When it comes to how much a new roof will cost there are a handful of variables you’ll need to consider. Things that will impact the cost of your roofing project are; code upgrades, shingle type, the size and complexity of your roof, and access. We’re going to be looking at the out of pocket price for roofs so, if you have insurance covering your roof keep in mind that your out of pocket price will look different as insurance should cover the bulk of these costs.
What is the Average Cost to Replace an Asphalt Roof?
You’re here to find out how much a new roof costs, so let’s start with that. Asphalt is the most common roof shingle used in Colorado as it’s fairly affordable and simple to install. A new asphalt roof will generally run you about $7,000-$15,000. Again, this depends heavily on the type of asphalt shingles you use, the size and complexity of your roof, and any code upgrades. What if your roof isn’t asphalt or you’re looking for something more high end?
What is the Average Cost of a New Tile or Steel Roof?
If you’re considering a more durable shingle than asphalt you’re likely looking into a concrete tile, stone coated steel, or composite tile roof. We’ll get into what the difference is between each of these products in a later article so for now let’s just look at the average cost. To install a new concrete tile, stone coated steel, or composite tile roof, you’ll be looking at spending about $15,000-$60,000. That’s a decent chunk of change but keep in mind, stone coated steel and composite tile are two of the most hail resistant shingles you can put on your house so it’s more of a long term investment. Especially considering how many hail storms we see here in Colorado!
What’s the Best Shingle for Your Home?
There are plenty of shingle options out there within a variety of price points. As we’ve already mentioned, asphalt shingles tend to be the most affordable option making them easily accessible for homeowners here in Colorado. GAF, Owens Corning, and Malarkey are some of the most popular shingle manufacturers here in Colorado. Each offers a wide range of products from economy to designer shingles. If you are looking for a tile or stone coated steel shingle you should explore DECRA and Davinci.
How Size Impacts Price When it Comes to Roofing
This concept is fairly straightforward; the larger your home, the larger your roof typically is. Roofs are measured in squares. A roof square is 10×10 feet or 100 sq feet. So, if you have an eight square roof, you are looking at tearing off and replacing 800 square feet of material. As the size of your roof increases you will need more materials and labor to get the job done which results in a more expensive roof. Another factor to consider, is the slope of your roof, or the incline. Put simply, this is how steep your roof is. The steeper your roof, the harder it will be to work on and install your new roof which can result in a price increase.
The final thing to keep in mind when it comes to the size of your roof is the number of facets on your roof. A facet is a single section or plane of a multi-sectioned roof. Basically, the more facets your roof has, the more complex your roof is. This adds to materials and labor which will result in a more expensive final product.
How Access Issues Impact the Cost of Your Roof
The availability of access to your roof, or lack thereof, can have a huge impact on how much it costs to replace your roof. For most roofs you want to make sure there is access from the driveway to load the shingles directly on to the roof and ensure there is space for a trailer so the “tear off” material can be thrown directly into the trailer. If for some reason there are access issues it means this must be done by hand. So, if you’re tearing off a roof and you don’t have a trailer available, all of that material then needs to be hand carried to the trailer. The same is true if the shingles are not able to be loaded directly onto the roof, those must be hand moved from the ground to the roof. As you can imagine, this causes a steep increase in the cost of labor especially if you’re dealing with a heavier shingle.
What Other Fees Should I Look Out for with a Roofing Project?
Sometimes you don’t know something is needed until you start taking something apart. This can be incredibly true when it comes to roofing. As your roof is being torn off your roofer may notice that your roof is not up to code. Each area has its own roof code that is enforced by the city. Things like needing Ice and Water or the type of ventilation required for your roof can impact the final cost of your roofing project.
If you have an older home there’s another code issue you should be aware. In most areas you can only have a maximum of 3 layers of asphalt shingles on your roof. This is an issue for older homes where instead of
tearing off the roof, the roofer just added a layer of shingles over-top. If you have two or three layers of shingles on your home then that will increase the amount of material that will need to be removed from the roof adding to your labor cost.
So….How Much Does a New Roof Cost?
As you can see, there’s no one size fits all answer when it comes to the cost of a roofing project. On average, you’re looking at $7,000-$60,000 depending on several different factors. This is just an average cost though so keep in mind that your roof may cost less or more than this. We recommend getting an honest estimate from a roofing contractor you trust to see what your specific roof would run in order to best plan for this project. Hail season is upon us here in Colorado so if you have any other roofing questions please reach out to us online or over on Facebook!
