Whether your roof needs to be replaced due to age or you just bought a fixer-upper, your first question about a new roof is probably, “How much is it going to cost me?”
That’s a good question, but it’s difficult to answer. There are so many different factors that affect the price of a roof — square footage, material type, and the quality of your contractor can all affect the total price you pay by thousands of dollars. While you might use your homeowner’s insurance to pay for sudden damages, anything outside of that will likely be an out of pocket expense.
Let’s break down everything that can affect the cost of a new roof in detail, so you know what to expect and how to get the best roof for your money.
The average cost of a new asphalt roof is about $17,000 (for a 1,700-square-foot roof). For a larger home (with about 3,000 square feet of roof) the average cost is about $30,000.
However, the cost of a full replacement can vary widely based on the type of roof you choose. Let’s look at the cost of different roofs from lowest to highest.
Asphalt is by far the most cost-effective roofing material. Because of this, it’s also the most common type of roof, with four out of five homes today sporting this kind of roof. Asphalt shingles typically cost between $5.50 and $12.50 per square foot. For a 1,700-square-foot roof, materials will likely cost between $9,350 and $21,250 for the shingles and materials alone. For a 3,000-square-foot roof, you can expect to pay anywhere from $16,500 to $27,500.
Cedar shake is a great roofing material that has aesthetic appeal and offers greater energy efficiency. Cedar shakes typically cost between $15.00 and $25.00 per square foot. For a 1,700 square-foot roof, homeowners could pay between $25,500 and $42,500 for cedar shake materials. For a 3,000-square-foot roof, you can expect to pay anywhere from $45,000 to $75,000.
While some metal roofs look nice on certain home styles, metal roofing is most often chosen for its longevity. Metal roofs can last up to 50 years. These materials often cost $18.00 to $28.00 per square foot. With a 1,700 square-foot metal roof, you will likely pay somewhere between $30,000 and $47,600 for materials alone. For a 3,000-square-foot roof, the total material cost is likely to be anywhere between $54,000 and $84,000.
Slate roofs offer the greatest longevity by far, with some lasting up to 200 years. That said, slate roofs are heavy, difficult to maintain, and expensive to install. They also vary widely. They typically cost anywhere from $29.00 – $57.00 per square foot. This puts the total cost of materials for a 1,700-square-foot roof between $49,300 and $96,900 for materials. For a 3,000-square-foot roof, you can expect to pay between $87,000 and $171,000.
Synthetic shingles are made from recycled materials, including plastic and rubber. Homeowners often choose synthetic roofing because it is environmentally friendly, durable, and usually designed to look like slate or wood shake without the extra weight. However, synthetic roofs tend to be very expensive, priced at around $16.00 – $27.00 per square foot. With a 1,700-square-foot roof, you will likely pay between $27,200 and $45,900 for materials. For a 3,000-square-foot roof, that’s about $48,000 – $81,000.
Now that we’ve broken down the cost of different roofing materials, let’s look at how other factors will influence the cost of your roofing job.
Constant factors are things that will always affect the cost of your roof, including the scope of the project, materials, roof shape and similar factors.
The standard scope of a roof replacement typically includes:
If the scope of the project includes any more than this, you may incur additional costs for any additional labor.
Part of the cost of installing a new roof includes the disposal of previous materials. When the roof project starts, your roofing contractor will need to remove the previous shingles and load them onto a trailer or into a rented dumpster. If your roof was installed with two layers of shingles, the roofer may charge extra to remove an additional layer.
After the project, the roofer will also need to arrange for the dumping or recycling of old roofing materials. This may factor into your total bill. The average fee in Chicago for dumping in a landfill is about $95.00 per ton. The average asphalt recycling fee is about $85.00.
Size is a huge actor in estimating the price of a new roof. The larger your roof, the more it will cost in both materials and labor.
While many material prices are listed in square footage, many roofing contractors list their job prices in terms of roofing squares. A roofing square is 10 ft. x 10 ft. (100 square feet), usually drawn across the roof in chalk.
Beyond that, the pitch (steepness) of your roof can also affect the price. A higher pitch may increase the price of a new roof by 15 – 50%. The price will increase exponentially as the roof gets steeper. This is mainly because steeper roofs require special installation and safety equipment. Anything higher than a 6/12 pitch ratio (where the roof height increases by 6 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal distance) will need special equipment to install.
The number of corners on the roof can also affect the price. More corners typically means that the installers have to cut shingles in order to fit the space. Since these cut shingles can’t be reused, they’ll have to be thrown away. However, you will still pay the full price of the shingle even if all of it isn’t used.
Lastly, the penetrations in your roof may require additional flashing and sealant to ensure your home is protected from leaks. If you have a lot of chimneys, roof vents, or skylights, you will need to pay for the extra materials and specialized labor to ensure the work is done well.
If you decide to replace or add other parts to your roof during the project, these will obviously add to the total cost.
Here are a few examples of add-ons you may consider:
Aside from the type of material you choose, the quality of the materials also affects the price. For example, you may decide to choose architectural shingles over standard 3-tab shingles. This one choice may raise your material costs by as much as 50%.
Low-quality materials will usually cost less, but they may not be able to hold up against harsh weather the same as higher quality materials. This means you may have to replace your roof a second time. The only thing worse than paying for an expensive home improvement project is paying for it twice.
Aside from that, replacing other parts of the roof (such as the underlayment) may add $60 – $90 per square to your total material cost. If you have to replace the plywood decking underneath, this may add another $260 – $290 per square to your bill. If you also need to add an ice/water shield, this may cost an extra $100 – $125 per square.
