How the price is worked out
- The footprint is the house's length times its width at the outside walls, the ground floor only: a 50 by 30 foot house is 1,500 sq ft. A two-story house's roof covers its ground floor, not both floors.
- The price per square foot comes from the cost guides: each roof priced the way a contractor's estimate is priced, in every area of the country, with the contractor's overhead and profit (20%) and the state's average sales tax inside.
- The range is the footprint times the low and the high price per square foot, rounded down and up to round dollars. Pick a state for its own range.
The roof the prices are for
Shingle and metal roofs are priced on a plain gable roof at a 6/12 pitch with 12 inch overhangs and 10% waste, per square foot of the house's footprint. Flat roofs are priced per square foot of roof, taken here as the footprint.
- Architectural shingles: architectural shingles with felt, drip edge, starter, ridge cap and pipe flashings, the old roof torn off.
- 3-tab shingles: 3-tab shingles with felt, drip edge, starter, ridge cap and pipe flashings, the old roof torn off.
- Ribbed steel panels: ribbed 26 gauge steel panels with synthetic underlayment, trim, ridge cap, closures and pipe flashings, the old shingles torn off.
- TPO (flat roof): a 60 mil TPO membrane, fully adhered, the old roof torn off.
- EPDM (flat roof): a 60 mil EPDM membrane, fully adhered, the old rubber roof torn off.
- Modified bitumen (flat roof): modified bitumen roofing, the old roof torn off.
Not included: replacing rotten decking, an ice barrier where the code calls for one, roof vents, step and chimney flashing, a second layer to tear off, gutters, and permits. A steeper pitch, hips, valleys and dormers add area and labor; the roofing calculator works out the squares for your own roof, and the roof replacement cost guide prices houses by size.
Common questions
How much does a new roof cost for a 2,000 sq ft house?
Type the ground floor's length and width. A one-story 50 by 40 foot house is 2,000 sq ft; a two-story house with 2,000 sq ft of living space has a footprint of about half that.
Why is metal so much more than shingles?
Steel panels, their trim and closures cost more to buy and to put on than shingles, as the prices show. The metal roof cost guide has it by house size and state.
Does insurance pay for a new roof?
For damage the policy covers, such as hail or wind under a policy with that coverage, the insurer pays for it, less the deductible. The hail damage guide covers the claim.