Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum banner

Time per square to install Cedar shake and cedar shingle roofs

26K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  Mr Latone  
#1 ·
Can anyone tell me the average or industry standard time (in hours) for two skilled roofers to install 1 square of cedar shakes? Cedar shingles?
 
#6 ·
Assume the deck is clean, need to lay I & W shield, cedar breather, then shingles. Assume it is sunny, between 60 - 75 degrees, 5 mile per hour breeze, access is right up to the scaffolding, materials are at the foot of the scaffolding, installers are competent, time/ square for crew paid hourly, if difference is significant time/square for crew paid by square, assume two valleys, three penetrations requiring step flashing two sides for 6 rows, 6/12 pitch, laying shingles Tuesday - Thursday between 7 AM - 12 noon.
 
#9 ·
tanderson said:
Assume the deck is clean, need to lay I & W shield, cedar breather, then shingles. Assume it is sunny, between 60 - 75 degrees, 5 mile per hour breeze, access is right up to the scaffolding, materials are at the foot of the scaffolding, installers are competent, time/ square for crew paid hourly, if difference is significant time/square for crew paid by square, assume two valleys, three penetrations requiring step flashing two sides for 6 rows, 6/12 pitch, laying shingles Tuesday - Thursday between 7 AM - 12 noon.
So assume that you're working that one day that occurs every 5 years of so? A big unrealistic if you ask me.
 
#11 ·
I am not sure what you are saying, schaefercs. Is this what you tell your clients when they ask for an estimate? There are too many variables, so just give me a blank check? For others out there, I am assuming in asking this question that anyone who gives a bid based upon cost/square of cedar shakes installed (on a 6/12 roof) must know how much time it takes one of your crew to lay one square, and I am hoping that one of you might be willing to share that information.
 
#15 ·
I do not know the 'industry standard'

If I did, I wouldn't necessarily trust it, but if you are looking for a gauge, I guess you have to look somewhere.

The last hand split shake I did was last year. They were mediums @ 7 1/2" exposure. Installed with a Hitachi gun, hot dipped galv. Laid proper with 30# alternating between the courses. It was a boat house and we did not use breather.

There was some fuss involved as it was a hipped roof and had 4 valleys and some flashing.

IIRC, I had 34 hours into it with myself and one capable, but inexperienced worker with me (he had never laid cedar, but plenty of asphalt).

With caps (cut and prepped on site) the job was approx 20 sq. All combined and inclusive that's 60 hours or .33 sq/hr


Not quite complete


Heavy handsplits @ 10" exposure would pick up a little bit on time.

18" Blue Label Perfection cedar shingles @5 1/2" I don't think would be a whole lot different time wise.

The devil is in the detail, as they say. Wide open, straight lay down might be better than a square an hour including underlayment.

So maybe this helps? I can tell you I figure at least 3x labor for cedar over asphalt shingles on an easy roof.

A roofing crew (say 3 good mechanics and a helper) who does cedar all the time should easily surpass the numbers above.
 
#19 ·
Your right. I think they told me it was going to be 14, but I was expecting to use heavy handsplit at 10" (we did on the house on shore several years before) and they gave me mediums to install at 7.5". At the time I was thinking I was doing about 1.33 x the squares I had quoted based on the exposure (plus caps).

Any way I was remembering 18 + caps, even if that's not actually what it measured.