General Ballpark Figure for a New Roof
April 6, 2023 2:46 PM Subscribe
Have you had your US house reroofed in the last three years or so? Would you mind sharing a general ballpark figure of what it cost?
I just got what I think is an insanely high quote for a new roof. This is a straight up ordinary shingle roof on a 1950s 1300 square foot one story bungalow. The roof is not extremely steep - it is what is called a hip roof. The last time I had a roof done it was in a different state on a house about the same size in 2016. This quote is literally more than three times that much and that seems crazy to me? But then the world is crazy now and maybe I need to recalibrate.
I just got what I think is an insanely high quote for a new roof. This is a straight up ordinary shingle roof on a 1950s 1300 square foot one story bungalow. The roof is not extremely steep - it is what is called a hip roof. The last time I had a roof done it was in a different state on a house about the same size in 2016. This quote is literally more than three times that much and that seems crazy to me? But then the world is crazy now and maybe I need to recalibrate.
My elderly father-in-law was charged an outrageous amount for a new roof. I feel certain that the salesmen got mad commissions on these jobs, when they charge full price. Get multiple offers, and let them know you are shopping around. Insist that they give you proof of insurance before the job starts. Ask for local referrals for jobs they have done.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 2:57 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Midnight Skulker at 2:57 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This quote is literally more than three times that much and that seems crazy to me?
Unfortunately this is not unreasonable, though it will depend on the two locations.
Almost exactly three years ago, we had the previous owners of our house redo the roof prior to closing, I think about 2.5x the square footage you have (including a detached garage). It was 12k including tax.
Things have gone up a lot in three years (we're in the middle of redoing siding/doors/windows).
posted by supercres at 3:05 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately this is not unreasonable, though it will depend on the two locations.
Almost exactly three years ago, we had the previous owners of our house redo the roof prior to closing, I think about 2.5x the square footage you have (including a detached garage). It was 12k including tax.
Things have gone up a lot in three years (we're in the middle of redoing siding/doors/windows).
posted by supercres at 3:05 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Left off the addendum: agree, get multiple estimates. This was pretty hard to do a couple years ago with demand but I think the market has slowed down.
posted by supercres at 3:06 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by supercres at 3:06 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: I live in Chicago in a house of approximately the same size, vintage, and complexity. I got a full tear down and new shingle roof replacement 13 months ago. Just over $14k.
posted by phunniemee at 3:08 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by phunniemee at 3:08 PM on April 6, 2023
Oh and I did have a second quote that was only marginally cheaper but they told me to discuss it with my husband so they did not get my business.
posted by phunniemee at 3:11 PM on April 6, 2023 [24 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 3:11 PM on April 6, 2023 [24 favorites]
Best answer: We just had our roof done in October. This is in Colorado and just about every house in my neighborhood had their roof done after a big hailstorm. Our insurance covered all but the deductible, but it was $19k for the highest quality shingle we could get. Our house is 1920s but roughly the same square footage as yours, single story.
posted by shornco at 3:26 PM on April 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by shornco at 3:26 PM on April 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Last summer, I got three quotes for our 2000 square foot two-story home with a large screened porch. They ranged from just under $9000 to $12,000. The house is in the far north suburbs of Chicago, and the quotes were from three local companies.
posted by DrGail at 3:40 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by DrGail at 3:40 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: $17k a couple summers ago for a full reroof and new gutters, Pacific Northwest, 1,800 SF house. It was right when plywood prices were at their peak but luckily they only needed to replace two sheets.
