How much does it cost to re-roof a house? Yeah, I know it varys by size, and maybe by how many peaks are in the roof, but I have talked to quite a few people over the years with houses very similar to mine, and they paid anywhere from $2000 to $14,000. Why such a variance?
I also know that it is cheaper to just put more shingles on top of the old ones - is that ok? Seems like that would be better since you have both the old ones and the new ones to keep out the weather-double protection!
How much did YOU pay for your roof?
What kind of estimates did you get when you had it done? Did you get a big range in price estimates, or were all the estimates all about the same?
I just had mine done last month. My house is about 4400 sq ft on two floors under one long roof. (think rectangle 30x70’ or so) The roof does not have a very steep pitch but does have deep eaves. 36 to 40 inches or so. Anyway, a big roof. I got estimates for a 30yr roof from $4500 to $7500. 20 yr roof is less (not a lot) and 40 and 50 yr roofs are more. I had a shake roof that the contractor completely removed and hauled away. New paper put down and composite shingles installed. All new metal and vents also. I opted for the $4500 guy not primarily because of the cost but because he was the most professional. I got a written estimate, a time of completion contingent on the weather and am very satisfied with the job. He had great references too. Prices are probably influenced by the season and the geographic location.
Thanks!! (I wont need a 50 year roof, Ill let my heirs worry about that). Sounds like you got a very good price, esp after hearing others paying over $10,000 for a house much smaller than yours.
It’s not better to shingle over your old shingles, but the rule of thumb is that you can do it once. Better to tear off the old roof and reshingle, mainly so that they can find and repair any bad wood underneath the shingles. A good roof job will include tear off the old roof, clean up the mess, replace any bad wood and replace any soffit damage underneath, repaper the wood, reshingle. Pay attention to flashing work around chimneys and any other protuberance from the roof, as bad flashing can cause your roof to leak.
Another component of the price is the quality of the shingles. Of course slate roofs are much, much more expensive than tar-based shingles (the kind most people have). My folks have ceramic tile roof (think Florida) that is going to cost a small fortune to replace sometime in the future. But it lasts a long time as long as the climate is mild and no one is walking on them.
Aside to bird: that’s a dang big house you got there.
How long does a roof “last” if you just cover the old shingles? I can see the roof from the inside of the attic,and all of the wood looks good from this side.
My city has a law on how many layers of shingles you can have. Most cities do have such a law. Also, my city has a historical house law, so we have to get permission from them, aka, a permit, to reroof some houses.
I paid $90 to do mine. I only did half of it, but I did it myself. The shingles have instructions on them on how to do it.
Another danger of reroofing over old shingles (besides not spotting plywood problems underneath) is that shingles are heavy, and your rafters or trusses aren’t built to take the extra weight. You’re almost always fine with two layers, but a third layer can put a hell of a strain on the roof structure. Add a nice snowfall to it, and you could find your roof in the middle of your living room.
If you opt to do half the job, have the labor do the tear off. Good gawd, a tear off is the most brutal, back breaking, hot, sweaty, dirty, and dangerous job I ever was a sucker enough to volunteer for.
That’s why you’ll most often see Mexican subcontractors doing the tear off for the roofers. Nobody is willing to do it for the pay anymore.
Actually, Early Out, you put two rows of shingles on the bottom row & the side row but not the middle. So with 9 shingles on the bottom row, it would have been reroofed at least 4 times.
Our house has bad pine shakes on it, and they will have to be replaced within the next 5 years, despite only being 5 years old. The proper replacement for them is cedar shakes, but it’s also possible to remove them and replace them with asphalt shingles (if we can get permission from the zoning board).
The house is about 1600 Square feet in roof area. The cost for shingles is about $4500. Cedar shakes are about $15,000.
Ours was re-roofed in 2001. They tore off all the old shingles, the paper underneath, and even replaced some of the decking. $7000 for a L-shaped ranch.
That’s true, but even 4 reroofings without a tear-off would probably make the blood drain from the face of a home inspector. Unless your roof trusses are made of steel, that’s too much weight. If you lived in snow country (I gather from your location that you don’t), it would be really scary!
My house is in Memphis, TN - It is about 2700 sq ft on 1 level.
It requires low-slope roofing techniques. I had estimates from $6000. (part-time roofer) to $11000. (From “Home Depot”).
I paid $7300. + a few hundred in replacing roof boards. This included the tear off and clean-up. Replacement shigles were the Owens-Corning 30 year "architecthural (missp.) shingles.
Like someone else - I went with a guy with a good reputation, written contract etc.
I will say this - I don’t think you can beat the “Home Depot” guarantee - but you sure pay for it.
My house is in Memphis, TN - It is about 2700 sq ft on 1 level.
It requires low-slope roofing techniques. I had estimates from $6000. (part-time roofer) to $11000. (From “Home Depot”).
I paid $7300. + a few hundred in replacing roof boards. This included the tear off and clean-up. Replacement shigles were the Owens-Corning 30 year "architecthural (missp.) shingles.
Like someone else - I went with a guy with a good reputation, written contract etc.
I will say this - I don’t think you can beat the “Home Depot” guarantee - but you sure pay for it.
Late 2001. New steel roof with 18 inch spacers and hand molded couplings. Covering a steep pitch upstairs and a shallow pitch over the wraparound porch. Black coating and guaranteed for 30 years.
An independant fellow in the off season. Inluded removing crummy cedar shakes.
He said it was much less because the roof under the shakes was solid plywood. Normally, shakes are placed on slats, which allow better drying after rain. Asphalt is placed on solid plywood.