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How much does it cost to replace a roof? That’s a great question. I’m going to do my very best to answer that question based upon the specific factors that a roofing contractor looks for while pricing a roof. There are many things, and we can touch base on them all below.

Beautiful home we built that is not only a designer shingle but it is also impact resistant!!

1.What type of roofing system do you currently have?

  • Slate
  • Tile
  • Metal
  • Synthetic
  • Asbestos
  • Wood Shake
  • Designer
  • Class 4
  • Class 3
  • Architectural Shingles
  • 3 Tab Shingles
  • TPO
  • EPDM
  • Modified Bitumen
  • (The price can change based upon the type. This is due to different tear off techniques paired with additional dump fees associated)

2. What type of roofing system do you plan on putting back on?

  • This is a very important thing to know. The price in the system for a typical 5/12 roof with no extras, would range from $350 a square (10’x10’ area) all the way up to $2800 a square. Your typical asphalt architectural shingle will run on the low end of these numbers while the custom slate, tile, and metal will be on the upper end. (Not to mention the cost of a copper roof!)
  • This is not only due to the materials costing more, but the labor included is also additional. There are extra measures that must take place before you do specialty roofs. Some included, but not limited to, are different underlayment, batten boards installment, type of flashings used, 3. etc.

3. How many layers of shingles do you have?

  • Each layer of shingles will be an additional charge to the contractor, and which will obviously be transferred onto the home owner. For our company, this price would also cover an additional layer of felt, if one was used between each layer.

Let me explain this in further detail. When you have one layer, a worker is able to pull the shingles off in full pieces. When you have a second layer, there are now nails for the felt as well as the shingles going through the second layer. This now makes the second layer come off in small bits rather than big pieces. Due to this the amount of time to complete the same task takes much longer. In addition to that, the extra weight for the dump will be an additional fee for the crew4. .

Notice the size of pieces in the lower layers. This photo has 4 layers of shingles!!

4. Is your decking up to the current code?

  • If you’re going to do your roof, you better do it right. Always make sure to have an attic inspection performed before the project is started. The roofer should be able to measure the rafter spacing along with the thickness of your decking. These two things combined will tell you whether your decking is up to code or if you need to have it brought up to code.
  • The cost of the materials today (2/22/22) for one 4’x8’ sheet of 7/16 OSB is $46.25 plus tax for materials alone. The labor and dump fee will be an addition to this cost.

Spaced decking found during a prebuild attic inspection.

3/8? decking being laid over to meet code.

5. How many layers of felt paper do you have?

In many cases past roofers may have only pulled the shingles off and not the felt paper. (Some still practice this bad technique.) Just like the shingles, the felt paper will come off in small pieces. We did a roof once that had 7 LAYERS OF FELT under the shingles!!! Needless to say, this took an additional 40 man-hours just to pick it all off, remove all of the nails, and finally corral all of the 1”x1” pieces that resulted.

Multiple layers of felt

Taking the felt off is a MUST to any new roof for us. This will change your cost $10 for each additional layer of felt under the shingles. (The insurance pays this too).

Multiple layers of felt prior to tear off.
Look at all those tiny pieces the crew has to clean up!!!

6. What is the pitch of your roof?

  • Most roofs have several different pitches in the same system. For instance, my house has a flat TPO roof as well as a 42/12 mansard shingle roof.
  • Let’s break down the difference in pitches and costs incurred to you.
  • 0/12-2/12 pitches should be a flat roofing membrane such as TPO, EPDM or Modified Bitumen. (Modified Bitumen is the cheapest, and TPO and EPDM are more costly applications.)
  • 3/12 pitch will need a double layer of felt paper per code.
  • With 4/12-6/12 there is no additional charge for labor.
  • 7/12-8/12 is the first tier of extra charge per square.
  • 9/12-10/12 is the second tier.
  • 11/12-12/12 is the third tier.
  • 12/12-16/12 is the fourth tier.
  • 17/12 and above is the fifth tier. This one will also have an additional charge for hand sealing each shingle.
In this one photo, there are multiple pitches. 4/12 that transitions into a 42/12, a 12/12 and an 8/7. 12!!
Cricket with a chimney insta8. lled.8.

7. Do you have any chimneys?

  • If a chimney is over 30” wide and doesn’t currently have a cricket installed, one must be added, per code.
  • What is a cricket? It’s a small ridge and valley that directs the water to the edges of your chimney so that they won’t sit there on the back side and cause premature leaking due to premature metal failure.
  • The step flashing on your chimney needs to be replaced as well as the counter flashing. This will be an additional $300-1000 per chimney on the home.
  • The price would raise if you want copper flashings.

8. Do you have skylights?

  • Very often skylights are outdated and need to be replaced when the roof replacement occurs. The cost can really sway with these due to the different types and grades you can get.
  • You can sometimes buy a new flashing kit (if it’s not discontinued) and this will save you a little money but isn’t it worth a few bucks on the one thing that protects your family the most?
Look at all that rust on this old skylight!!
Rotten siding was cut out, ice and water shield applied and new step flashing installed. Next we replaced the wood and painted it to match the home.

