For most Burnet homeowners, roof replacement day carries a certain amount of dread — the noise, the crew on the roof, the question of whether they’ll finish before dark. That uncertainty tends to be worse than the day itself.
Here’s what a replacement day actually looks like from first arrival through final walkthrough, so you know what’s coming before it gets here.
Morning: Arrival, Setup, and Tear-Off
Crew arrival is early — typically between 7 and 7:30 in the morning. The first task before any tear-off begins is protecting the yard. Tarps go down around the entire perimeter of the home before a single shingle comes off. Old material, nails, and debris fall during tear-off, and the tarps are what keep your landscaping, your HVAC equipment, and your walkways from becoming part of the job site.
Tear-off is the loudest part of the day. The old shingles and underlayment come off in sections, starting at the ridge and working down toward the eaves. It sounds substantial, because it is — but a well-staged crew moves through it quickly. Most of the surface material on a standard Burnet home is off within two to three hours.
Once the old material is stripped, the decking gets a thorough inspection before anything new goes down. Soft boards, rotted sections, and any areas where moisture has compromised the sheathing get replaced at this stage. This is the part of the job the homeowner rarely sees, and it matters more than almost anything else — a roof replacement is only as solid as what it’s nailed to. Decking issues get addressed before installation begins, not discovered afterward.
Midday: Underlayment, Flashing, and Installation
With the deck confirmed and any repairs complete, underlayment goes down first — the moisture barrier that sits between the decking and the shingles. We use synthetic underlayment on Burnet installations rather than older felt paper. It performs better in heat, doesn’t absorb moisture the same way, and creates a cleaner base for the finished roof.
Flashing gets installed or reset at every transition point: around chimneys, at wall connections, around any skylights or vents. Flashing failure is one of the most common sources of leaks on an otherwise sound roof — water finds its way in at transitions, not through the middle of a shingle field. This is also the area where rushed or understaffed crews cut corners. We treat it as the most detail-intensive part of the installation, because it is.
Shingle installation starts at the eaves and works upward in overlapping courses. Valleys — where two roof planes meet — require careful attention to direct water off the roof correctly. Each penetration gets flashed and sealed individually. Ridge cap goes on last, finishing the peak of the roof and completing the weatherproofing of the full system.
Afternoon: Cleanup and Final Walkthrough
Once installation is complete, cleanup starts immediately. Tarps come up, debris gets loaded and hauled. A magnetic roller goes over the full perimeter of the home to pull up any nails that came through during tear-off. The goal is that when the crew leaves, the evidence of the workday is a new roof — not a job site.
The final walkthrough happens with you present whenever possible. We walk through what was installed, go over any decking conditions we addressed, confirm the finished work matches what was agreed on, and cover warranty terms — what’s covered, how long it runs, and how to reach us if anything comes up. You should understand what’s over your head and who stands behind it.
For Burnet homeowners, our Burnet roofing services page covers how we approach work in the area more broadly. On replacement day specifically, the goal is one thing: the roof comes off and goes back on in the same workday, the site is clean when we leave, and you go to sleep that night under a warranted roof. That’s the standard, and it applies to every job we take on.
We also donate $50 to the Roof-A-Vet fund for every roof inspection we perform — so the process of knowing where things stand before a replacement benefits a veteran too.
FAQ: Roof Replacement Day in Burnet
Do I need to be home all day? You don’t need to stay home for the full job, but being there for the final walkthrough is worth the time. We want to show you what was done, walk through any conditions we found, and make sure you have everything you need if something comes up later. If your schedule doesn’t allow it, we document everything thoroughly and walk you through the findings by phone.
What about pets? The noise level during tear-off is significant. If you have dogs or other pets that are sensitive to activity and sound, making arrangements to have them out of the home or in a quiet interior room during the workday is a good call.
What happens if weather moves in while the roof is open? We check the forecast closely and schedule accordingly. If unexpected weather moves in while the deck is exposed, we have tarping procedures to protect the roof until conditions clear. An open deck in a Burnet rainstorm is a situation we plan around — not one we improvise through.
How will I know if there were decking issues? We document any decking repairs we make before installation begins, and we walk you through them during the final walkthrough. You’ll know exactly what was addressed and why. If decking work adds to the scope, we communicate that before we proceed — not after.
Burnet homeowners count on us to tell them the truth about their roof, then back it up with work that holds. That’s the standard, every time.
Call us at (254) 300-1413 or reach out here to schedule a free inspection.
If your roof is in danger, call the Lone Ranger.