What's a reasonable price for a new roof?

[Orrex]

Low slope, no gables or dormers. Chimney at about mid point and two vent pipes. In the neighborhood of 900 square feet.

The first estimate we got yields a labor cost of about $130 per hour, plus materials and disposal.

WTF? The guy's not performing surgery, for pity's sake! Is this job actually more difficult that removing the old shingles, laying down tar paper and nailing the new shingles to the roof? What mystery can justify such a preposterously high cost?

I'm ok with heights... Is this a job that I can do myself?

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. try it and you will find out why it costs so much and, yes, you can do it yourself.

It aint rocket science but it's hard fucking work. See any old roofers anywhere?

[Orrex]

4. We've previously torn out a hardwood floor and installed a new subfloor

All by ourselves, about 30' by 15'. Is a roof much harder than that?

It's not an academic question... If it's a difference of $3500 or more, then I don't see how I could justify the extra expense.

[Ineeda]

2. I would never pay for work like that 'by the hour'.

(Flat fee only. A job like that could take one day -- or a week if you're paying by the hour!) But as a point of reference, I had my roof totally replaced in 2008. Thirty-year shingles, pretty straightforward hip roof (no dormers, gables, chimney) and my house is about 1400 sq. ft. It cost me just over $7000 and took four men one day. I got three estimates. I'm an older widow and didn't know shit about that stuff! So I checked references and asked a contractor friend who said it was a fair price.

[Orrex]

6. It's not that the contractor gave an hourly rate

Rather, he gave me a flat rate and an estimate of the time frame, and I know what the materials cost. The difference amounts to $130 per hour. It's a small roof, and he might use another guy on the job, but even so it would average $65 per hour. For that kind of money, he'd better take me to dinner first.

[Bozita]

7. Mr. Roof is advertising $19.99 per 10 sq. ft.

[dionysus]

8. it all depends. if you have just one layer of shingles, it can be shingled over. a tear off

and reshingle is a few thousand dollars where i live. if the roof deck itself is rotting and needs to be replaced, you start getting into big money. when i had my roof done the quotes ranged from 8-12k. it was bad. the whole deck was rotten, and i had to have some rafters replaced...

i'm also sure it can vary wildly depending on where you live and the type of roof...

doing it yourself is tons more affordable, but you have to do it right or it's a waste. i was comfortable shingling the shed i built but i'd think twice before doing a house, especially if you've never done it before...

[Orrex]

9. Thanks for the info

Frankly, we didn't budget for a new roof this year. We knew that it would need to be done before long, but we figured that we'd have at least a year or two before it was urgent.

As it stands, we may be looking at a choice between patching the worst part, doing it ourselves, or simply not being able to afford it to do it at all.

Parts of the deck need to be replaced, but I can do that. The shingles are crumbling and likely need to come off, but I can do that, too. And I've been reading about it, and I don't see what's so hard about papering and reshingling. Certainly I can't justify dropping $3400 of a $4600 job on it.

The flashing around the chimney has me a bit intimidated, so maybe I can hire someone for that.

Thanks again for the input. Much to consider...

[HopeHoops]

10. Depends on the size of the house and the type of tiles you get. Secure three estimates.

Ours was about six grand and that included all removal, full replacement (no plywood though) and architectural tiles. If they try to push you to the old channel tiles, politely excuse yourself. And make SURE they use tile-on-tile for the vent cap and will run it the entire length of the house. The cheap ones are in fixed lengths and they just give up when they have a house slightly too long.

Also, try not to get upset if a few come loose early on. Just be assertive with the company that you want it fixed NOW! Not everyone they have working for them is completely up to speed, but that's how crafts are learned. I had the owner up on the roof three times after our installation and all three he admitted that someone on his crew had fucked something up and he fixed it on the spot. It's been fine since.

Don't necessarily go with the lowest estimate. Use your intuition when you're talking with the contact (in person) and watch how they go about making the estimate. Another factor is how long it will take. Our crew was in and out the same day. One estimate would have left the roof exposed to who knows what for a full week. A crew of seven is just going to get things done more quickly than a crew of two.

And no, I would not suggest doing it yourself unless ALL you are doing is patching specific areas. And yes, it is a difficult job. Perhaps one of the hardest parts is not making a disaster area of nails, staples, and tiles all over the perimeter of the house.

Another thing to keep in mind is the house inspection if you ever go to sell it. The roof has to meet the state requirements as of the date it was installed. It's not as cut and dry as it once was. Use a professional. The cost is worth it.

[DebJ]

11. Our roof was done in 2006.

$7000 as I recall, but that was before the market collapsed in our area, and prices may be down now. As I recall, it took a team of many men 2.5 days to do it; somewhere between 8-12 guys who are professionals and do nothing BUT roofing. We have a small brick rancher (1300 sq feet) with a chimney at the end where the garage connects; nothing very difficult about our roof.

Always get more than one estimate and always get references and call them. Contractors here in south central Pa can be really awful.

We had it done in the fall so blistering heat wasn't an issue to consider if you are doing it yourself. Depending upon where you live, you may wish to consider that. It gets incredibly hot on a roof; no way I could stand up on a sloped surface while dizzy from heat myself.

The clean-up of the old roof is the dirtiest, hardest part. Roofing tiles are incredibly heavy. We have a spare pack that came with our job for replacements if needed; hubby and I grunting and puffing together have difficulty picking up and moving a pack. 50 lbs sounds too light for these tiles.

My husband's brother-in-law is in construction in New Jersey; roofing is one of the things he does; when he gets home at night after roofing jobs, he can barely move; spends his days off vegetating to recover. I mean, it is like he isn't even barely alive. It's the heat + the work.

Oh, and when the roof is done, you will need to re-clean all your gutters.

The guys who did our roof were superb. Very happy and well-worth the money.

[sharp_stick]

12. Ours was about $6700

for 2000 square feet on a steep pitch cape and installation of ridge vent. Owens Corning Shingles, ice guard and underlay (instead of tar paper). That included a full tear off, disposal and clean up.

You can do it yourself, but get help because it will take you some time and you don't want to leave it out in the rain and you can bet it will take a lot longer than you anticipate.

I did it once with a couple of friends when we were much younger and it was much much harder than we anticipated. Just bringing all that heavy shit up onto the roof was bad. Maybe rent a cherry picker? Depending on where you live don't forget the ice guard or you could be in big trouble come winter.

[LiberalEsto]

13. Get six estimates

Three estimates is not enough.

On the advice of a neighbor, we got six estimates.

We had XT-25 shingles in Star White and a ridge vent installed for $5,650. The shingles, which keep the attic much cooler, qualified for a tax rebate - I think it was $800. The roofer we found did a fabulous job. He had to strip off two layers of old shingles and replace some of the plywood.

Ours was a simple low slope roof with no dormers, but this was in the Washington DC area and prices are a bit higher here than in other parts of the country.