9. Do you have any step flashing?

  • What is step flashing? This product is typically a 4”x 4” piece of 90 degree bent aluminum. It is used on all roof to walls with a pitch. One is placed under each shingle along the pitch, and it prevents the water from entering your home. (Not to mention the ice and water shield that runs underneath it and up the wall behind it)
  • Once again if your step flashing is made from copper, the expense will raise significantly.
  • Will the siding need to be cut to place new step flashing in? Will wood need to be added in addition to this and painted to match?
  • Is the roof to wall stucco, and will it need stucco work?
    Is it brick and needs the brick cut and mortar placed along the metal inserted in the brick to prevent leaks?
  • Is it vinyl siding that will need to be detached and reset?
  • This price is charged by the linear foot.

11. How are your gutters fastened to the house?

  • Are your gutters fastened to the house through the drip edge or underneath it?
  • To remove the gutters will be an additional cost and often, if they are old, they will be fragile and unable to detach and reset without causing some kind of damage.
  • The gutters and ESPECIALLY the gutter screens need to be out of the way for the old drip edge to come off.
  • The price of detaching and resetting the gutter screens will vary upon the type of system you have installed.
    You must have drip edge; it helps in so many ways from shingle uplift to premature fascia rot.
  • We have never built a roof without drip edge in our career.
Notice how the bracket goes onto the12. decking?

12. Is your drip edge painted?

  • Does your drip edge match the color of your fascia perfectly?
  • Do you want that again, or will you pick from mill, white, bronze or brown?
  • The cost to paint this will be charged per linear foot

13. Do you have a pool or expensive landscape to protect?

  • A pool will need a tarp to be bought new for the project to ensure there are no rips in it. This cost is in addition to the labor hours to install and remove it.
  • Landscaping will take additional man hours to put things in place to protect them, as well as change the way we tear off to ensure less hits the ground that is uncontrolled.
Notice all of the additional labor hours to put the tarp on but to also keep the debris from collecting on top of it.
If your back yard is an oasis like this, plan on being charged extra to protect your slice of 14heaven.
HVAC stack in the midst of being replaced.

14. How many HVAC pipes do you have on your roof?

  • The heating and cooling pipes should be inspected and, if needed, they will be changed out.
  • At a minimum, the caps should be replaced during construction of your roof.
  • There is an additional cost for each one you have.

15. What type of ventilation do you have, and does it need to be upgraded?

  • Does your roofing system have an equal balance of intake ventilation (lower third of your roof) and output ventilation (upper third of your roof)?
  • An improperly ventilated roof will make the roof lose 24% of its lifespan.
  • Does your insulation cover your soffit vents or were baffles installed?
(A baffle is typically made from Styrofoam and goes over the soffit vent to allow air while at the same time blocking any insulation from covering the opening.)
  • Depending on the ventilation your home needs, this price could change a lot.
  • For instance, one solar powered fan is $550 with labor and materials.
  • Deck vent and ridge vent will be charged by the linear foot.
This is a deck vent being installed. It is used for intake ventilation.

16. Is access to your roof a problem?

  • Will the crew have to travel far with both the old and new materials to get them to and from the roof?
  • This is circumstantial but always something to keep in mind.
  • Do you have a shed that they can’t deliver materials to or areas of your home that a dumpster can’t get near?

17. Do you have a one-story home or is it multiple stories?

  • Each story over one will be an additional charge due to an additional hazard for the workers which in turn is more pay for them.
  • This is due to the additional risk involved for the crew.
  • Not to mention the additional risk of falling debris hitting the home if the winds are high.
Notice how much more there is to protect here as well as the added risk for workers?

18. Do you have cornice strips or cornice returns?

A cornice and cornice strip is an area on the roof where the worker will need to be on a ladder to perform the work. This takes them longer. Cornices are also referred to as bird boxes, and they are charged per each installed.
Cornices are also referred to as bird boxes, and they are charged per each installed.
Pictured is a cornice return.
Cornice strips are areas typically above windows that have 3 feet or less shingles in height. These are charged by the linear foot.
Notice the extra time and attention to safety needed to replace this cornice st1919..rip?

19. What type of ridge cap do you want to install?

Is it the standard ridge cap, or do you have a high-profile ridge cap? High profile will run more, not only from the cost but for labor as well. A regular ridge cap will get 25-28 linear feet per bundle while high ridge comes in at 18 linear feet a bundl20.e.

20. What type of warranty are you wanting on the roof?

If you’re wanting an extended manufactures warranty, you will need to pay an additional amount. On top of this, you will also need to use all of the manufacturer’s materials to be provided with their warranty.
Beautiful home that has a high-profile ridge cap. Can you see how it makes it stand out?

Conclusion

At the end of the day it is safe to say that pricing your roof without coming out to the site could turn into a horror story really fast. It is always advisable to have a roofing contractor come take a look. Make sure to print this list off to check off and make sure they cover all of your bases. You can also use the information provided to ask questions and be sure they are the right fit for your needs. Every home and every home owner should be treated differently. Just one minor difference in the same exact roof could drastically change the price of a new roof. I hope this helps you now understand what all goes into pricing a roof.