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:45 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:45 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Full roof done just a month ago, SoCal, about 1500 sq ft. Got estimates from 13-17k. Ended up being 14k with since I had them do some extra flat areas with torch down for an extra 1k
posted by sprezzy at 3:50 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by sprezzy at 3:50 PM on April 6, 2023
full tear down
This is also something to pay attention to with quotes. For an asphalt shingle roof, it’s cheaper to slap another layer of shingles on top, but code generally requires you not do that more than once, maybe twice depending on roof condition and local requirements. A tear off and new shingles will be more expensive (but better) than a nail over.
posted by zamboni at 3:52 PM on April 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
This is also something to pay attention to with quotes. For an asphalt shingle roof, it’s cheaper to slap another layer of shingles on top, but code generally requires you not do that more than once, maybe twice depending on roof condition and local requirements. A tear off and new shingles will be more expensive (but better) than a nail over.
posted by zamboni at 3:52 PM on April 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Small east coast city, 1300 sq foot 2-story house, complete replacement cost about $7000 in 2021. This was the cheapest of 3 quotes.
posted by toastedcheese at 3:54 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by toastedcheese at 3:54 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: I got estimates (4 years ago I guess?) for 5,000 to 27,000 for the exact same roof- lifetime architectural shingles, full tear off on a 2-story roof with multiple dormers. I went with the 7,000 place, seems like it’s going fine.
posted by rockindata at 4:10 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by rockindata at 4:10 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: Lumber, for one thing, is still ridiculously expensive. If the quote included re-sheeting the roof, that may be part of it.
I always get 3 or 4 quotes for jobs like this. Anything unusually high or low is suspicious. It's well outside your requested window, but our house was done about 9 years ago. 1800sf 2-story, remove cedar shakes and skips, re-sheet the entire roof with OSB, 30-year composition shingles. Quotes were $16k, $10k, $8k. We went with the $8k contractor, based largely on personal recommendations, and they were excellent. If they worked in your area, I would heartily recommend Mt. Baker Roofing. They cleaned up so well at the end of each day, you'd never guess they'd been there, and they even went over my entire gravel driveway with a big magnet push broom thing, and I never found a single nail.
posted by xedrik at 4:12 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
I always get 3 or 4 quotes for jobs like this. Anything unusually high or low is suspicious. It's well outside your requested window, but our house was done about 9 years ago. 1800sf 2-story, remove cedar shakes and skips, re-sheet the entire roof with OSB, 30-year composition shingles. Quotes were $16k, $10k, $8k. We went with the $8k contractor, based largely on personal recommendations, and they were excellent. If they worked in your area, I would heartily recommend Mt. Baker Roofing. They cleaned up so well at the end of each day, you'd never guess they'd been there, and they even went over my entire gravel driveway with a big magnet push broom thing, and I never found a single nail.
posted by xedrik at 4:12 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: A neighbor of mine recently got a new roof and gutters in the PNW. It hadn't been done in a long time, so I suspect it was in pretty bad shape. She told me it was costing around $20,000. House is two stories, about 1800SF.
posted by bluedaisy at 4:27 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by bluedaisy at 4:27 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: Did this literally a month ago, in the Seattle area ~2,100 sqft, a bit over $30,000, though I had some mitigating circumstances that made it more expensive than it would likely ordinarily be. I probably could've gone cheaper, and I second the advice to get multiple quotes, which I didn't do for various reasons.
posted by Aleyn at 4:40 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by Aleyn at 4:40 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: Spokane wa. 2 yrs ago 12k for entire mid-quality roof on 1900 sq ft house.
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:57 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:57 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: Almost $30k a year or so ago, complete replacement, not in an expensive area. And that was the low quote. We do have 2 dormer windows and the house is over 100 years old though.
posted by wintersweet at 8:08 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by wintersweet at 8:08 PM on April 6, 2023
Very much emphasising the point about what work they're doing. It might be just slapping shingles on top, removing possibly multiple layers of shingles and slapping fresh on, removing the plywood as well, or even fixing up joists (unlikely this would be in a quote, but theoretically possible).
It does not necessarily mean the next roofer will come to the same determination of what work needs doing, too, so quotes will vary based on which bits they do and which bits they leave alone. Bear that in mind; you could ask for a quote for comparable work, or you could just double check if they feel bits could be skipped and why.
