Here's another in our Q&A series. Have a burning roofing question? Post it as a comment and we'll answer!
Q. How can I know what to expect to spend on my new roof?
A. The price of a new roof is dependent on two major things: material and labor. The price of the material will be determined by the type of material, the size and complexity of the roof, along with delivery and logistical concerns. The cost of the labor to install a new roof can be calculated by knowing the size of the roof, the slope (or pitch), the type of material to be installed, the preparation required, the details of the roof, the height above the ground, and the type of access that is available.
When doing an investigation of roof prices, don’t make the mistake of multiplying the size of the home by the average installed price of a given material from Home Depot: “My home is 1,800 square feet, that’s 18 square, right? The contractor says he can install those tiles for $400 a square, so 18 times 400 is $7,200– that’s not bad for a new roof!”
It doesn’t work like that, I’m afraid. Attached garages and other structures can add considerably to the area, most homes have overhangs around the perimeter, there’s a slope to the roof increasing the surface area, a percentage of the material required will be cut off for valleys, dormer, hips, and other details. There’ll likely be some sort of underlayment required, accessories like drip edges, valley flashings, hip and ridge pieces, nails or screws, penetrations, caulking or sealant, touch up paint, delivery, sales tax, etc. These extra considerations are costly.
Here's a formula that will give you a general idea of what you'll spend on that new roof:
Square footage of home PLUS attached garage MULTIPLIED by 1.4 for walkable pitches and 1.6 or more for steep pitched roofs. Recalculating from our trip to Home Depot, we discover that our 1,800 square foot, single-story home with a double attached garage actually has closer to:
(1,800 + 500) x 1.4 = 3,220 square feet of material usage, or almost 33 squares. Now the price at $400 a square is $13,200 – a very large difference. So, unless you’re savvy at estimating roofing usage, be open-minded about the actual size of your job - and what that will mean for the price of the material and the labor to install it.
Once you have an idea of the size of your job, you can start pricing out material. Or do it the easy way - call us to get a free estimate, and let us handle the math! And for a more comprehensive look at pricing, download our free re-roofing booklet and check out page 36.
