What affects the cost of your roof?

Sometimes we get contacted by a potential customer who wants to know how much it would cost to get their roof replaced, and they state they just want a “simple answer.” This is understandable, since so many things in life that we buy can be simply purchased by grabbing it off a shelf with a specific price tag attached. But getting your roof replaced is a far more complicated process, and requires more information before we can quote you a price.

To help you understand this, we’d like to go over what factors go into an estimate for your roof replacement.

Roof size   

Perhaps the most obvious point is sizing. This determines how much material will need to go into your new roof. Roofs are priced by 10 ft square sections, therefore as an example if you have a roof that is 3,000 square feet your roof would be 30 square. Upon receiving your square footage, we'll factor in an additional allowance to accommodate any shingles that may be discarded during the roof installation process. The amount of wasted material varies depending on the complexity of your roof's layout. In general, roofs with multiple angles or sections tend to generate more waste, whereas simpler designs result in less waste. Typically, roof waste ranges from 10% to 25%.

Layers of shingles   

When installing a new roof, you can sometimes layer new shingles over the old ones. This can reduce the one time cost of the roof installation because the shingles won’t have to be removed, but if it’s already been done on a previous install, the cost will go up because both layers of shingles will need removed. Building code in the Greater Cincinnati area requires that you cannot have more than two layers of shingles on your roof.

 

Roof pitch   

The cost of your roof can vary depending on the pitch of your roof. This measures the rate at which your roof angle drops. For example, a roof with a 3/12 pitch will drop 3 inches for every 12 inches it progresses horizontally. A steeper pitch can be more difficult to work with, and may affect the price of your roof.

 

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Roof Elevation   

If there are portions of the roof that are on a severe slope, hard to get to, or are more than two stories, it can affect the labor requirements, and thus the price of your roof.

 

Roof Decking Condition   

The decking is the wooden portion of your home that the roof is installed on. If the decking is damaged, it will need to be replaced. When there are areas where water has crept in and compromised your decking, we remove the decking and replace it as needed at $50 per sheet of plywood used.

 

Underlayment   

Underlayment serves as a protective barrier against water and is positioned above the decking and beneath the shingles. Essentially, there are two main categories of underlayment: tar paper, which comes in two sizes (15 lb felt and 30 lb felt) and synthetic. Synthetic is more slightly more expensive, but increases the likelihood that water won’t creep into your home.

 

Flashing   

Flashing, a metallic material, acts as a barrier to prevent water infiltration at the intersections of a roof with other surfaces such as walls, chimneys, or windows. Typically, we replace flashing as necessary once the shingles are removed. However, some customers opt to replace all of the flashing during the roof replacement process.

 

Venting   

Venting in your roof prevents moisture buildup, which can damage your decking. During roof replacement, it's our standard practice to upgrade all existing ventilation systems. In the rare event of excessive moisture accumulation in the attic, we may consider modifying the current ventilation setup on your property. However, such circumstances are infrequent.

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Warranties

We offer two different types of warranties to provide you with choices to fit your needs. The first is our “NH Elite Warranty.” This is a transferable 50-year shingle manufacturers warranty as well as a 50-year workmanship warranty. The second is our “NH Standard Warranty.” It comes with a 10- year shingle manufacturers warranty as well as a 10-year workmanship warranty.

 

While other factors may be included in the cost of your roof, we hope this gives you an idea of how much will go into your final price. When we give you an estimate, our trusted staff with review all of the factors with you and what they mean. For more personalized information for your roof, give us a call today!

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