By no means do we endorse installing an asphalt shingle roof on your house, as that would be a poor choice in terms of quality and environmental considerations, but we are providing this guide to better educate you about general roofing costs. Shopping for a new roof is not the same as going to the supermarket to buy a household item. Understanding roofing costs involves knowledge of the local roofing market conditions, price variation with respect to the specific roofing product considered, and the particular roofing company’s pricing strategy.

There are many variables that can influence your roof replacement costs, but the major factors affecting the price of the new roof come down to the local roofing market conditions, and weather or not you are dealing with a real roofing company, or a fly by night operation. The roofing cost itself should not be the only factor influencing your decision. You need to pay particular attention to the roofing contractor you’re dealing with.

Ask yourself a few simple questions; Is your roofing contractor presentable, friendly, and knowledgeable? Did he explain to you product benefits and warranty details? Did you get a written roofing proposal? Can your roofing contractor provide roof work references, and proof of roofing liability insurance and workers’ compensation? Is your roofing contractor pleasant and helpful, or are they sketchy and pushy?

All the other things being equal, roofing costs will be influenced by the following factors:

Residential roofs range in difficulty and scope of work involved in a roof replacement. The ranch type single story house with simple gable roof structure is easy to work on and can be completed in one day. A multistory house with oddly shaped roof is much more difficult to work on and will take longer to complete. The cost differential can be very significant between easy and complex roof. The complex roof may cost up to 50% more than a simple gable roof.

Another factor influencing roofing costs is whether or not your roof has skylights, dormers, chimney flashing, and end-wall terminations. All of these can drive up your roof replacement costs.

Does your old roof require a tear off or not? If your old roof already has more than one layer of asphalt shingle, or if your roof has sustained a significant water damage, then your old roof need to be completely stripped before the new roof can be installed. And this could increase your roofing costs by 75 to 125 dollars per square of roofing surface. The cost would include the old roof tear-off and a cleanup.

Special circumstances:

If your existing roof is made out of asbestos, then you’ll have to get asbestos removal company to remove your existing asbestos roof before a new roof can be installed. The asbestos removal procedure would have to be coordinated with your roofing company, and will result in an additional expense to you.

Estimating Roofing Costs:

The cost of installing a new roof can be estimated by multiplying the base price to shingle a simple one story gable roof by the number of roofing squares. An average ranch type house roof measures 17 to 20 roof squares. The basic roofing product a three tab asphalt shingle costs roughly $80.00 per square. The roofing felt and nails will add another $20 to the cost of materials. Thus, we have a $100 per square of roofing materials. Multiply that by 20 squares and you get $2000 for the roofing materials alone. Most roofing contractors will charge around $250 per square to install asphalt shingle on your home. This translates into $5000 for labor costs. Add the cost of labor and material costs and you get $7000 for an average single story ranch type roof.

Keep in mind that $7000 would represent the base price to install a new roof. Your roofing costs may be higher if you have to tear down your existing roof, it would add another $2000 for the roof tear off and clean up. If you have a multistory roof with steep roof pitch, multiple skylights, chimneys, and dormers, then your cost could easily go up to over $10,000. keep in mind that the base roof cost may vary from one company to another and may be different in different parts of the county.

Sometimes it may be necessary to get several roofing quotes to really get a good idea of what a new roof installation will cost for your home. Shop around, ask questions about roofing materials your new roof will be getting, roofing warranty details and get everything written in the contract.

Related Posts:

Roofing Prices – Provides real life examples of Roofing Installation costs.

Metal Roofing Cost – Provides comparative analysis of installing metal roofing vs. asphalt shingles, and how it affects the long term roofing costs.

Roofing Materials – Guide to common roofing materials and their costs

Roofs – All about different types of roofs in the world.