Last winter the snow piled up on my roof as we had one storm after another in my area of the Northeast. Being cautious, I removed most of it with a roof snow shovel to get rid of the extra weight. However, some ice dams formed along the roof edge and water leaked on interior ceilings. I even tried to chip away some of the ice with chisel and hammer but that didn’t help.
In the spring, I called a few contractors to give me an estimate on roof repairs or roof shingle replacement. I knew that there were already two layers of shingles on the current roof which would have to be removed before any new ones were installed. I have a ranch style home that measures 30 by 40 feet at the foundation. The roof has a moderate slope and no additional structures to work around. I last had the roof shingled over one existing layer 18 years ago which cost about $1400. The shingles were asphalt and had a lifetime of about 25 years.
The estimates given to me by several contractors ranged from $3000 to $7500. That would include stripping the two existing layers and removing all the waste debris as well as installing new shingles and all the accessories. Some contractors also suggested that I didn’t need a whole new roof and could just repair some spots.
Since the cost range was quite large, I decided to look up some information on the internet and try to estimate what the job would really cost for materials and labor. I read about how to install shingles and made lists of all the different types of shingles and materials. To get the general idea of what is involved with roof installation, you can see an interesting video at ThisOldHouse.Com. Click the link ……
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1630932,00.html
In addition Home Depot also has a video at the link …
http://www6.homedepot.com/tv/hdtv_player.html?videoID=000059&cm_sp=dept-_-d22-_-roofing-_-KnowHow-_-videotag_install
I also went to the online catalog at Home Depot and Lowes to get prices for shingles and other materials. You can see some of the material costs at the following links…..
Home Depot …..
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?Ntk=AllProps&N=10000003+90039+500530&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&langId=-1
Lowes ….. (also shows the new Architectural Shingles)
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&Ne=4294967294&Ntt=shingles&Ntk=i_products&N=4294961544&sortOp=bestMatch
I then listed all the material prices, labor costs and roof dimensions and calculated how much the job should cost. To make the calculations easier and adjustable with different roof dimensions, I constructed an Excel Spreadsheet. The roof diagram above lists all the dimensions needed. After constructing the spreadsheet, I uploaded it to Google Docs so you can download it to your desktop and make your own roof estimates.
Click on the link and follow the directions below …….
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pPRsaiyteUA301vZZQYWVMQ
New SS – View Only
You may get a message –“Trying To Sign In To Google” – Click on the Spreadsheet (SS) and you will go to the Google Sign In Page – Do Not Sign In – Click the Left Top Arrow and you will be brought Back To the SS – You can only “view” this SS and make no online changes. You can browse this SS page to view the various calculations made from inputting just five roof dimensions.
If you want to input your own roof dimensions, you need to do the following. You will need to save a copy of the SS on your desktop to use it and make changes. – Click File in the SS Title Bar –Then Export – Then ( xls ). Save the SS to your desktop. You now have a working copy of the SS. Make another copy of it to work with and save the original as is without changes. On the copy, you can change the five house dimensions on the SS and then press enter. New calculations will appear along with a new total cost. The only cells you should change are the five house dimensions. Other cells have formulae that if changed will mess up the SS. You can add new house dimensions and make new calculations.
Shareware License – This spreadsheet has taken a considerable amount of time to create and is a form of shareware that is for personal use only. The calculations obtained are a best guess estimate of the average cost for shingling a roof for a single family home and are not legally binding. If the user wishes to use the SS for any reason other than personal, please contact me for a license by email at markryan82@comcast.net .
My roof estimator generates a (best guess) cost of about $4500 which is in the middle of the range obtained from the various contractors ($3000-$7500). My daughter just had her roof re-shingled for about $2800. Her contractor needed the work and did a good job, was done in 2 days, had 3 men and removed all the waste shingles.
If you shop around you can get a good price that suits your situation. The highest estimate is not always the best job. I have also learned that some contractors estimate a job by multiplying the number of squares of shingles needed by a cost factor which includes (materials, labor and waste removal). The cost factor per square from low to high price is ($200 to $500). My house would require 15 squares which would include side trim and waste factor; (a square is 100 sf of shingles or 3 bundles). Using this formula you get (15squares x $200) = $3000 for a low price and (15 squares x $500) = $7500 for a high price. You can see a contractor that uses this method at the link ……
http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/roofing-prices.html
and their “higher price” calculator at the link …..
http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/roofing-calculator.html
If you want a reference book for installing roof shingles, you can get it at Lowes at the link …….
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=100360-2137-287945
After doing all this, I decided that I really didn’t need a new roof and could just make some minor repairs myself. This required putting some roof tar (asphalt adhesive) under some of the loose shingles and around the chimney and vent pipes. In addition, I added some attic vents under the eaves to increase air circulation. I’ll explain how I added the vents in my next blog.
Comments are always welcome. Do you have roof problems? Use my estimator to get a rough idea of the cost and then you will be more knowledgeable when you talk to a contractor.
