“Can you install a roof in the rain?”
Summary:
Jeremiah confirms roofs can be installed in the rain and describes the seasonal bottleneck it creates as a common misconception. He jokes that homeowners in Washington seem to collectively decide to wait until summer, and then until the very end of summer, producing a flood of September calls asking to get a roof done that summer after summer has effectively ended. By that point contractors are overwhelmed and lead times stretch to four to six weeks. Working through the wet season requires being smart and monitoring weather windows, and doing the roof in sections rather than tearing everything off at once. On a simple gable to gable roof he works one side at a time: remove, install underlayment, dry that side in, then move to the next. Once ice and water shield, synthetic underlayment, and flashing are installed the roof is considered dried in. He will not work in a torrential downpour, but light drizzle and lower temperatures are workable.
Answer:
Yes, you can install a roof in the rain. It's a common misconception. This is what most homeowners do in Washington State, in my opinion. They all have a secret meeting where they say, hey, how can we overwhelm contractors in Washington State? And they all say, hey, we're going to wait until summertime to get our roof done. But wait, there's a catch. We're going to wait until the very end of summertime to get a roof done. And so what happens is you get these calls in September and they say, hey, I want to get my roof done this summer, and I say, hey, well summer's actually over. But the unfortunate thing is they say, hey, I want to get my roof done this summer, or I want to get it done now. And by that point everybody in Washington is overwhelming us, and now we're four or six weeks out before we can even get to a new roof replacement, unfortunately. So the last thing I'll add to that is that when roofing in Washington, you have to be smart. You have to monitor the weather windows. You also have to do the roof in sections. It's not like summertime where you can remove the entire roof and start installing. We have to be very, very mindful of the weather windows. So for example, if you have just a gable to gable roof, triangle shape, one side at a time. Remove, install the underlayments, dry it in on one side, and then you move to the next side and you do the same thing. Once you have materials, hopefully the roofer you're choosing has a choice of materials that will protect it from rain. Ice and water shield, synthetic underlayments, flashing. Once all those pieces are installed, your roof is considered dried in, and you can install roofing in any condition. Now we're not going to do it in a torrential downpour, but if it's a light drizzle, lower temperatures, we can still install the roof safely and make sure that your home is protected.