How Long does a Tile to Tin Conversion Take?

Considering switching your tile roof to a metal one? If so, you’re probably wondering how long this process will take, whether you can stay in the house during the job, and how much disruption to expect.

The short answer is most tile to tin conversions take between three and seven days. But that number can be influenced by several factors, and the full timeline can take several weeks. Here’s how it breaks down.

The On-Site Work: 3 to 7 Days

For a standard single-storey home, a tile to Colorbond conversion typically takes three to five days on site. A larger home, a more complex roofline, or a two-storey job can take five to seven days, or sometimes a little longer.

The on-site time covers:

Day 1 to 2: Tile removal and frame inspection. The old tiles, battens, and sarking come off. Once the frame is exposed, it gets inspected. If any rafters or battens need repair or replacement, this gets done before anything new goes on.

Day 2 to 3: Preparation and new batten installation. New battens go down, along with any required sarking or insulation. Flashings around penetrations like chimneys, skylights, and vents get prepared.

Day 3 to 5: Colorbond installation. The new sheets are installed. This is the faster part of the job once prep is done properly.

Day 4 to 7: Flashings, ridgecapping, gutters, and downpipes. The finishing work is completed. This is where a lot of the detail lives, and rushing it is how leaks happen later.

What Adds Time

A few things can push a job past that base timeline:

Roof complexity. Multiple hips, valleys, gables, and skylights all add time. For example, a simple hip-and-ridge is faster than a roofline with five different angles.

Frame repairs. You won’t always know what the frame looks like until the tiles come off. If there’s more repair work than expected, that can add a day or two.

Two-storey homes. Scaffolding requirements and working at height can slow the pace. Plan for an extra day or two compared to a single-storey job.

Weather. Melbourne’s weather is unpredictable. Most roofers won’t install on days with significant rain forecast, partly for safety and partly because wet conditions affect the quality of the install.

Access constraints. Tight suburban blocks, limited driveway access, or neighbouring properties that restrict where materials and equipment can be staged all affect how efficiently the job moves.

The Full Timeline

The three to seven days on site is just the installation phase. The full project timeline from the time you make first contact to when the job is finished is typically four to eight weeks. This includes:

Site inspection and quoting: Most reputable contractors won’t quote without seeing the roof in person. Getting on the books, having the inspection, and receiving a detailed quote usually takes one to two weeks.

Permit and engineering: In Victoria, a tile to tin conversion requires a building permit. This involves a structural engineering assessment and approval from a registered building surveyor, which can take two to four weeks. At Roofrite, we manage this process as part of the job so you’re not chasing it yourself.

Material lead times: Colorbond is generally well-stocked, but specific profiles, colours, and accessories can have lead times of one to two weeks depending on supply.

Scheduling: Good roofing contractors are booked out. Expecting to have the job start within a week of accepting a quote is unrealistic. A lead time of two to four weeks from acceptance to start is standard.

Can You Stay in the House?

In most cases, yes. The job is noisy and there will be dust and debris, but the house stays structurally sound throughout. The exception is if the frame inspection turns up significant structural issues, but your contractor will flag that if it comes up.

Some homeowners prefer to stay elsewhere during the noisiest days, particularly during tile removal. That’s a personal call more than a safety one.

What to Ask Your Contractor

Before work starts, it’s a good idea to ask:

• How many crew will be on site each day
• What happens if weather causes a delay
• What the process is if the frame inspection turns up unexpected repairs

A contractor who can answer those questions clearly is one who has done this enough times to know what can go wrong.

At Roofrite, we’ve been completing tile to metal conversions across Melbourne for over 30 years. We give you a realistic timeline upfront, manage the permit process, and don’t disappear between phases. 

If you want to know what a specific job would look like for your home, get in touch and we’ll give you a straight answer.