While paying extra for higher quality materials is a wise choice, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a stronger roof. What matters most is the quality of installation. Even the highest grade shingles, decking, or underlayment will fall apart in just a few years if not installed properly.
The traditional model for calculating roof costs is 40% materials to 60% labor. For an asphalt shingle roof, some figures estimate that roofers charge between $5.50 and $7.25 for labor per square foot.
However, working with a roofing company that hires skilled workers to complete the project will almost certainly cost more. The median salary for a roofer in 2023 is $41,900 per year. However, highly skilled people who are really good at their craft often earn more. In order to pay the salaries of these few highly qualified workers, roofing companies need to charge more for labor.
Beyond that, changes in scope require extra labor charges. For instance, when the roofer removes the old materials, they may find that the roof decking is deteriorated. If this happens, you can expect a labor charge increase that wasn’t on the original estimate.
Part of completing a legitimate roofing project means pulling the right permits from the city government. Permits are important for two reasons:
The fees associated with building permits vary by state, but many cost between $50 and $500, depending on the scope of the project. In most cases, the roofing contractor will add this on to the total cost of the job.
One mark of a responsible roofing contractor is having the proper insurance to protect you the customer against damages and accidents. If a roofer without workers compensation or liability insurance has an accident on your roof, you could be responsible for paying their hospital bills or paying to repair your own property.
While the cost of the contractor’s insurance policy isn’t usually added to the cost of the roofing project, it will likely cost more to work with a contractor who is properly insured. Insurance costs are often built into their labor costs. On the other hand, if you get an estimate from a contractor who has incredibly cheap labor charges, this may be a sign that they aren’t a legitimate business. Many contractors try to avoid getting proper insurance so they can afford to offer customers a lower bid.
The total cost of your roofing project also depends on where you live. Things like climate, cost of living, local legislation, and permit fees are all things to consider when it comes to location. Living near a major city often means your roof will cost slightly more than average.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, prices have soared for a variety of reasons. While these factors are affecting the cost of a new roof right now, they may also simply be a product of the times we live in. In a few years, these outliers (such as extreme stress on supply lines) may not be as prominent as they are today.
When many businesses shut down during the pandemic, supply chains were affected in a number of ways. While much of the material shortages of years past seem to be improving in 2023, material prices are still going up. In addition to the continued effects of several factory shutdowns in 2021, other factors such as inflation, natural disasters, oil prices and more are expected to drive up the prices of building materials by about 4% in 2023.
While the labor shortage in the United States isn’t as pressing as it was directly after the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still a national shortage of tradesmen. As a result, there fewer qualified workers available in the roofing industry, even though several other industries have improved in this area. In order for roofing companies to keep qualified employees on the payroll, more companies need to pay higher wages, and this will naturally drive up the price of a new roof.
Now that you understand how multiple different factors can influence the total cost of a roofing project, let’s look at how you can get the best deal on a new roof. This doesn’t mean picking the cheapest estimate. Instead, you want to focus on getting the best value for your money. If you do it right, your roofing project may even increase the value of your home over time.
If you’re comparing estimates from multiple roofing contractors, you may be tempted to take the lowest bid. But while roofing projects can sometimes be shockingly expensive, choosing the lowest bid won’t guarantee a high-quality roofing job. Instead, roofing contractors that try to win business by offering the lowest bid are often cutting costs in other areas. They use low-quality materials, unskilled workers and fake insurance policies to get around the cost of doing legitimate, high-quality work.
Paying more for a roofing project isn’t the only way to guarantee quality. However, it often means you’re paying for a roofer that knows what they’re doing. Roofing is expensive if done properly, so you want to work with a roofer that charges enough to do the job well.
When you first see the estimate for your new roofing project, you might realize you don’t have enough money saved to pay for it up front. That’s okay. Rather than waiting until you have enough money saved up or taking out a high-interest loan, you may be able to finance the project through your roofing company.
By financing, you can complete the project up front and pay it off in increments. In the meantime, you can reap the benefits of a new roof right away and use other funds to improve the rest of your home.
One of the most reliable ways to get a great deal on a roofing project is to hire a great roofing company to complete the job from the beginning. When looking for someone to hire, find a roofer that you trust to act in good faith and complete the project with an eye for quality.
But no matter who you choose, your roofer should always conduct a roof inspection first. If a contractor just hands you an estimate without first coming to your house to look at your home in detail, they aren’t providing accurate figures.
Here are a few things to look for to help you spot a great roofing contractor:
Buying a new roof in 2023 can be a financially tough decision. But think of it as an investment rather than an expense. Whoever you hire and whatever type of roof you choose, you want it to provide as much value to your home as possible. If you’re buying a new roof anyway, go with one that you can trust to protect your roof for many years to come.
At Baltic Roofing, we can offer you just that. We’ve been serving Chicagoland for more than 17 years, and we have a portfolio of high-quality roofing which you can see all around the city. With every repair or replacement project we do, we strive to give your home the best roof possible.
Contact us for a roof inspection and estimate today to see how much it will cost to install a new roof on your home.
Discover the root cause of ceiling condensation with our expert roofing company. Is it a roof leak or another issue in your home? Get answers now.
A roof inspection is a key part of taking care of your home. Learn what kind of damage roofing contractors look for and how homeowners can avoid roofing scams.
Learn how much it costs to repair a roof leak in 2022, including all the factors that may influence repair cost and what you can do to prevent future leaks.
When should you get a new roof — winter, spring, summer, or fall? Learn from Baltic Roofing about the best time of year to schedule a roof replacement project.