haul off debris, and a final look with the homeowner.
On a larger or more complex home that same flow just spreads out to 7, 8, or 10 days. It is the same steps, there is just more roof to cover.
Why We Never Rush It
A tile roof is meant to last decades. If we shave a day off by skipping detail work in a valley or under a skylight, that shortcut shows up as a leak two summers from now. Doing it in a timely fashion is not the same as doing it fast. We work full days, we keep the site clean, and we keep the house protected overnight, but we do not cut corners to hit a number on a calendar.
What This Means For You As A Homeowner
When you are getting bids, do not just ask how long. Ask what the schedule looks like day by day, what happens if it rains, and how the house stays protected overnight. A roofer who can answer that clearly is a roofer who has actually planned the job.
If you are in the Valley and thinking about replacing your tile roof, we are happy to walk you through what your specific house would look like on our schedule.