In the spring, I called a few contractors to give me an estimate on roof repairs or roof shingle replacement. I knew that there were already two layers of shingles on the current roof which would have to be removed before any new ones were installed. I have a ranch style home that measures 30 by 40 feet at the foundation. The roof has a moderate slope and no additional structures to work around. I last had the roof shingled over one existing layer 18 years ago which cost about $1400. The shingles were asphalt and had a lifetime of about 25 years.
The estimates given to me by several contractors ranged from $3000 to $7500. That would include stripping the two existing layers and removing all the waste debris as well as installing new shingles and all the accessories. Some contractors also suggested that I didn’t need a whole new roof and could just repair some spots.
Since the cost range was quite large, I decided to look up some information on the internet and try to estimate what the job would really cost for materials and labor. I read about how to install shingles and made lists of all the different types of shingles and materials. To get the general idea of what is involved with roof installation, you can see an interesting video at ThisOldHouse.Com. Click the link ……
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1630932,00.html
In addition Home Depot also has a video at the link …
http://www6.homedepot.com/tv/hdtv_player.html?videoID=000059&cm_sp=dept-_-d22-_-roofing-_-KnowHow-_-videotag_install
I also went to the online catalog at Home Depot and Lowes to get prices for shingles and other materials. You can see some of the material costs at the following links…..
Home Depot …..
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?Ntk=AllProps&N=10000003+90039+500530&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&langId=-1
Lowes ….. (also shows the new Architectural Shingles)
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&Ne=4294967294&Ntt=shingles&Ntk=i_products&N=4294961544&sortOp=bestMatch
I then listed all the material prices, labor costs and roof dimensions and calculated how much the job should cost. To make the calculations easier and adjustable with different roof dimensions, I constructed an Excel Spreadsheet. The roof diagram above lists all the dimensions needed. After constructing the spreadsheet, I uploaded it to Google Docs so you can download it to your desktop and make your own roof estimates.
Click on the link and follow the directions below …….
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pPRsaiyteUA301vZZQYWVMQ
New SS – View Only
You may get a message –“Trying To Sign In To Google” – Click on the Spreadsheet (SS) and you will go to the Google Sign In Page – Do Not Sign In – Click the Left Top Arrow and you will be brought Back To the SS – You can only “view” this SS and make no online changes. You can browse this SS page to view the various calculations made from inputting just five roof dimensions.
If you want to input your own roof dimensions, you need to do the following. You will need to save a copy of the SS on your desktop to use it and make changes. – Click File in the SS Title Bar –Then Export – Then ( xls ). Save the SS to your desktop. You now have a working copy of the SS. Make another copy of it to work with and save the original as is without changes. On the copy, you can change the five house dimensions on the SS and then press enter. New calculations will appear along with a new total cost. The only cells you should change are the five house dimensions. Other cells have formulae that if changed will mess up the SS. You can add new house dimensions and make new calculations.
Shareware License – This spreadsheet has taken a considerable amount of time to create and is a form of shareware that is for personal use only. The calculations obtained are a best guess estimate of the average cost for shingling a roof for a single family home and are not legally binding. If the user wishes to use the SS for any reason other than personal, please contact me for a license by email at markryan82@comcast.net .
My roof estimator generates a (best guess) cost of about $4500 which is in the middle of the range obtained from the various contractors ($3000-$7500). My daughter just had her roof re-shingled for about $2800. Her contractor needed the work and did a good job, was done in 2 days, had 3 men and removed all the waste shingles.
If you shop around you can get a good price that suits your situation. The highest estimate is not always the best job. I have also learned that some contractors estimate a job by multiplying the number of squares of shingles needed by a cost factor which includes (materials, labor and waste removal). The cost factor per square from low to high price is ($200 to $500). My house would require 15 squares which would include side trim and waste factor; (a square is 100 sf of shingles or 3 bundles). Using this formula you get (15squares x $200) = $3000 for a low price and (15 squares x $500) = $7500 for a high price. You can see a contractor that uses this method at the link ……
http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/roofing-prices.html
and their “higher price” calculator at the link …..
http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/roofing-calculator.html
If you want a reference book for installing roof shingles, you can get it at Lowes at the link …….
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=100360-2137-287945
After doing all this, I decided that I really didn’t need a new roof and could just make some minor repairs myself. This required putting some roof tar (asphalt adhesive) under some of the loose shingles and around the chimney and vent pipes. In addition, I added some attic vents under the eaves to increase air circulation. I’ll explain how I added the vents in my next blog.
Comments are always welcome. Do you have roof problems? Use my estimator to get a rough idea of the cost and then you will be more knowledgeable when you talk to a contractor.
1 comment:
If your home or business needs a new roof, you would want to know the cost of roofing shingles. Roofing shingles prices is the most important factor when it comes to quotes on new roof prices.
Iko roofing
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