What a roof replacement really costs here
No teaser numbers, no 'starting at.' Here's how roof pricing actually works, with a real example from our own proposals.
Roof pricing has a trust problem, and the industry earned it: teaser per-square rates that triple once someone's on your roof, 'free upgrades' priced in somewhere else, vague lump sums hiding what you're buying. We price the opposite way — every component on its own line — so this guide can be unusually specific about where the money goes.
The five things that set the number
- Size — measured in squares (100 sq ft). More roof, more everything. Note your roof's area is larger than your home's footprint because of pitch and overhangs.
- Pitch and complexity — steep roofs and cut-up rooflines with valleys, dormers, and hips take more time, more safety setup, and more waste.
- Material grade — 3-tab vs architectural vs designer shingle, or the jump to metal; this is the biggest lever you control.
- Decking condition — rotten decking found at tear-off gets replaced per sheet. An honest contractor prices that possibility up front instead of springing it mid-job.
- Accessories and code items — drip edge, ventilation, ice-and-water coverage: individually small, meaningful together, and exactly the lines that vanish inside lump-sum quotes.
A real itemized example
The example proposal published on our homepage is a real format with real line pricing for a modest-size architectural shingle replacement: tear-off, GAF Timberline HDZ shingles, synthetic felt, ice and water shield, starter strip, hip and ridge cap, and dump charge — totaling $8,430 before any optional upgrades like drip edge, ridge venting, or gutters. Larger homes, steeper pitches, and premium materials scale that number up from there; many full replacements in our area land in the low five figures, and complex or metal projects run higher. The honest answer for your roof is a measured, line-by-line number — which is exactly what a free inspection produces.
Why per-square teaser prices mislead
A quoted rate per square tells you nothing until you know what's in it. Does it include tear-off and disposal? Decking allowance? Starter and ridge cap, or are those 'extras'? Code-required ventilation? Two quotes $3,000 apart are usually two different scopes wearing the same units. Line items make scopes comparable; lump sums make them foggy on purpose.
Ways to manage the number
Timing (replacing on your schedule beats replacing after a failure), material selection where it genuinely fits, insurance when damage is storm-related — about half our work is exactly that — and financing: $0-down options through GoodLeap spread the cost without draining savings. What we won't do is manage the number by thinning the system where you can't see it.
Get your real number
A free inspection produces a measured, itemized proposal — every line priced, upgrades your choice, nothing pre-checked.
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Quick answers
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