If you own a home, then chances are that you have thought about how much your roof costs and the cost of roofing in general. The cost of a new roof can vary greatly based on multiple factors. This guide will you figure out the approximate cost of your roof so you know what to expect before you get started with any repairs or replacements.
Your roof is one of the most important parts of your home because it protects your home from rain, sun rays, snow, and other weather conditions.
First off, I need to explain to you some roofing language. We measure roofs by roof squares which is SF divided by 100. For example, 1000 SF is 10 roof squares.
How do I know the size of my roof?
Your roof is not the same square feet as your home. The easiest way to know the approximate size of your roof is to measure the width and length of the exterior walls of your house. So, Width multiplied by Length is a square foot. You take that amount and you divide it by 100. This number becomes your roof square.
Example: You live in a beautiful Cape Cod-style home that measures 30′ X 50′ = 1500 SF. 1500 divided by 100 = 15. So your roof would be 15 roof squares.
Please note: that the roof pitch does affect the size of your roof. The steeper the roof, the more roof squares it is. The calculations above are just to give you an idea of the size.
I wish that roof cost would be a one price fits all. It would be much easier and faster to estimate but this is not the case. Many factors determine your roof price. It won’t even be the same as your next-door neighbors unless you live in a “cookie-cutter” neighborhood.
A new roof could cost anywhere between $4.50/SF ($450 per roof square) to over $10/SF ($1000 per roof square) depending on your roof but in this article, we will provide homeowners with an idea of what it takes to price a new roof.
Here is a list of factors that affect a roof price:
- Existing Layers: How many layers that are existing on your roof.
- Roof Pitch: This tells us how steep the roof slope is, a higher roof pitch will cost more money because it takes more material and is harder to walk on which causes the labor cost to increase.
- Roof Size: The size of your home or building square footage. The bigger you get, the greater the price tag becomes.
- Location: Where you live factors into this equation as well since some places tend to have more expensive labor rates than others.
- Materials: Different materials cost more or less than one another, for example, roof asphalt shingles are the most affordable roofing system while metal roofs and slate are higher in price.
- What goes under the shingles: There are many variations of roof accessories that change the price. There are underlayments with a range of $80/roll up to $250/roll.
Replacing your roof is expensive and takes research to determine how you can achieve the best quality materials that fit your budget.
The best way to make sure that you do the right thing for your home and your family is to do your research and talk to reputable roofing contractors to educate you on this process.
If you would like to know How to Choose the Right Contractor, check out this blog post for more information.
