With Spring fully settled in, and with Summer just around the corner, many homeowners will soon be scratching their heads trying to figure out how much they should pay to replace their old leaky roof that just barely made it through the long, cold Winter. After all, last year we had record snowfall, with many storm-damaged roofs across the US, and this year could be no different. 😉
So, if you are one of the many “lucky” homeowners whose roof has been battered by all the notoriously last Winter and will soon require replacement, then read our just-updated 2015-2016 new roof pricing guide for homeowners.
To help you with your pricing research, our very own RoofingCalc’s Special Agent went on a secret mission to find the latest roofing materials and labor prices, so you don’t have to do all the legwork!
Straight off the bat, it needs to be stated that not all roofs are made the same, and not all roofers charge the same prices. Depending on the type of your roof, geographic location, and the company or weekend warrior you choose to hire, the total installed cost of a composition shingles roof could vary between $2.75 to $7.50 per square foot installed. — That’s anywhere from $275 for a low bid (such as a bid from a weekend warrior or storm chaser who works without any liability insurance and does not have any worker’s comp.) to $750 per square for a fully warrantied job completed by a high-end exterior remodeling company. A square is equal to 100 square feet. An average roof size is about 1,700 square feet.
Geographical Considerations: While most contractors will price their asphalt shingles roof replacement services within $4.00 to to $7.00 per square foot or $400 to $700 per square range, there will be significant geographic variations. For instance, roof prices in the deep South (think South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia) will generally be significantly lower compared to prices charged in the North East.
Many professional roofing companies employ a 40% materials / 60% labor as their costs-breakdown formula. Of course, this pricing structure is just a guideline not set in stone. Some contractors include their overhead in the cost of labor, while others calculate it separately. All roofers use “squares” to roofs. A square equals to 100 sq. ft. of roof the surface.
3-tab 25 year shingles
The cost of materials for a basic 3-tab 25-year shingles could range anywhere from $150 to $200 per square for all the necessary materials. – In addition to composition shingles, materials may also include any necessary roofing felt/underlayment, ice-and-water shield, nails, ridge-vent, and roof flashing details such as valley, drip-edge, gable, and chimney flashing and caulk. In some cases, the cost of materials may also include tarp, plywood, wood planks/boards, permitting, trash bags and a dumpster.
With most professional — licensed & insured roofing contractors, the installation cost is usually about 60% of the total cost. Thus, a 3-tab composition shingle roof will cost an average of $400 to $500 per square to install.
The installation assumes a single story house such as ranch, cape, or colonial, with a combination roof. Most ranch type houses measure an average of 15 to 20 squares in terms of their actual roof surface, which translates to $6,725 to $9,000 for the very basic composition shingles roof installed, based on the total installed cost of $450 per square, with a typical 5 years labor warranty.
Please note: The basic installation cost can actually be some $100 to $150 per square higher than the base cost, if there is a need to tear-off and remove the old roof (up to two layers), before a new roof can be installed. If new plywood needs to be installed over the old roof deck, or if there many old planks/boards that are damaged/rotten and require replacement, the total cost will go up.
Any skylight and chimney flashings will also likely increase the total cost. For instance, some contractors will charge an extra $200 per skylight or chimney flashing in addition to the rest of the work.
30-Year Architectural / Dimensional Shingles
Keep in mind the 3-tab (25 year shingle) is the most basic and least expensive kind of roofing shingles. Expect to pay a bit more for a 30-year architectural (dimensional) shingles, which is a fair bit thicker (and hence longer lasting), and is more commonly installed by contractors who want to offer a to the homeowner. With, architectural shingles, it will probably cost $75 to $100 more per square to install compared to a 3-tab 25-year shingles. The increase in price is greater than the difference in cost of materials between a 3-tab and 30-year architectural shingles, because most contractors will put a greater mark-up on a higher-end product compared to an entry-level product. This is normally justified as a premium on the “higher quality of installation”. 😉
Thus, your total cost for a basic single-story hip and gable combination roof on a ranch-styled house could range anywhere from $7,850 to $11,000 depending on the actual size and complexity of your roof, the company you choose, quality of their installation, warranty details, geographic location, your negotiation skills, and other variables.
Premium Shingles:
With the premium shingles, such as 50-year architectural shingles, your total cost will probably range from $600 to $700 per square installed, or anywhere from $9,000 to $14,000 depending on the company you choose. Part of the increase in your total installation cost will be reflected and offset by a longer labor warranty (the promise of quality) provided with the installation.
Did you know?
One thing you should keep in mind as a homeowner is that no will really last as long as 50 or even 30 years. That’s just a simple marketing gimmick used by the asphalt shingles manufacturers to get homeowners to pay the big bucks for their products backed by the so-called pro-rated warranty that is not worth the paper it’s written on. Just imagine how much or rather how little money you will actually be able to get some fifteen or twenty years down the road for a roof that fails due to manufacturing defects? Not much! Never mind the fact that it will be extremely difficult to prove the cause of a roof leak is actually tied to material defects and not labor errors. Further, the manufacturer would only be held responsible for replacing the materials that have actually failed, not the whole roof in its entirety. Not, only that, but the company responsible for the installation of your roof may no longer even be in business some 15 to 20 years down the road!
Viable Alternatives to Composition Shingle?
If you are in search of a long-lasting roofing system, consider a as an energy-efficient and long lasting alternative to asphalt.
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