Costs
What Actually Drives the Price of a New Roof
Why two quotes for the same house differ by thousands, and how to compare them properly.
Limited time offer 4 point home inspection or wind mitigation with any new roof See what is includedWhat drives the price of a new roof is the roof's area rather than the house footprint, the material and what it needs underneath it, how many old layers have to come off, and what the decking turns out to be like once it is exposed. A number quoted without seeing the roof is marketing.
We are not going to put a price on this page, because a number written without seeing your roof is marketing rather than information. What is genuinely useful is knowing what moves the number, so that when you have two quotes in front of you, you can see why they differ.
Area, not footprint
A roof is priced on its own surface area, which is not the same as the floor area of the house. A steeper roof has more surface than a shallow one over the same rooms, and it is slower and more dangerous to work on, so pitch shows up twice in the price.
The material, and what it demands underneath
Coverings differ in cost, but they also differ in what they need beneath them. Tile is heavy, so the structure has to carry it. Metal needs particular fasteners, especially near salt water. The covering you choose can change more than the covering line on the quote.
How many layers come off
Tearing off one covering is a day's work and a dumpster. Tearing off two or three is considerably more of both. If nobody has told you how many layers are on your roof, that is an unknown sitting inside your quote.
What the decking turns out to be like
This is the honest unknown in every re-roof. Nobody can see the decking until the covering is off, and soft or rotten sections have to be replaced. A quote that says nothing about this is not cheaper, it is just less complete — ask how replacement decking is charged before you sign, not after it is found.
Everything the roof has to go around
Skylights, chimneys, vents, solar panels, valleys, dormers. Every penetration is a place a roof can leak, so each is detailed and flashed individually. A plain rectangle costs less per square foot than a complicated one, for the same materials.
Getting to it, and getting the old one away
Access affects labor more than people expect — a screened pool cage, a narrow side yard, landscaping that cannot be driven over, a fence line that has to stay put. Disposal is a real cost too, and it scales with those layers coming off.
Code and permits
Current code may require work the old roof did not have, and that is not optional. Permit costs vary by the authority handling your address. Neither is a large share of the total, but both belong on a quote rather than appearing later.
How to compare two quotes properly
Put them side by side and compare scope, not price. Same covering? Same underlayment? Is tear-off included, and for how many layers? What happens if decking needs replacing? Who pulls the permit? Two numbers that differ by thousands are usually two different jobs, and the cheaper one is often the one with the unknowns left out.
Our inspections are no cost and no obligation. If anything in a quote is unclear — ours or anyone else's — ask before you sign. A quote you do not understand is not a quote.
Want this looked at on your own home?
Let our experts look over your property—no cost, no obligation.