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How Much Does a New Roof Cost?


Mar 22, 2023

A roof replacement is undoubtedly one of the biggest home improvements a homeowner can make. To make matters worse, it’s not something you can directly enjoy, unlike a kitchen remodeling or a newly constructed swimming pool. However, we agree that it’s an essential long-term investment geared to keeping your property and family safe.

If you’re planning to replace your roof because it has sustained considerable damage from the weather or is old, you should be aware of how much you should be spending. The roofing industry has changed a lot in the last decades, and the cost of roof replacement today may leave you in shock if you’re not fully prepared.

This article will help you understand the cost of roof replacement today, the ways you can pay for it, and if the rising roofing costs will continue or not.

How Much Will a New Roof Cost You

This year, the national average cost for a new roof is around $7,000, with a minimum cost of $3,240 to a maximum of $30,000. Typical homeowners should expect to pay within the range of $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the scale of the project. 

As for Florida, the average roof replacement cost in the state is $7,211. Most homeowners should expect to pay around $4,700 to $10,000, depending on how large their projects are.

Spending such an amount on your roof may sound impractical at first, but it has its benefits. It will improve your roof’s functionality and the house’s marketability, for starters. If you plan to sell your home, the improved curbside appeal can increase its value.

Roofing demand has increased in the last year, and as a result, the prices went up by around 5% to 10%. What’s worse, numerous states are suffering from long delivery times. For this reason, you should schedule your roofing job in advance to avoid delays in the delivery of  roofing materials .

Factors to Consider When Calculating Roofing Cost

Calculating the cost of a roof replacement involves a lot of factors. 

Location

Roofing costs vary from state to state. The roofing cost in Florida is higher because the establishments there need roofing materials like architectural shingles or 3-tab shingles that can withstand both searing heat and unforgiving hurricanes. 

Indeed, you can’t easily change your location to save money from roofing, but what you can do is ask multiple roofing contractors to find out the cheapest yet most effective roofing possible.

Labor

The average cost of roofing labor is in the range of $1.50 to $3.00. Before diving deeper into this article, you must first understand what a  square  is. A  square  is a common term in roofing used to describe an area covering 100 square feet. 

So if you receive a quote of $150 to $300 per square, that’s equal to $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot. This understanding of roofing squares will help you with the rest of the article.

The average cost per roofing square is subject to change depending on your roof’s size, pitch, and how accessible it is. Labor cost comprises 60% of the total project costs. Several factors can affect it, such as the extent of your roof’s damage, how harsh the working environment would be, and how difficult it would be to remove the existing materials.

Materials

Shingle type choice  or alternate materials has the most significant impact on the increase of overall roofing costs. This choice largely depends on you if you splurge on materials or not. 

Luxury materials have more benefits like longevity and curbside value, but there are other cost-effective materials you can choose from that are equally functional. A luxury copper shingle costs around $25,000 for a 2000 sq ft. home, while basic asphalt shingles will only cost you around $2,500 to cover the same area. 

The further you stray from basic yet functional roofing materials like asphalt shingles, the more the prices will rise.

Roof Accessibility

The roof of a single one-story residential home is far more accessible and easy to work on compared to multi-story apartment complexes. The former will require less effort for the roofers, which means less time to haul in tools and materials like ladders and magnetic sweepers since it’s easier to climb. 

The landscape around the roof will also affect how easy it will be for roofers to access it. Stone walls or foundation shrubs and plants surrounding a home can limit where roofers can place their ladders.

Roof Size, Pitch, and Features

The size of the roof is a significant factor when it comes to calculating the cost of a roof replacement project. Installing a new roof on a 1,000-square-foot house costs around $4,000 to $5,000 on average, while a 3,000-square-foot home can cost anywhere between $11,200 to $11,600. 

Aside from size, the roof’s pitch (steepness) will also add extra costs. Some pitches, like flat roofs, will require extra support structure, while others, like steep roofs, will often require scaffoldings for the roofers to step on.

Additional flashings and cuts for roof features like skylights, chimneys, and dormer windows also incur extra costs. These fixtures will require flashing and caulking, which will inevitably increase the project’s duration and the number of materials used.

Permits

Meeting the local roofing standards is a must for  roofing contractors , and because of that, they have to acquire local permits before they can even start replacing your roof. Town inspectors need any operating contractors to have permits to abide by their roofing rules and regulations. 

Permit costs are non-negotiable, and they vary from area to area. You can either work on the permits yourself or let your roofing contractor pull the permit for you for an extra fee.

Will Roofing Companies Finance?

Roofing companies understand that replacing a roof is expensive. And because of that, they’ve put up payment options such as financing to help any homeowner struggling with their budget or lousy credit. In most cases, the roofing contractor you’re working with knows if the project has reached a certain threshold and will inform you how high the cost will be to finish the roofing job.

