What Does the Cost of a Roof Depend On?
Replacing a roof is often more of a necessity than a luxury— like when a wind storm damages your roof and you need it fixed right away. These expenses aren’t always planned for (at least not so soon), so cost matters for many homeowners.
When a professional roofing company determines how much your new roof will cost, they take many things into consideration. To get an accurate estimate we need to see the roof in-person before giving you any numbers. We’ll be looking at all the areas discussed below, but there is one factor that you have a say in controlling.
Roof Costs You Can Control
You get to decide which material to put on your roof.
Material costs range quite a bit, from the standard 25 to 30-year shingle to the sturdy 50-year shingle or metal roof. Because of this, the first question we ask homeowners when preparing a quote is, “What kind of life expectancy do you want for your roof?”.
you’re planning on selling the house in a few years, you won’t get your money’s worth if you invest in the 50-year shingle. In this scenario, you can consider the lower cost, shorter lifespan options. Having said this, in particular areas like Lethbridge we recommend at least the standard 25 to 30-year product because of the unique climate here.
If you plan on staying in the home for the rest of your life (or the majority of it), the 50-year shingle is a great option. A more durable roof with hail resistance adds value to your house which should be considered if you plan on selling later in life.
Roof Costs You Can’t Control
Having said this, other factors that go into a roof’s cost can’t be controlled as easily. The size of the roof is undoubtedly important; a larger square footage means a higher cost. For this reason, knowing the average cost of a new roof won’t help us much because it ranges from $5,500 to $12,000 as sizes range quite a bit as well.
But having a smaller square footage doesn’t always mean the cost will be low. Sometimes a house will have two layers of shingles that need to be removed; this means there’s twice the amount of work to do.
Another item that affects cost is the amount of rotten wood beneath your shingles. This is something we check for when assessing a quote so we know how much raw wood will be needed to repair your roof. We aim to be transparent and not find hidden costs throughout a job, but occasionally we see more rot than we detected in the quote which can affect costs. The cost of raw wood does fluctuate so this can affect the quoted cost of a roof, as well.
One last house-dependent factor is the cost of disposing old materials. At C&M Roofing, we practice clean dumping where we separate plastics, metal, aluminum, vents, and more to save money at the dump. Companies that don’t do this will have higher disposal fees. But the type of roofing material we remove from a house affects disposal costs, too. It’s more costly to dispose of shake roofs and tar & gravel roofs because of their weight. For example, the average cost to dispose of a tar & gravel roof is $400 to $450, where for shingles it’s typically lower.
Why Are Roofs So Expensive?
Depending on your idea of “expensive,” the cost of a new roof may surprise you. It’s important to keep in mind that the roof is arguably the most important feature for protecting a house from the elements. Investing in quality materials is almost always the best way to go. But besides the house-dependent costs we mentioned above, there’s more factors that affect the cost of a new roof.
As in most industries, when the cost of raw materials goes up the cost of the final product will have to go up as well. The price of materials is expected to increase by 5% in July 2021.
When you work with a certified company like us, you’re also paying a small amount for the insurance the company carries, like WCB. What you get though, is the experience behind that certified company and their workers. We have several journeymen on staff with plenty of experience behind them.
The best way to find out how much your new roof will cost is to request a free estimate. We’ll look at the current condition of your roof and figure out all the costs that are needed to get your home fully protected from the elements again.
