What Happens on Roof Installation Day

You signed the estimate, the delivery is scheduled, and now you want to know what a good installation looks like from the ground. You do not need to supervise a roofing crew, and you should not go up to check their work. You do need to know the order of the job, what each stage should leave behind, and which questions to ask before the crew drives away.

This guide follows the sequence our FAQs about reroofing post lists for a replacement: consultation and estimate, scheduling, safe working conditions, removal and disposal, carpentry repair, installation of the new roof, flashing and ridges, and cleanup. We do not give durations here. How long a job takes depends on the roof size, the material, the weather and what the crew finds under the old roof.

If you have not yet cleared the driveway, moved patio furniture or covered the attic, read how to prepare your home for a roof replacement first. The steps below assume that is done.

Every crew works a little differently, and a roof-over skips the tear-off step. The order below is the common one for a full replacement with metal panels or asphalt shingles.

• Delivery and staging. Panels, shingles, underlayment, flashing, vents and fasteners arrive, often a day or so ahead. Panels are usually cut to length for your roof, so a bundle of panels on the lawn is normal. Check that the color and product match the estimate before anything goes up.
• Protection and fall protection. Tarps or plywood go over shrubs, decks and air-conditioning units; a dumpster or trailer is placed. OSHA's construction fall-protection rule, 29 CFR 1926.501, requires guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems for workers on steep roofs with unprotected edges six feet or more above a lower level, and similar protection for low-slope roofing work. You should see anchors, harnesses or guardrails in use.
• Tear-off or preparation. On a replacement, the 2021 IRC's Section R908.3 calls for removing the existing roof covering down to the deck. On a roof-over, the crew instead cleans the old roof, replaces damaged flashings (R908.5) and lays the underlayment or battens the manufacturer requires. See roof-over vs tear-off for the difference.
• Deck inspection and repair. With the deck exposed, the crew looks for soft, rotted or loose sheathing and nails that missed framing. Rotted sections are cut out and replaced. Ask for photos of any decking that is replaced, and ask how it is being priced against the allowance on your estimate.
• Drip edge, underlayment and flashing. Drip edge goes on the eaves and rakes (South Carolina's modified IRC Section R905.2.8.5 requires it on shingle roofs), then underlayment per the code table and the manufacturer, with self-adhered membrane where the installer specified it. Step flashing at walls, pipe boots, chimney and valley flashing are set as the covering goes on.
• Panels or shingles. Metal panels are laid from one end, fastened per the manufacturer's pattern, with closures at eaves and ridge. Shingles start with a starter course at the eave and work up. Either way, vents are cut in or reconnected and penetrations are flashed as the crew reaches them.
• Trim, ridge and vents. Ridge cap or ridge vent, hip and gable trim, and sidewall and endwall flashing finish the roof. Bath fan and dryer ducts that pass through the roof should be reconnected to their caps, not left loose in the attic (IRC M1501.1 bars exhaust into an attic).
• Cleanup and magnet sweep. Debris is loaded, gutters are cleared of nails and shingle grit, and the crew rolls a magnet over the lawn and driveway for fasteners. Ask them to run it twice around play areas and where cars park.
• Final walk-around. You and the lead walk the property from the ground. Look at straight lines along the eaves and ridge, even panel spacing, no exposed fastener heads where there should be none, flashing tucked behind siding, and downspouts reattached.

If a permit was pulled for your job, it is normally posted at the site; Anderson County's residential checklist says the permit must be posted at all times and kept dry and visible. Under the 2021 IRC, the permit holder, not the owner, requests inspections (R109.3) and a final inspection follows completion (R109.1.6). Whether your city or county inspects a reroof is a local question; our guide to roofing permits in Anderson County and the City of Anderson has the contacts.

Weather can stop a roof job. Our reroofing FAQ post notes that crews cannot install during bad weather and that a job sometimes has to pause and resume. The post on installing metal roofing in winter explains that metal can go on in cold months with the right precautions and that a winter job may take longer. What you should expect on a pause is a watertight roof: underlayment lapped and fastened, open areas tarped, and no exposed deck overnight.

Noise and vibration are part of the day. Items on walls and shelves under the roof can shift, and dust falls into the attic. The post on safety tips before a roof replacement covers keeping children and pets clear of the work zone, and that applies for the whole job, including the cleanup.

You are not inspecting the roof; you are collecting the record of the job. From the ground, with binoculars if you have them, look along the eaves and ridge for straight lines, at the valleys for clean flashing, and at every pipe and vent for a boot or cap. Check that the gutters are clear and the downspouts are reattached. Walk the yard and driveway and look for stray fasteners after the magnet sweep.

Then ask for the paperwork. You want the manufacturer's warranty registration or the information needed to register it, the workmanship warranty in writing from the installer, photos of any decking that was replaced, and the final invoice showing any change orders. If leftover panels or a bundle of shingles are part of the deal, store them flat and dry; a matching panel later is worth having.

Ask what maintenance the manufacturer expects, because many finish warranties have conditions. Then read our metal roof maintenance schedule guide so the first year goes well. If something looks off, say so during the walk-around rather than a week later; a good crew would rather fix it while the truck is still there.

Install day is the end of the process, not the start. If you have not had an inspection yet, or if the estimate does not spell out tear-off versus roof-over, underlayment, flashing, decking allowance and the exact products, go back a step. Our guide to what a roofing estimate should include lists the line items to look for.

If your roof problem is one leak, a damaged slope or a failed pipe boot, you may not need an installation day at all. A repair is a shorter visit, and we will tell you if that is what you need. If you are filing an insurance claim, we can inspect and document the damage with photos and an itemized estimate; the claim itself is between you and your insurer, and scheduling usually waits for the adjuster.

When you are ready to schedule, the residential metal roofing page explains the panel options, and the contact page has our phone, email and hours. Quotes are free, and we need to verify all measurements on site, which could adjust the price.