The roof on my house is the old split wood shingle and it is on its last legs. I probably won't get more than a year out of it.
I am going to start going for estimates, but I want to try and get a ball park figure. That way I can control the eyes popping out of my head if it is a high price.
I am looking for a good 30-40 year roof, figuring in labor and having at least some of the plywood underneath replaced.
I live in Northern California, if that makes a difference.
2009-01-25T19:11:10Z
The house is 1400 sq with an attached garage.
Sheriff J P2009-01-25T19:36:10Z
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Are you thinking of going with the wood shingles again or switching to more common asphalt shingles? My area asphalt shingles cost $250 per square to replace. not sure if the wood removal would be more, but probably. So if you have 14 square at $250 figure about $3500. No more than $5000. hope this helped
I am not a roofing contractor but Ralph B seems to be in the ballpark for a 1100sf ranch. Use somebody licensed and get all your permits, make sure they install flashing and drip edges as required. May be a good time to replace or install ridge vents also. Go down to the sheathing and make sure they replace any rot damaged roof decking. Do not skimp on your shingles and save all the manufacturer paperwork in a folder for the LIFE OF THE ROOF. At the same time invest in gutters, I always recommend this to homeowners. Water can cause so many problems in buildings! And beware of any REALLY low bids.. They'll get that money back somehow. I have done a lot of forensic investigations of roofs... HTH, Andrew Kester, PE Structural Engineer Florida ...12 years of experience so far...
RE: How much does it cost to re-roof a house? The roof on my house is the old split wood shingle and it is on its last legs. I probably won't get more than a year out of it.
I am going to start going for estimates, but I want to try and get a ball park figure. That way I can control the eyes popping out of my head if it is a high...
Couple of things the other posters have not mentioned.
First, the roofer will probably have to remove all of your existing shingles and haul them away (landfill costs).
Then the next question will be - what is underneath. You mentioned you have plywood - question will be - do they need to replace any plywood. Are there any leaks in the current roof - that you don't know about?
A suggestion: Many older homes do not have adequate attic vents- if they are working on the roof - you should consider - do you have enough vents? Ridge vents, roofing vents (a black rubber/plastic riser) or electric vents - might be useful. I live in Richmond, VA - added electric powered vents for those hot, muggy, summer months - and immediately saw a reduction in the electric bill when the a/c was on. Attics can get over 130 degrees - and that heat radiates down into the living space.
They should remove the old black "tar paper" and put something new down.
Prices will vary based on which town/county you live in and the cost of living there. It's impossible to give you more than a guess on what it will cost - due to price variations across the country.
You might contact a couple of roofers and ask - when is their "off-season"? You might be able to get it done for less, when they don't have enough work to keep all their employees working.
I used to "keep silent" when getting a quote - but after reading a couple of books on negotiating - have learned the first price you hear - may just be to see how you will react. If your eyes don't pop out, or you don't pass out, then they may try to get more money by saying something like "and then there a $200 fee to dump your old roofing at the landfill".
Contact your local Better Business Bureau or state corporation commission/consumer affairs agency to see if there have been any complaints filed against the roofing company. This should not cost you anything, but a little of your time.
NEVER PAY all the money before the work starts. If you do, and there are problems or issues - why should they make adjustments to make you happy - they already have all your money.
Some websites - like Angie's List - claim (I haven't tried them) that they have lists of qualified contractors based upon referrals by the people who use that website. I think Angie's List costs something like $15/month.
Good luck.
PS, I used Home De***, while in Florida to replace the carpet in our winter home. The ..pre-screen contractor they used caused us several problems. Installers showed up to do the work and forgot to bring the outdoor carpet. Home De*** wanted to charge us for an extra trip to install the outdoor carpet. Still have not settled all the issues - and it occurred 2 months ago.
count yourself lucky if the existing roof already has plywood. Many old wood shingle roofs just have strips of wood lath underneath. I have a 1500 square foot house in Texas it cost $10,000 to completely redeck the house and install 40 year shingles.
Get names of roofing companies from you local BBB website. Get about 4 different contractors to give you a price. There can be big differences in price for the exact same roof.