What Factors Affect the Cost of a New Roof?

The cost of a roof replacement can’t easily be summed up with a one-size-fits-all online roofing calculator. Every home is unique. The neighborhood you live in, climate, local building codes, permit requirements, the size of the lot, the design of the home, the number of roof penetrations (chimneys, vents, etc.), length of the driveway, fencing and landscaping — all these variables will factor in the cost of a new roof.

Time and Manpower

Time is money. That adage still rings true. The amount of time and labor it will take to replace your roof will be a significant portion of the overall cost. At Classic Roofing & Construction, most of our replacement jobs are performed over one to three days in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater and Fort Myers, Florida. The variables depend on the size of the structure, the number of craftsmen needed for a specific project, accessibility to the home or commercial structure, and local weather.

With 20 years of experience, the team at Classic Roofing & Construction knows exactly how many highly skilled and trained team members to provide for each of our roofing projects. Roofing is one of the more difficult trades in homebuilding. Provide too many craftsmen, and they will be tripping over each other. Provide too few and the project takes too long, and craftsmen can be overworked. Fatigued craftsmen can get hurt on the job or make mistakes. The goal is to pinpoint the exact sweet spot to get the roofing project done quickly and efficiently while keeping highly trained team members safe.

One of the toughest parts of any roofing job has always been the tear-offs and cleanup. When comparing roofing contractors, ask what tools are employed for tear-offs. At Classic, our craftsmen use Shingle Eaters, which make quick work of asphalt roofs. We can tear off an entire roof of an average-sized home, including shingles, nails and underlayment, in a matter of hours, which saves clients money. This is true even if we are tearing off two roofs, where the current roof was installed over a past roof.

Roofing Materials

The size of your home’s roof will directly impact its replacement cost. The more square footage of your roof, the more building materials you will need to protect a home from Mother Nature’s wrath. These building materials can include:

• A leak barrier, which helps prevent leaks caused by wind-driven rain.
• Roof deck protection, which shields the roof deck from moisture infiltration.
• Starter strip shingles guard against single blow-offs during weather events, such as the recent Hurricane Ian.
• Lifetime shingles to protect your home for years to come, while adding curb appeal.
• Cobra attic ventilation to help reduce attic moisture and heat, adding years to your roof’s performance while saving on A/C costs during Florida’s hot summer months.
• Ridge cap shingles are the finishing touch that helps defend against leaks at the hips and ridges. (Install any GAF Lifetime Shingles and at least three qualifying GAF accessories and you automatically get a
• Lifetime Limited warranty on your shingles and all qualifying GAF accessories. Plus, a non-prorated coverage for the first 10 years.)
• Roof flashing, which is a thin metal material that the team at Classic Roofing & Construction installs to direct water away from walls, chimneys, and roof valleys.
• Drip edge, which is an angled flashing that redirects water from the fascia into the gutters and downspouts.
• Gutters and downspouts. Sometimes your current gutters can remain on the home. However, if they have been damaged by storms or another weather event, it may be time to replace them.

To accurately determine costs, your roof should be assessed with a combination of satellite imagery, the use of state-of-the-art drones and in-person analysis by an expert.

Premium Roofing Products

If you plan on staying in your current home for a long time to come, you may want to upgrade to a premium roofing product. This can include clay tiles, standing seam metal roof, metal tiles, slate or concrete tiles. Bear in mind that these premium roofing products will quickly impact your budget. Premium products cost a premium. They can triple or quadruple what it would cost for an asphalt roofing product.

Size and Complexity

Obviously, the square footage of your roof will impact costs. But complexity is also a factor. How many hips, valleys and the steepness or pitch will also increase costs. It takes a lot longer to install materials on complicated roof systems, and sometimes requires more safety equipment.

A tall building will also affect costs. The higher the roof, the more safety precautions craftsmen must employ. For their own safety, installers must move slower and with more caution, taking more time to complete the job.

Accessibility

Ideally, Classic Roofing & Construction can deliver a 15 to 20 cubic foot roll-off dumpster to handle 20 to 40 squares or 2,000 to 4,000 square feet of debris to your driveway next to your home. Then our craftsmen can make quick work of your roof’s shingles, nails and underlayment with Shingle Eaters. Our team can then drop materials efficiently into the dumpster. However, if accessibility is impinged by fencing, landscaping or other obstacles, then this will require more labor and time, which will increase costs.

Roof Penetrations

A roof penetration is anything poking out of your roof. This can include plumbing vents, bathroom vents, chimneys, skylights or solar tubes. The more penetrations your roof has, the more it will cost in labor to ensure they are sealed correctly. Smaller pipes or vents don’t add much to the final cost. However, larger-sized penetrations, such as chimneys and skylights, can require more labor to install flashing and sealants, so they can add more to the cost of your roofing project.

Roof Decking Repair

Roof decking is the building material that is installed over joists and trusses. It’s usually OSB (oriented strand board) or plywood. The roof deck is where all roofing materials are installed to protect your home from the elements. Once all the roofing material is removed, rotted or damaged decking from leaks will have to be replaced to ensure your home is protected. This labor and time will increase the cost of the project.

Disposal Fees

Disposal fees for the debris from the old roof are a significant portion of the overall budget, costing thousands of dollars. This cost comes as standard when disposing of the debris from the removal of the old roof. Because of this, the disposal fees and the labor associated with it will impact the cost of your new roof. These disposal fees are also increasing each year.

Recycling Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles take more than 300 years to decompose, often polluting the groundwater in the process with a variety of petroleum byproducts. An average of 11 million tons of shingle waste ends up in landfills each year in the United States alone. The good news is there are an increasing number of asphalt recycling facilities around the U.S.

These recycling facilities are paving the way, quite literally, as asphalt shingles are repurposed into asphalt roadways. How to find one? Visit ShingleRecycling.org or earth911, or call 1.800.cleanup. These portals provide databases of recycling facilities nationwide.

Once you have found locations near you, research each one for the types of services they offer and the prices they charge. You may be able to find a facility that will arrange shipping for your dumpster(s), instead of you having to pay for shipping. The cost of recycling is typically less than the costs for disposal, but sometimes it may be a wash. But recycling is great for Mother Earth, and you can sleep easier as a result.

Once shingles are recycled, they start a new life in a variety of uses. The most common use is hot mix asphalt pavement or HMA. One average-sized home has enough shingles to cover a two-lane highway for up to 200 feet. Other uses are roofing, ground or road cover, or fuel oil to heat homes and businesses. The material is also used to repair potholes, driveways, sidewalks and more.

Operating Expenses

Every roofing contractor has operating expenses that are fixed and constant. These operating expenses are distributed over each project the contractor agrees to take on. Common operating expenses include:

• Advertising and promotions.
• Vehicles, including fuel, insurance and maintenance.
• Cost for place of business.
• Licenses and bonds.
• General liability insurance.
• Workers’ compensation insurance.
• Training.
• Taxes, both federal and state.
• Communications, including landlines and cell phones.
• Technology like computers, Ipads, tablets and printers.

No matter the size of the roofing repair or replacement, these overhead expenses will be factored into every estimate. Moreover, they have to be factored in to keep the business prosperous and able to provide any help with warranty work should your home’s roof be damaged by a weather event.

Classic Roofing & Construction provides free estimates and easy financing, using our in-house team of craftsmen. Call us at 727-329-8023 in Tampa or 239-932-5225 in Fort Myers, or schedule a free estimate.