How Long Does a Roof Replacement Take in Southwest Florida?

Homeowners ask us this on almost every estimate, and the honest answer has two parts. The roofing work itself on a typical single-family home takes days, not weeks. What stretches the calendar is everything around it: HOA approval, permit review, material lead times, summer weather and the carpentry surprises that older roofs hide. Here is how a replacement actually unfolds in Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero and Cape Coral, and what moves the dates.

1. Inspection and estimate

We inspect the roof, photograph everything, and give you a written estimate with material and color options. Before hurricane season we offer this as a complimentary Storm Ready Report. If your roof is leaking, this step happens fast: one customer texted us about a roof leak on a Sunday, had someone out on Monday and the repair completed by Friday of the same week.

2. HOA approval, if your community requires it

Many Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero communities require an approved color, profile and manufacturer before work starts. We prepare the submittal package, with product data sheets, color samples, Florida Product Approval numbers and proof of license and insurance. How long the board takes is up to the board, so this is the step to start early.

3. The permit

Every roof replacement needs a permit. In Lee County a complete application filed through the county’s eConnect system is reviewed by the required reviewers at the same time; if anything is missing the county sends a rejection notice and the applicant has 30 days to fix it. Filing a complete package the first time is the fastest path. For projects over $5,000 a Notice of Commencement is recorded and posted on site before the first inspection. Read Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Lee County?

4. Materials

Standard shingle, concrete tile and metal are usually readily available. Custom colors, special tile profiles matched to an HOA list, and custom-fabricated standing seam panels may take longer to arrive. We tell you at contract what your materials look like, and on our own gutter jobs we fabricate the seamless gutters on site with our in-house machines, so they do not add to the wait.

5. The installation

You get a start-day email with a schedule of events, and a foreman is on site every day. As we tell homeowners on our Fort Myers page, most single-family shingle and metal roofs take two to five working days once the crew arrives; tile and larger homes take longer. The work follows the same sequence on every roof:

1. Tear-off and a full decking inspection.
2. Repair or replace any rotten wood.
3. Underlayment, followed by the county’s dry-in inspection.
4. Tile, shingle or metal panels, with flashing at every wall and penetration. Tile roofs get an in-process inspection.
5. Gutters if they are part of the job, and a property clean-up with magnets for nails.
6. Final inspection, then your warranty documents and wind mitigation form.

What adds days

• Rain. Summer brings daily thunderstorms, and Fort Myers broke rainfall records in June. Our crews work hard to anticipate bare-roof time, which in Southwest Florida during the rainy season is tricky, and we do not leave a roof open when weather is coming.
• Hidden carpentry. A Bonita Bay tile roof we replaced in 2026 uncovered extensive rotten wood that took hours of detailed carpentry to rebuild before the new roof could go on. A Botanica Lakes home needed a full parapet wall rebuild around a leaking portico. You cannot see either from the ground, and both are the right thing to fix while the roof is off.
• Storm damage and insurance. After Hurricane Ian we tarped a four-building Fort Myers plaza to stop further water intrusion while insurance proceedings were underway, then removed the damaged material, re-decked and re-roofed it. When insurance is involved, the approval sets the pace, not the crew.
• Timing around a storm. Contractors become extremely busy when a storm is named, and materials may be limited. Scheduling before hurricane season peaks gives you more options and less stress.

What does not add days

Permits, inspections and paperwork are on us. We file the permit and the Notice of Commencement, schedule the dry-in, in-process and final inspections, complete the Roof Inspection Affidavit the county requires on re-roofs, and hand you the closed permit, warranty documents and wind mitigation form at the end. Financing through the PACE program is arranged before the work starts, not during it. See our Roof Financing page.

We hired International Roofing for our tile roof replacement. We have a large home and a separate guest house that needed all new underlayment, tiles and gutters.

Joyce O., Google review

Common questions

Can I stay in the house during the replacement?
Yes. Expect noise during the day and keep cars out of the driveway so the crew has room for the dumpster and deliveries.

What if it rains mid-job?
We watch the forecast and stage the tear-off so the roof is not left open when weather is coming.

How soon can you start?
It depends on the season and whether your community requires HOA approval. Call 239-202-8103 and we will give you a realistic date, not an optimistic one.

We serve Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero and Cape Coral.