If you’ve started your roof replacement process, you’ve probably been curious about how much the actual cost of replacing your roof would be.
While researching online, you may find that most roofing companies are reluctant to give exact prices, and for good reason. If a company were to tell you that all their roof replacements cost $10,000, but then after measuring your house, they tell you that yours is going to be $12,000, that would be pretty upsetting!
That's why it’s really hard to find companies talking about prices online, and you should be wary of anyone who does give you an exact price without inspecting and measuring your roof first.
Here at On Tops Roofing, we want to provide you as much information as possible so you can make the best roofing decision for your home.
In this blog, we’ll give you three different price ranges for asphalt roofs, and break down some of the factors that alter the cost of a new roof.
Let’s get started!
In order to at least somewhat accurately break down the costs of an asphalt roof replacement, we have to discuss how wide of a range these roof replacements are.
As you probably are aware, not every house is the same. There are tiny homes out there that aren’t much bigger than an apartment or condo, and there are also mansions that have over 5,000 square feet of roof to replace. Naturally, the prices of the roof replacements also vary drastically depending on the size, and complexity, of the roof itself.
The shingles that you choose for your replacement are also a huge part of the asphalt roof replacement price. We’ll talk more in detail about the different factors that go into the costs of a roof replacement later, but since we’re going into why the price range is so large, we have to talk about shingle selection here as well.
For asphalt roofs, there are three major categories of shingle options that are all at different price points: three-tab shingles, architectural shingles, and luxury shingles.
Also, for the price comparisons in this article, we are going to be using homes of 1,800 square feet, the average size of North Carolina homes, according to data gathered by Bob Vila. Using the roof measurement method that we've talked about in our blog on how to calculate the size of your roof, the “average” roof in question comes out to 2,023 square feet, or 20.23 roofing squares. (“Squares” are a fancy way of saying 100 square feet, and are used to simplify roof measurements so that roofers can calculate the materials necessary for the job.)
In the past, three-tab shingles were the most widely used type of asphalt shingle, because of their low cost and ease of installation. They’re still very common today, but have begun to be phased out in favor of architectural shingles, as the price gap between them is no longer nearly as large as it used to be.
But that being said, using three-tab shingles still makes a roof replacement less expensive than using architectural shingles.
Right now, three-tab asphalt shingles will likely run you around $90 per square before tax, leading to the total shingle cost for our average roof example to be around $1,800, before factoring in overages for waste and warranties.
That being said, there are plenty of other costs that need to be accounted for. Specifically, labor, disposal, and other supplies like flashing and underlayment. Once all of that is factored in, you can probably expect to pay a rough estimate of $7,500-$8,500 for a three-tab shingle roof replacement.
Most roof replacements these days use architectural shingles, which are a little bit more expensive, but almost twice as durable as their three-tab shingle counterparts. Architectural shingles are a two-ply shingle that use that layer to increase their lifespan, and have a more textured, visually-appealing look.
If you’re looking for the cost per square, you can usually get architectural shingles at around $105 per square, and $2,200 for our example roof. Same as with the three-tabs above, that price does not include the costs for labor, disposal, overhead, or other materials. Most of the architectural shingle roof replacements that we do end up costing between $9,000 and $14,000. Our example house would be on the smaller end of that range, likely between $9,000 and $10,000.
On the higher end of things, we have luxury shingles, which are heavier, three-ply shingles designed to look like a far more expensive slate, ceramic, or wood shake roof. These luxury shingles should last a little bit longer than architectural shingles, but it’s not the same increase that you’d see moving up from a three-tab.
Luxury shingles see a pretty large jump in price, with some getting up to around $180 per square making our shingle cost $3780. That’s not a number to scoff at, especially when viewed in comparison with the other shingles. Typically, these shingles are used on much larger properties and buildings, but for our exercise, you could see prices between $12,000 and $14,000 for the example house we gave at the beginning of this article.
We talked a little bit about this earlier, but the size of your roof is the next biggest factor in determining how much your new asphalt roof will cost.
It’s not too difficult to figure out why a bigger roof costs more, as a larger area will need more materials to cover it, and requires more time and labor to replace.
The complexity of a roof refers to the number of penetrations, valleys, as well as the slope of the roof. Around and at each of these areas, the roofing crew will need to cut the shingles to fit the right space, and add special flashing to prevent leaks from forming. All of that will add more material to the project, and of course, more cost.
Another important factor in the replacement cost is the contractor you hire. High quality contractors are going to use better materials, better trained crews, and will make sure they follow all the correct instructions from the roofing manufacturer. Because of that investment in the right materials and crews, those contractors are going to charge a little more than someone who might be reusing old materials, or not be quite as experienced.
When old materials are used, even if they seem in alright shape, they won’t fit together with new materials, leaving you with weak points in your roof that won’t hold up the same way. The same thing happens when someone doesn’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing a roof.
When you’re searching for a roofing contractor, use these five questions to vet them, so that you know you’re working with someone experienced, and capable of following through on their promises.
If you’re interested in learning more about getting a new asphalt shingle roof for your home, you should talk with a roofing company, and have your roof inspected! That’s the only way that you can get a truly accurate estimate for your home.
If you live in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, reach out to On Tops Roofing using the “Contact Us” button below! We’ve been replacing and repairing asphalt shingle roofs in the Triangle since 1991, and with over 15,000 roofs under our belt, we’ve got the experience that you need in a roofing contractor! Whatever your roofing project requires, we’ll be happy to help!