Residential Roofing

How to calculate the cost of a new roof

How to calculate the cost of a new roof

Roofs are essential for the safety of every person in your home. Your shelter is incomplete if it lacks a roof. A properly functioning roof is crucial for a good habitable house. An old roof that’s damaged beyond repair often needs replacing with a new one. In the US, the average cost of a new roof is $6,600. However, calculating the cost of a new roof is a different ball altogether. Determining the exact cost of a new roof depends on several factors.

Residential Roofing

Factors affecting the cost

The factors that you must use when calculating the cost of a new roof include:

  • Roof size
  • Pitch
  • Application type
  • Materials
  • Number of layers
  • Your location
  • Building codes that apply on your roof

Additional Features

Furthermore, the cost of the new roof depends on the presence of skylights as well as chimneys and plumbing pipes. Any feature on the roof or building that can affect the installation process is not worth ignoring when calculating the cost of the new roof. If the additional features complicate the installation of a new house, expect the cost of the new roof to be higher. If the roof doesn’t have additional features, the cost of installation tends to be lower.

Labor

You can’t discount labor when calculating the cost of installing a new roof. Unless the contractor volunteers to work for no pay, the cost of hiring his services to install the roof determines the amount that you eventually pay. Some contractors charge affordable rates while others are renowned for the high labor costs that they add on to any roof installation quotation. If you can afford the rates, go ahead and hire the contractor.

Type and Quality of Shingles

The type and quality of the shingles that you wish to form part of the new roof are worth considering when calculating these costs. Shingles are popular all over the United States. It would be strange to omit them when preparing a budget for the new roof. Shingles are made from different materials that include metal, wood, slate, clay and asphalt. Each type of shingle has a different price tag.

Replacing gutters and flashing

If installing a new roof involves replacing the gutter and flashing, you should expect to pay more for the work. Never install new roof without evaluating the gutters and flashing. Corrosion and the effects of wear and tear are renowned for damaging roofs. A rusty or cracked flashing needs replacing. A flashing that contains high amounts of sealant also require replacing, thus the need for their inclusion when calculating the cost of the new roof.

The calculations are hard to make, but this doesn’t mean that you should never try it. You can calculate with the help of the roofing installer. Ask for a breakdown of the costs of installing the roof from several contractors. The information that you get would be useful in helping you calculate properly and as accurately as possible. More importantly, use this guideline to know how to calculate the cost.

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