Designing a new roof on your existing home can seem daunting. There are a lot of parts to the process, lots of decisions to be made, and lots of options you have at every turn. There’s wood, asphalt, and composite shingles. There’s cost, install requirements, and a slew of other choices to be made during the process. To help you make your decision, we’ll outline a few of them and how to best tackle questions of the best shingles.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Choose the Best Shingles
Not all shingles are created equal, and not all shingles are priced equal. Instead of scouring the internet looking at top-rated roofing shingles or the best roofing shingles reviews across multiple sites, we’ve put together an article that can help you determine for yourself the best shingles, the right cost, and the most efficient way to tackle your new roofing project.
Determine Your Cost
If roof replacement costs sound like they would cost you a bit of cash, you’re right. It’s not a quick undertaking. The average cost of a new roof was around $7,500. This isn’t a one size fits all cost estimate, however. In certain regions of the country where the weather is more severe, you might find yourself with a regional average much higher. In some places, it’ll be much lower. The price will settle somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 for the overall project.
When getting an estimate, they’ll give you a price “per square” which, in roofing jargon means 100 square feet of roof space. The factors that play into that cost per square will be the supplies required, the cost of the shingles themselves, necessary protective elements for the longevity of the roof, and labor.
Shingle cost: The type of shingle you ultimately decide on is going to be a big factor in the cost. The cheapest is asphalt shingles at $2,500, the most expensive will be high-end slate at over $20,000 “per square”
Removal cost: If your roofer needs to remove the existing roof, that will factor into the cost as well. The total cost for removal is usually around $1,000 in total with $1-$5 per square foot of removal. However, you’ll want to find out if your contractor charges by the square foot of removal or charges per hour which can usually run anywhere between $40-$80 an hour. Something else to consider is unknown damage beneath the shingles, such as rot, that can make the job longer and more difficult for the contractor.
Labor cost: The fee for labor will also be applied to your overall cost. The type of product and the nature of the project factor here but it’ll be about $150 to $300 per square.