What Would It Cost To Build a Roof & Shingle It?

Removal

• Building a new roof begins with tearing off the old roof, which costs from $1.75 to $2.50 per sq. ft. as of October 2011, according to the website CostOwl. The price includes not only the removal of your old shingles, but renting a dumpster for disposal and carting it away from the job site. Removal is not always necessary, however. Certain shingles, such as tile, can be installed over certain other materials, such as asphalt. This saves you money and time, and can increase your energy savings because the home is now insulated with both the old and new layers of roofing material.

Levels

• According to "Remodeling" magazine, the cost of a roofing replacement varies by quality level. It prices a mid-range replacement at an average of $21,488 as of October 2011. This is for 3000 sq. ft. of fiberglass asphalt shingles, placed on new felt underlay, with a galvanized drip edge and mill-finished aluminum flashing. Two average-size skylights require custom flashing, and the vented ridge has a custom cap. A higher-quality roof replacement costs an average $38,022 for the same surface area, "Remodeling" reports. But this uses 16-inch rolled-steel panels with seams that are double-locked not only on the roof, but also on the drip edge and flashing. The new underlay also has ice-and-water membranes at all moisture penetration points.

Materials

• CostOwl reports that costs vary by material. Asphalt shingles, the most common roofing material in the United States, cost between $2.75 and $4.50 per sq. ft., including installation. Synthetic slate, nearly indistinguishable from the real thing in appearance, runs from $7 to $12 per sq. ft. installed. Wood, the oldest of the shingling materials, runs from $2 to $3.25 per sq. ft. Natural slate is far more expensive, at $25 to $35 per sq. ft. installed.

Wages

• Labor costs account for a major portion of the expense of roofing installation, and differ by location, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of May 2010, the mean wage for roofers was $18.21 an hour, though the bottom 10 percent earned $10.59 while the top 10 percent made $29.14 an hour. Those working for building exterior contractors had average wages of $18.22 an hour, while those in residential building construction received lower-than-average wages of $15.13 an hour. The highest average roofing salary was in Hawaii, $26.20 an hour, while Mississippi had the lowest at $13.23 an hour.