If they are replacing plywood, it is annoyingly expensive compared to what it used to be, but my understanding is the price peaked a while back. If they're only doing shingles and teardown, lumber prices shouldn't come into it.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:37 PM on April 6, 2023
It does not necessarily mean the next roofer will come to the same determination of what work needs doing, too, so quotes will vary based on which bits they do and which bits they leave alone. Bear that in mind; you could ask for a quote for comparable work, or you could just double check if they feel bits could be skipped and why.
If they are replacing plywood, it is annoyingly expensive compared to what it used to be, but my understanding is the price peaked a while back. If they're only doing shingles and teardown, lumber prices shouldn't come into it.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:37 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: Portland, around the same house size (1,200-foot footprint). New roof, including new flashing, but no new sheathing, last month. Cost $23,000.
posted by Just the one swan, actually at 11:13 PM on April 6, 2023
posted by Just the one swan, actually at 11:13 PM on April 6, 2023
mygothlaundry...You’re just asking for costs on simply re-shingling a roof, right?
A lot of folks seem to be giving you costs that include replacing the plywood decking as well, which would definitely send the cost into the stratosphere. Replacing the decking is very rarely done unless there’s obvious severe rot/damage.
A hip roof will be a bit more expensive to re-shingle than a “standard” gabled roof, owing to the four extra “peaks” that have to be covered.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:53 AM on April 7, 2023
A lot of folks seem to be giving you costs that include replacing the plywood decking as well, which would definitely send the cost into the stratosphere. Replacing the decking is very rarely done unless there’s obvious severe rot/damage.
A hip roof will be a bit more expensive to re-shingle than a “standard” gabled roof, owing to the four extra “peaks” that have to be covered.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:53 AM on April 7, 2023
They make tools that remove shingles very easily now, like removing them on an entire roof takes like an hour or two. The clean up literally takes longer. Not only that, the layers below the shingles don't adhere well to things other than plywood.
Any company that just puts new shingles over the old ones is just extremely lazy.
Also, lumber prices are not that high, and if you need so much plywood base replaced where it is a factor, you waited way too long.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:35 AM on April 7, 2023
Any company that just puts new shingles over the old ones is just extremely lazy.
Also, lumber prices are not that high, and if you need so much plywood base replaced where it is a factor, you waited way too long.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:35 AM on April 7, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I will be getting more quotes for sure. The quote I got was for $34,000 which still, after reading this, is way out of line. The roof does not even leak. There are missing shingles and it does need new guttering, but the quotes I'm getting from the guttering companies for a complete job are around $3500. I'm planning to get more quotes and this has really helped me get a handle on what I should be planning to spend. So many good answers! They're all best answers, Brant.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:39 AM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:39 AM on April 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh, and emphasizing this because it happened to a family member who got totally screwed; under no circumstances should you sign anything indicating the work was completed to your satisfaction until that has actually happened. Shady contractors will ask for an up-front payment in full or a large deposit, pressure you to "just sign here to expedite the permits and paperwork" and then take the money and run. Or they'll suggest that if you don't pay 100% up front, well, no telling when we can get to you...
Most roofers won't even ask for a deposit; they'll just put a construction lien on the house, which is fine. And, once you decide on a contractor to use, get their license # and look them up on your state or county's (usually Labor & Industries) website, to verify the status of their license & bonds, and if they've had claims filed against them. Do that before signing anything. Good luck in your search!
posted by xedrik at 10:36 AM on April 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Most roofers won't even ask for a deposit; they'll just put a construction lien on the house, which is fine. And, once you decide on a contractor to use, get their license # and look them up on your state or county's (usually Labor & Industries) website, to verify the status of their license & bonds, and if they've had claims filed against them. Do that before signing anything. Good luck in your search!
posted by xedrik at 10:36 AM on April 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
My full roof was 3 years ago, $16k.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:52 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]