Cost for a new Shingle Roof
How Much Does it Cost for a New Roof?
The cost for a new asphalt roof in Minneapolis ranges from roughly $325 to $600 per square. A square is a roofing term for an area equal to 100 square feet. Most roofs in the Twin Cities fall into the range of 20 to 100 square. I know, doing the math on the two figures presented so far means that your new asphalt roof costs somewhere between $7,100 and $60,000. Not super helpful data so far. Let’s dig deeper to uncover the actual factors that determine how to determine the cost for a new shingle roof.
Calculating the Cost of an Asphalt Roof
New Roof Cost Factor #1:
Roof Size
There are a number of variables that affect the cost for a new shingle roof. First, and most obvious is the size. The larger the roof, the greater the cost. Greater roof area translates directly into more materials, more labor, higher permitting and hauling fees.
New Roof Cost Factor #2:
Shingle Material
Unlike cedar roofing, the price for a new asphalt shingle roof can vary widely depending on the material choice. In other words, there is a wide range of cost, color, style and performance possibilities in the asphalt shingle world. One could go to Home Depot and purchase a super cheap, basic three-tab asphalt (think of your grandmas roof) or one couple buy a super high-end designer asphalt shingle from a specialty supplier, or anything in-between. The asphalt shingle cost alone can range from $68 per square to well over $280 per square. Most of the asphalt shingles Kuhl installs on Minnesota homes falls into the ‘designer’ asphalt category because people usually see the value over the long run.
New Roof Cost Factor #3:
Roof Complexity
There are a dozen roof styles out there, from mansard to gambrel, from hip to gable, to shed and mono-pitch. In Minneapolis, most asphalt roofs are either a hip or gable style. Knowing the difference isn’t important for this discussion but suffice it to say that some roofs are more complex than others. They have more facets, valleys, dormers, architectural features and intersecting roof planes. The greater the roof complexity, the higher the roof replacement cost. Giant, uninterrupted roof planes are much easier to complete that multiple, intersecting roof planes.
New Roof Cost Factor #4:
Roof Pitch (or ‘Slope’)
cost for a new shingle roof is pitch. In the roofing business we define pitch according to units rise to units of run. A 3/12 roof pitch implies that for every twelve inches of horizontal travel there is three inches of vertical rise. Therefore, a 3/12 roof is much flatter than a 12/12. The primary cost difference between flat and steep slopes in asphalt shingle roofing relates to labor. The material cost does not change drastically with changes in slope but labor costs increase quite a bit. Steeper roof pitches require that every move is made under roof and harness, which greatly slows down the process of reshingling a roof with asphalt shingles.
How to Save Money on the Cost for a new Shingle Roof
As with any contracting performed on your home, you can make cuts out of labor or materials. But as with anything you buy in the free market, you generally get what you pay for. Hiring cheap contractors seldom results in something good. Likewise, given that the labor is almost the same for installing cheap asphalt shingles as it is expensive asphalt shingles, we always recommend spending a little extra on quality. Once and a while our suppliers run specials on certain types of asphalt shingle roofing. When this happens we let clients in the estimation phase know about the opportunity. This can result in saving 5-10% off the material cost in some cases.
Let Us Know if We can Help Determine the cost of Your Roof Project
If your considering replacing your roof and are looking to find the cost for a new shingle roof to plan your project budget, the best way is to talk to a project manager who can help you find the appropriate plan for a roof cost that is best for you. Contact us today if you’d like to discuss.