How Much Does a Roof Replacement Cost?
Roofing is priced by the square, and the shingle is almost never why two quotes differ. Here is what actually drives the number, how long the work takes, and how the payments should be structured.
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How roofing is actually priced
Roofing is quoted by the square, which is 100 square feet of roof surface. A typical single-family house runs somewhere between 15 and 30 squares.
Note that this is roof area, not house footprint. A steep roof has considerably more surface than the floor plan beneath it, which is why two houses of identical square footage can carry very different roofing quotes.
What drives the number
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Squares | The base of every quote |
| Pitch | A steep roof cannot be walked safely. More time, more equipment, higher labour |
| Layers to remove | Two layers is roughly double the tear-off and disposal of one |
| Decking condition | Unknown until the old roof is off. Should be quoted as a per-sheet price, not left open |
| Material | Three-tab asphalt is cheapest, architectural shingle is the common mid-range, metal and tile cost multiples of both |
| Complexity | Valleys, dormers, skylights, chimneys. Every penetration is labour and a potential leak point |
| Access | Two storeys, tight lot, nowhere for the dumpster |
Why two quotes differ by thousands
Almost never the shingle. Nearly always one of these.
- Different decking allowance. One quote assumes no rot, the other builds in ten sheets. The cheaper one becomes the more expensive one on day two.
- Flashing reused versus replaced. Reusing it saves a few hundred dollars and is the leading cause of future leaks.
- Underlayment. Felt versus synthetic is a real difference in a wind-driven-rain climate.
- Ventilation work included or not.
- Permit pulled or not.
- Labour warranty length — one year against ten is a different product.
Get every quote itemised by line. Two itemised quotes can be compared. Two lump sums cannot, and the cheaper lump sum is very often the smaller job rather than the better price.
How long it takes
Most single-family replacements are one to three days of actual work. A straightforward 20-square roof with one layer to remove is often a single long day. Add a second layer, a steep pitch, significant decking replacement or complex penetrations and it stretches to two or three.
What extends it beyond that is weather and decking surprises. A crew will not leave a roof open overnight in a storm forecast, and rotten decking found at 10am becomes a supply run before work continues.
Plan for noise, not for disruption. You can live in the house. It is genuinely loud, things fall from the ceiling in the attic, and you should move anything fragile off shelves and out of the garage the night before.
Paying for it
- A deposit is normal; paying in full up front is not. A reasonable structure is a deposit at scheduling, a payment on material delivery, and the balance on completion and inspection.
- If insurance is paying, the insurer typically releases funds in two parts — actual cash value first, then the recoverable depreciation once the work is completed and documented.
- Never pay the final balance before you have walked it and the permit inspection has passed.