“How much will a roofing replacement cost?” Is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive when meeting with clients. We can’t blame homeowners for their concerns when it comes to their roofing, as it is a major investment in your home, but estimates for roofing replacements for each house are different! While online tools like roofing calculators can be a starting point, they cannot account for key factors that will impact the cost of the new roof.
To better understand what our roofing contractors are looking for when assessing your roof, we have broken down 3 key factors that impact the cost of a new roof.
3 Key Factors Influencing the Cost of a New Roof
Every roof is unique in its own way and requires a professional roofing contractor to conduct a thorough inspection to provide an estimate with your roof’s unique characteristics factored in.
1. Roof Size
The size of your roof is the most influential factor when it comes to the cost of your new roof. With more roofing areas to cover, there is more material that is needed including shingles and underlayment.
Roofing Square Feet Vs. Home Square Feet
Your roofing square feet is different from your home’s square footage! Although your home’s footage can be a start, since most listings details include the home’s footage, it is all a sum of all the living areas. The gross sum can include all the living areas as well as all the levels in a multiple-floor home.
However, when calculating the roofing square footage it includes the area sum of living spaces and others as:
Walkways
Porches
Garages
Overhangs
Front Entries
Homeowners are able to calculate a rough estimate of the roofing area by multiplying the length by the width of all the flat parts. These measurements will need to run edge to edge to calculate an accurate measurement. Once the areas for all the flat sections are calculated, homeowners should then calculate the sum to determine an estimated roofing area.
Roof Slope
Not all roofing lays flat on the house, so it is important to note the slope of your home’s roof.
Roofing slopes are expressed as a ratio or fraction indicating how many inches the roof rises for every 12 inches it runs horizontally.
A rule of thumb is the steeper the slope, the more expensive the roofing project might be. This allows roofers to utilize the specialized equipment that is needed to complete the project.
2. Roofing Materials & Design
After figuring out the roofing square feet, it is important to note the type of roofing shingles or other materials you select will impact the overall cost of your new roofing. However, before selecting materials, you may hear your roofing contractor mention how many ‘roofing squares’ are needed for your roofing project.
Roofing Squares
Roofs are measured in how many squares it will take to complete the project. While homeowners may have calculated a roofing area of 3,300 square feet, 33 squares would be required to complete the project. Roofing squares are 10’ x 10’ square feet covering a 100 area, and your roofer is able to calculate the number of squares needed by dividing the total square-foot area by the area of one roofing square.
Roofing Materials
While knowing how many roofing squares it would take to complete your project can help homeowners estimate a price, the roofing material chosen also is a huge influence on the price.
Based on location or HOA rules, the prices of materials needed can vary.
Depending on the type of shingle you select, your roofer may need to install them a certain way or use specific types of roofing components for your home to be eligible for a warranty period.
Roofing Design & Shape
After knowing the number of roofing squares your project requires and materials you would like to use, you will also need to factor in any design or shape your roof may have. The style of the roof will impact the roofing project as it can have a complex shape roofers need to factor in.
While discussing your roofing shape, they may refer to your home as “cut up,” meaning your roof has a more complex design. This could lead to additional costs if extra materials, tools or labor are needed.
3. Condition of the Existing Roof
Lastly, an important factor to consider is the current condition of your roofing. Depending on the damage your roof has sustained, there might be other damage to the internal structure that will need to be addressed before moving to the external roofing.
If your roofing had heavy damage that allowed water to seep into the underlying wood structure creating a weakened structure, this will need to be repaired before redoing the shingles. Heavy damage will lead to additional labor and material costs.
While we only discussed 3 key factors influencing the cost of a new roof, our experts at Wyben Amarillo Roofing will be able to inspect your roof and give you a FREE estimate!
If you would like a FREE inspection from a professional roofing contractor contact Wyben Amarillo Roofing at (806) 318-2929 or visit https://bit.ly/3n6Ev12.