It is always better to do roofing work when the roofers have less work. That will reduce the time of wait. Summer and late summer is the time when Tampa roofers are busiest. Then it rains in Tampa almost every day. When this happens all roofing, projects are put on hold until clear skies. This may cause extended waiting times before you can get any reputable roofers out to your home.
Pros
Winter is a comparatively “slow time” for roofers and homeowners will be able to get their premium roof services without having to wait for long. Another advantage is that the cost of the roofing materials will dip considerably in winter because of the “off-season sales”.
Cons
Winter is not considered to be the best season for roofing because some of the materials, especially asphalt, which is the most popular one, are better installed in warm weather. Its self-sealing edges are thermally activated and gels to the roof easily in warm weather. Some flat-roofing materials like bitumen and EPDM are also better worked on in warmer weather.
1. Asphalt Shingles
Asphalt shingles are the most commonly used roofing material and it prefers temperatures above 40o F during installation. Asphalt grows stiff and brittle in cold conditions. So, it needs careful handling, otherwise, it may break off at the edges and corners.
A proactive strategy is to store the asphalt shingles in a heated warehouse before installing them. This will keep the shingles properly pliant. Setting of asphalt roof also needs heat. This means that your asphalt roof will take time in setting properly in winter.
2. Metal
Installing a metal roof in winter is much less tiresome than in any other season. The reduced temperature makes it easy for workers to do their job. It is easier to handle metal panels during winter because of the cool weather.
3. Flat roof
There are different roofing materials used in flat roofing. EPDM (Rubber roofing), modified bitumen, PVC and TPO. Of these, it is not advisable to use the first two materials if you are doing the roofing work in winter because these are installed using adhesives. These adhesives would not work well in winter because of their chemical composition which may alter in cold weather.PVC and TPO can be installed during winter. They are usually spread on the roof and fixed using heavy-duty screws and plates. The seams are sealed using hot guns which produce extremely high temperatures. The outside weather does not make much difference in the installation but the workers will benefit from the cool weather.
So, in spite of being not the best time technically for roofing, winter is favored by many homeowners for roof work.