Financing is ideal for paying for your roofing project if you don’t have the cash or have  a less than ideal credit score . Roofing companies can help you either by financing through them directly or through a third-party financing company. Since this process is done in-house, it’s far more straightforward than applying other payment methods like home equity or personal loans.

Most people don’t realize that roofing companies that offer financing options to their struggling customers are arguably more reputable than those that don’t. Why? These roofing companies will need to have good relationships with the third-party financing vendors to continue working together. 

If they’ve managed to maintain good standing with these vendors, then it means that they’re trustworthy and genuinely care about their customers.

What Companies Offer Financing?

Most roofing companies do offer to finance. However, not all of them are alike, so you need to know what type of roofing company you’re talking to. 

Roof Simple categorized roofing companies into four different types, mainly:

Small Businesses . These roofing companies are particularly small, and they have low overhead costs. They usually have no service department. They’re composed of 1 to 2 crews and may or may not offer financing, depending on whether they’ve teamed up with a third-party financing company.

Full-Service Roofers.  These companies prioritize service and convenience. They cater to big and small roofing jobs, operate under multiple offices, and serve many areas. They almost always offer to finance.

Sales Roofers.  These types of companies are large. They have many crews and retail roofers, but their service fees are high. Like full-service roofers, they also offer financing most of the time.

Storm Chasers.  This type of roofing company may offer finance, but their expertise is storm damage, so they specialize in insurance claims. 

Understanding the different types of roofing companies will give you an idea of what companies generally offer financing.

How to Pay a Roofing Contractor

Paying for roof replacement or any roofing job can be done differently. The majority of roofing companies offer different modes of payment, and each of these payment methods has its advantages and drawbacks you must be aware of.

Cash or Check

Paying through cash or check is arguably the simplest method to finance a roof. However, not everyone has 100% cash payment for the project on hand. And even if you have that amount of money, there’s a possibility that it’s not your preference anyway. There’s a benefit in paying through cash or check, and you must consider your choices thoroughly.

Many people recommend paying for a roofing contractor in cash because of how seamless the payment process can be. There won’t be any complicated paperwork and no long waiting game for those paper trails to be approved. After paying the deposit, you’ll only need to pay the remaining balance right after the roofers finish replacing your roof.

Keep in mind that deposits are typical when it comes to roofing.  Deposits  assure that you’re committed to the roofing job and that both you, the homeowner, and the contractor are on the same page. 

Without it, there’s no certainty whether or not you’ll bounce right off the agreement, leaving the contractor stressed about the materials and laborers they’ve acquired without having a project to work on in the first place. Such a scenario isn’t common, but it drains the roofing company of many resources that could’ve been used better when it happens.

If you can, you should pay with cash or check when trying to finance a roofing project. Doing so will allow you to avoid any interest in payments.

Credit Card

Another way to pay for your roof replacement is through a credit card. This mode of payment is highly beneficial for you as a homeowner if you have a card that offers generous rewards or incentives. If your credit card offers 0% interest payment for 12 months, you can let the credit card company pay for your entire roofing project and pay them forward throughout the upcoming year.

Credit cards can be slightly unappealing due to high-interest rates like paying by cash. Most people think about the money they’d save over some time. Another disadvantage is the processing fees you’d eventually have to pay. 

Roofing companies tend to let their clients shoulder the transaction fee between them and the credit card companies. These fees can range from 3% to 5%. Once these fees add up, they can significantly increase your tab, especially if your roofing project costs around $10,000.

Don’t let those disadvantages discourage you. Leveraging your credit card is still advantageous, especially if you reap some rewards.

Financing

As we’ve discussed earlier, most roofing companies will offer in-house financing, which is ideal if you currently don’t have the budget to work to pay for the entire roofing project.  Residential roofing  can still be costly, especially if you’re not financially ready for such a hurdle. Financing through the roofing company is better than relying on funding direct-lending. Companies tend to offer good deals to keep their customers and beat their competitors, the other banks, and lenders.

Loans

If you don’t have the cash and don’t see company financing as an ideal way of financing your project, you can try applying for loans instead. Various types of loans can help you replace your roofs, such as personal loans, home equity loans, and government-funded loans.

Personal Loans

Personal loans offer a fixed amount of money that you can use to pay for something, in this case, replacing your roof. It is an unsecured loan based only on how good your credit is without having to pledge any collateral as a security. A personal loan is ideal because you don’t have to put any of your assets on the table, like your home or car, if you can’t pay for it. The only downside with personal loans is that it often has higher interest rates than other loans.

Your interest rates will depend on how good your credit score is, your income, and your creditworthiness, which the lender will determine.

