Several factors impact the overall cost of replacing your home’s roof. These factors include home size, pitch of the roof, the roof's complexity, local labor rates, and your preferred roofing materials.
Home Size. Home size accounts for the home’s square footage plus any garage or outbuildings that will get new roofing (which is typically not included in the home’s square footage). Home size also considers the number of levels (stories) the home, which impacts the installers’ safety and accessibility.
Slope and Pitch of Roof. The steepness of your roof will impact the amount of materials needed, and may impact the cost of your installation. The steeper the roof pitch, the higher the cost of your project. The complexity of your roof will also impact the amount of materials needed. Lots of hips, valleys, dormers, etc. will increase the installation cost.
Roof Materials. There are advantages and disadvantages to each roofing material in regard to cost and performance. Asphalt shingles are the most affordable roof material at $1.50 to $5.50 per sq. foot. On an 1,800 sq. ft home, roof replacement costs from $4,286 to $6,429 for three-tab asphalt shingles or $6,543 to $12,672 for architectural asphalt shingles (warrantied to last much longer). Compare that cost to a new metal roof, which can run from $32,394 to $48,592 on the same size home. [based on 2019 data collected across the United States.]
Local Labor Rates. When estimating a price for roof replacement, there will also be regional price differences in materials, labor and other marketing factors.
That’s a lot of information to calculate when exploring your options, however, you can help simplify the estimation process by using the free online Roof Replacement Calculator at Modernize.com. Your estimate will based on data from thousands of residential contractor projects, completed across the United States in 2019. This data was provided by RSMeans data, a cost database used by construction professionals to create budgets; estimate projects; and validate material, equipment, and labor costs. It’s simple and quick to use, basing your estimate on a simple survey of just a few questions about your home (square footage, preferred roofing materials, etc).
