Even if you take excellent care of your roof, inspecting and maintaining it with each passing season, every roof will eventually need to be repaired or replaced. And for most people, roof replacements are one of the most expensive projects they will ever undertake for their home.
Since roof replacement is so expensive, you’ll want to make sure you get what you’re paying for. However, that can be tough to tell what you should be paying when you search for estimates online, and they are all over the place. That’s why it’s essential to understand the fundamental factors that affect roof replacement pricing, no matter where you are in the country or who you get a quote from.
Consider these four key factors when estimating the cost of your roof replacement:
Scope of Work
Before you get a quote, your roofing contractor should inspect both your roof and attic closely. This includes getting on your roof to take exact measurements and look carefully at features such as chimneys and vents. In the attic, they should look at your insulation and the underside of the decking. After this consultation, your contractor should give you a detailed scope of work that outlines exactly what needs to be done during your roof replacement. This is why online estimates won’t get you very far; there isn’t a one size fits all solution for roof replacement.
Quality of Materials
There are many layers to your roof, and the materials that make up those layers are important. Unfortunately, not all brands and materials are the same. Lower end materials fail faster and need more repairs. But higher quality ones will do a better job of protecting your home. This is why it’s important to ask the contractor what materials they will be using and how those materials factor into the cost they have quoted you.
Subcontractors and Management
Ask the contractor if they use subcontractors and, if they do, how they will manage the quality of work on site. Some roof replacement companies are actually more like sales organizations. That means that once you sign a contract, they will give your job to the subcontractor with the lowest bid, which is how they keep their prices low. Once the job is complete, they have all but disappeared.
Workmanship Warranties
Every new roof should come with a manufacturer’s warranty and workmanship warranty. A manufacturer’s warranty is from the product and will cover its performance only if it is installed based on their specifications. A workmanship warranty covers the physical work that the contractor does. Make sure you do research on the company before you accept their long warranty. It might not be such a selling point when you realize a company offering a 50-year workmanship warranty has only been in business for a few years.
Even when you factor in all of the things above, most quotes you get from different contractors should be within a few thousand dollars of each other. Considering this, you should look carefully at any outliers. If a quote is incredibly low, it’s likely that the materials are the lowest possible quality, and the work will be subbed out to the lowest bidding subcontractor. But if the quote is too high, you should also be suspicious and ask the consultant why. They might have found something that others didn’t, like water damage on the decking or insulation that needs to be replaced. It’s better to know about these things up front so that you can budget accordingly.