Home Equity Loans

This loan gives you a fixed sum of many based on the amount secured by your home. Like mortgages, you can pay them over a set timeframe. This type of loan is ideal if you’ve built up your home’s equity and if you prefer a more predictable repayment schedule. The interest rate on home equity loans isn’t that high compared to roofing company financing. 

But if you want to apply for a home equity loan, you need to be aware that the lender can foreclose your property if you fail to make payments. Home equity loans are only recommended for homeowners who have excellent credit scores. You should consider financing your roofing project through a home equity loan if that sounds like you.

Government Funded Loans

If personal and home equity loans don’t seem right for you, try your luck with government-insured loans. Homeowners with less than ideal credit are the best candidates for government loans because it requires lower minimum credit scores than the other types of loan demands. You may qualify for these loans through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Residents of Florida looking for ways to make their homes more energy-efficient or rugged against hurricanes can apply for the  Residential PACE Program . This government-sponsored program shoulders 100% of the costs involved in installing the project, including materials, equipment, and labor.

Insurance Claims

Arguably the trickiest loan to pull off, insurance claims can be a great way to pay for a new roof. If the damage to your roof is due to an “act of God” (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc.), you might be eligible for an insurance claim. However, if the damage on your roof is because of “wear and tear,” then insurance companies might disregard your claims and cite the roof’s lack of maintenance or even its age. 

Insurance payouts have progressively worsened over the years. But if you think you are eligible for such a claim and the cause of the damage is evident, like a tree fell on your roof, you should approach your insurance agent. 

When to Pay a Roofing Contractor

Deposits are ideally the best way to start paying for your roofing contractor’s services. The amount of deposit you’re required to pay will largely depend on the scale of the project. 

Paying deposits with cash is easy, but it’s not always the best. As we’ve mentioned earlier, paying through cash is straightforward because you don’t have to worry about stacks of paper trails. However, you may need this paper trail as proof that you’ve paid for your roofing contractor’s services. 

If you don’t have any evidence of payment to show, any cunning or deceitful contractor can easily dismiss your claims. Cash is notoriously difficult to track, and for this reason, it’s recommended that you pay for your project’s deposit through a credit card or check. 

But then again, you won’t have to worry about this problem if you’re confident that you’ve hired the right people to replace your roof.

It’s also important to remember not to pay for the entire project upfront. There are cases where sketchy roofing contractors will immediately ask you for a considerable sum of money, which is a huge red flag. 

They’ll even offer you a discount! Unless they have credible and specific reasons for asking such an amount, never make an unreasonable upfront payment.

Good roofers wouldn’t even ask you to pay for the whole project in one go in the first place. It’s a standard practice for roofing contractors to request a deposit first and then ask for the remaining balance after the job has been completed. 

If they do, then this tests how sound your judgment is. If you decide to pay upfront, do you think they will disappear immediately? And even if they don’t, will your action incentivize them to finish the job correctly and effectively?

Are Roofing Prices Going Up in 2022?

Seasoned professional contractors who have been in the business for a while know how the roofing costs have surged through the years. Many roofing contractors believe that this trend will only continue to rise in the coming years.

An article by  Roofcalc.org  shows how the materials hiked up in price in only a matter of years. According to them, the cost of an EPDM Primer (1 gal) in 2008 was $18 to $20, but now it’s $36. The same goes for the per square price of a metal shingle, which was $250 to $275 back in 2007 but is now $350 to $400.

Roofing costs have increased significantly, but they became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Roofing materials manufacturers were forced to shut down momentarily, which caused a severe shortage in the inventory of roofing supplies. Many contractors believe that the  prices of roofing materials  will not go back to their pre-Covid levels even after the supply catches up with the demand in 2022.

Will Roofing Prices Go Down in 2022?

It’s implausible that the roofing cost will ever go down in the coming years. Roofing is always in demand, and it will stay as it is. Some people even call roofing a recession-proof service because no matter what happens, homeowners will always find a way to repair or replace their roofs to protect their properties. 

The prices of roofing materials won’t scale down either. The supply of roofing materials like lumber and asphalt shingles is at an all-time high, and the demand for roofing services is always high. Homeowners and roofing companies have no choice but to keep up with these changes if they want better roofs and to serve more clients.

Conclusion

The average cost of replacing a roof vastly differs from state to state, but one thing’s for sure: the price of roofing services and materials in the past were starkly different from today. It is good that roofing companies can help homeowners finance their roofing projects through other means. 

But since the roofing costs won’t be going down any time soon, the best step to do now is to get your roof replaced as early as you need it to. It may be a considerable investment, but the benefits and consequences of replacing your roof are tailored to serve you in the long run.  Century Roofing Specialists  can offer assistance through our in-house financing.

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