Short answer: once my crew starts, most single-family shingle roofs in South Florida take two to four working days from tear-off to final cleanup. Tile and metal usually run longer — five to ten working days is a fair planning range. I’m Joe, I run Onel Construction out of Boca Raton, and this is the honest timeline I give homeowners before anybody signs anything.
Key takeaways
- Shingle roofs: 2–4 working days for most single-family homes, once materials are on site and the crew starts.
- Tile and metal roofs: 5–10 working days is a realistic range — tile is heavier, slower to set, and less forgiving of shortcuts.
- The clock starts before tear-off day: permit, material delivery, and scheduling happen first, and that lead time is separate from the days the crew is on your roof.
- Weather and hidden deck damage are the two things that stretch a job — a rotten sheet of decking found at tear-off gets fixed while the roof is open, not covered up.
- You do not have to move out. The work is loud, but your home stays livable through a normal replacement.
What happens before day one
A roof replacement does not start the morning the crew shows up. First comes the permit — a replacement roof in Florida is permitted work, and the permit has to be in hand before tear-off. Then materials get ordered and delivered, and the job gets its slot on the schedule.
I tell homeowners to keep those two clocks separate in their heads: the lead time to start, and the working days once we start. Mixing them up is how a ‘three-day roof’ turns into an argument. When I give you a start date, I’ll tell you both numbers plainly. If you’re still deciding whether you even need a full replacement, read my post on how to tell if your roof needs a repair or a replacement first — a repair is a different, shorter job.
The working days, day by day
Day one is tear-off. The old roof comes off, the deck gets inspected board by board, and any rotten or soft decking gets replaced while everything is open. This is the loudest, messiest day, and it’s also the day that decides whether the rest of the schedule holds. A clean deck means we move. Hidden rot means we fix it — covering bad decking with a new roof is how a new roof fails early.
Day two is dry-in. Underlayment goes down and the house is watertight again. In South Florida this step matters more than almost anything else — an afternoon storm is not a surprise here, it’s the forecast. A good crew never leaves a home open overnight.
The remaining days are the install itself. Shingles go on fast on a straightforward roof. Tile is slower — every piece is set, aligned, and fastened, and a roof with a flat section, multiple valleys, or a lot of cuts takes longer than a simple gable. Our roofing work in Boca Raton and across South Florida covers shingle, tile, metal, and flat sections, and the material you pick is the biggest single factor in how many days the install takes.
The last day is details and cleanup: flashing, vents, ridge cap, a magnet sweep for nails, and the final inspection. The job isn’t done when the last shingle lands — it’s done when the permit inspection passes and your yard is clean.
What stretches the timeline
Three things, honestly stated. Weather — we don’t tear off into a storm, and a rain delay beats a wet house every time. Hidden damage — decking, fascia, or a flat section that’s worse than it looked from the ground. Material and inspection scheduling — a specialty tile or a backed-up inspection calendar can add days that no crew can work around.
What should never stretch your job is a crew that disappears. If your roofer can’t tell you which day is tear-off, which day is dry-in, and when the inspection is booked, that silence is your answer about how the job will run.
Worried about living through it?
You stay in your home. It’s loud during working hours, you’ll want cars out of the driveway, and pets do better in a back room away from the noise. Evenings, your house is closed up and watertight. Most homeowners tell me afterward it was less disruptive than they feared — and shorter.
Want a timeline for your roof, in writing?
Call me at (561) 462-9293 or reach me at https://onelconstruction.com/contact-us/ — I’ll look at your roof, tell you honestly whether it’s a repair or a replacement, and give you a day-by-day timeline in writing before you commit to anything. Free estimate, straight answer.
Financing is available on everything we do. Payments start at $120 a month on smaller jobs, and most projects land in the low $200s to $300s a month with approved credit. Rates run as low as 4.49% APR with approved credit through Acorn Finance. Ask at the free estimate and we’ll lay the options out in writing, next to the estimate.
— Joe, Onel Construction LLC, License CGC1511492, Boca Raton, FL
Prices and payments shown are averages from recent jobs, set before the latest round of tariff-driven material price increases, and subject to change with inflation, tariffs, and market conditions. Your free estimate always uses current numbers.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to be home while my roof is being replaced?
A: No. Most homeowners go to work as usual. We need access to the driveway and a way to reach you if we find hidden deck damage that needs a decision. Evenings, your home is closed and watertight.
Q: What happens if it rains in the middle of my roof replacement?
A: We watch the forecast before tear-off and we dry the house in the same day we open it. If a storm pops up mid-job, the underlayment — the dry-in layer — is what protects your home until the crew is back on the roof.
Q: How long does the permit and scheduling take before work starts?
A: That lead time varies by city and material. It’s separate from the 2–4 working days a typical shingle install takes once we start, and I’ll give you both numbers at the estimate so there are no surprises.
Q: Will a tile roof really take twice as long as shingle?
A: Often, yes. Tile is heavier, each piece is individually set and fastened, and breakage and cuts take time to handle right. Five to ten working days is the honest planning range for most single-family tile roofs here.
Insurance savings vary by carrier, policy, and home — figures shown are ‘up to’ amounts, not guarantees. Grant eligibility, amounts, and funding availability are determined by the program and may change. Financing subject to lender approval; rates and payments vary by credit profile. All financing examples assume approved credit through our financing partner.
