Roofing costs
What it costs to repair, replace or re-cover a roof, by material and roof size.
Roofing is priced by the square — a hundred square feet of roof surface, not floor area — and the first thing that moves a quote is how many squares the roof actually has. A steep or cut-up roof has more surface than its footprint suggests, and pitch changes the labor twice over: past about 6:12 a crew needs staging rather than boots, and past 9:12 it needs harnesses and a slower pace.
Material is the second lever and a smaller one than most people expect. Asphalt shingle is the floor; metal roughly triples the labor hours because panels are cut and formed on site, and tile and slate are heavier, need battens and a stronger deck, and are laid piece by piece. On an asphalt roof, labor and tear-off are usually most of the bill — which is why the same shingle costs different money in different states.
The third is what the crew finds under the old roof. Soft decking, a failed valley or missing flashing are priced per sheet or per foot after the tear-off, and no estimate written from the ground can include them honestly. A quote that names a price per sheet for decking replacement is a better quote than one that does not mention it.
Roof moss removal cost$0.60 to $1.00per sq ftRemoving roof moss by hand costs $0.60 to $1.00 per square foot, typically $0.80, against $0.15 to $0.60 for a soft wash. Thick moss needs both, and it is worth checking for a leak underneath.
Architectural shingles cost$185 to $300per squareArchitectural shingles cost $185 to $300 per square for the material, typically $230, against $95 to $155 for three-tab. Labor and tear-off are the same for both, which is why three-tab is fading out.
Roof tear-off cost$85 to $200per squareTearing off an asphalt roof costs $85 to $200 per square for each layer removed, typically $130. A second layer costs the same again, and under the code a roof with two layers has to be stripped.
Asphalt shingle roof cost$386 to $749per squareAn asphalt shingle roof costs $386 to $749 per square installed, so a 20 square roof is $8,200 to $15,400. The material is the smaller half of that; labor and tear-off are the rest.
Tile roof cost$800 to $1,900per squareA concrete tile roof costs $800 to $1,900 per square installed. Weight is the first question, not price: tile asks a shingle-built structure to carry three times what it was designed for.
Slate roof cost$1,785 to $4,200per squareA natural slate roof costs $1,785 to $4,200 per square installed. It lasts 75 to 150 years, and the real constraint is finding someone who can lay it rather than the price.
Cedar shake roof cost$935 to $2,050per squareA cedar shake roof costs $935 to $2,050 per square installed. It is the only common roofing material that needs looking after, and the maintenance is the real cost.
Roof inspection cost$150 to $400eachA roof inspection costs $150 to $400. It is the cheapest thing in roofing and the one that most often saves money, because it separates a $700 repair from a $14,000 replacement.
Gutter replacement cost$5 to $14per linear ftReplacing gutters costs $5 to $14 per linear foot, so a typical house is $1,000 to $2,800. Gutters are the cheapest part of the roof and the one most responsible for expensive damage.
Soffit and fascia cost$9 to $30per linear ftReplacing soffit and fascia costs $9 to $30 per linear foot together. They rot because the gutter failed, so replacing them without fixing the gutter means doing it again in five years.