Roof Replacement Cost in 2026: What Homeowners and Landlords Actually Pay
A full re-roof runs most homeowners $6,700 to $16,000, but material, pitch, and where you live can swing that hard. Here's how the math breaks down.
Marcus Hale
Home Services Editor · April 14, 2026 · 9 min read
How much does roof replacement cost?
Typical
$11,000
Most pay $6,700–$30,000 per project
Replacing a roof on a typical single-family home costs about $6,700 to $16,000, with most owners landing near $11,000. Asphalt shingles sit at the low end; slate and tile can push a big or steep roof past $40,000.
What would this cost at your address?
Get a local-market ballpark and up to 5 competing bids from roofing pros near you — free.
What affects the cost
Roof size (squares)
Roofers price in squares, where one square covers 100 sq ft. A 1,700 sq ft roof is 17 squares. At $450 to $1,100 installed per square, size is the single biggest line on the estimate.
Material
Asphalt runs $4.50 to $9 per sq ft installed. Metal jumps to $6 to $14, and slate or clay tile can hit $12 to $30. The same roof in slate costs three to four times what it does in shingle.
Pitch and complexity
A steep roof needs harnesses, scaffolding, and slower work. Dormers, valleys, chimneys, and skylights all add cut-and-flash labor. A cut-up roof can cost 20% to 40% more than a plain gable of the same footprint.
Tear-off and decking
Stripping the old roof adds $1 to $5 per sq ft. If crews find rotted decking once the shingles come off, plan on $70 to $100 per sheet of plywood to swap it out.
Labor and location
Labor is 40% to 60% of the bill, and rates track local wages. The same crew costs far more in Boston than in Birmingham.
Permits and code
Permits run $150 to $500. Hurricane and high-wind zones often require fortified nailing patterns or impact-rated shingles that add to both material and labor.
Installed cost by roofing material (materials plus labor)
| Material | Cost per sq ft | Cost per square (100 sq ft) | Typical 1,700 sq ft roof | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle (3-tab/architectural) | $4.50–$9 | $450–$900 | $7,600–$15,300 | 15–30 yrs |
| Wood shake | $6.50–$11 | $650–$1,100 | $11,000–$18,700 | 25–30 yrs |
| Metal (standing seam/panel) | $6–$14 | $600–$1,400 | $10,200–$23,800 | 40–70 yrs |
| Clay/concrete tile | $10–$18 | $1,000–$1,800 | $17,000–$30,600 | 50–100 yrs |
| Slate | $12–$30 | $1,200–$3,000 | $20,400–$51,000 | 75–150 yrs |
Cost by region
High labor rates and old housing stock with steep, multi-gable roofs push costs up. Snow-load requirements and ice-and-water shield along eaves are standard, which adds material cost a Southern job skips.
Lower labor keeps base prices down, but Gulf and coastal counties carry wind-mitigation codes. Florida and coastal Texas often mandate impact-rated shingles and reinforced nailing, narrowing the savings.
Close to the national middle. Hail is the wild card. After a bad storm season, demand spikes and so do quotes, though insurance claims cover a large share of replacements here.
California and the Pacific Northwest run high on labor and permitting. Wildfire zones increasingly require Class A fire-rated assemblies, nudging owners toward metal and tile over wood.
How roofers actually price the job
Every roofing estimate starts with one number: squares. A roofing square is 100 square feet, so a 1,700 sq ft roof is 17 squares. Crews multiply that by an all-in per-square rate that bundles material, underlayment, fasteners, flashing, and labor. For standard architectural asphalt, that rate lands between $450 and $900 a square in most of the country.
What trips up a lot of owners is that the roof is bigger than the house. A 2,000 sq ft home with any overhang and a moderate pitch often has 2,200 to 2,600 sq ft of roof surface. Steeper pitches add even more area for the same footprint. When you get a bid, ask how many squares the contractor measured and whether that includes the tear-off of the old layer.
Material is where the money goes
Asphalt shingles cover roughly four out of five American homes for a reason: they're cheap, fast to install, and good for 15 to 30 years. Architectural (or dimensional) shingles cost a bit more than old 3-tab but carry better wind ratings and warranties, and most roofers won't even quote 3-tab anymore.
Step up to standing-seam metal and you're looking at $10,000 to $24,000 on a typical roof, but you may never replace it again. Clay and concrete tile are common across the Southwest and last decades, though the weight sometimes means a structural check on older framing. Slate is the premium tier. It can outlive the house, but $30,000 to $50,000-plus for a full slate roof keeps it rare outside historic homes and high-end neighborhoods.
For a rental, the math usually points to architectural asphalt. You get a 25- to 30-year roof, your turnover and insurance stay clean, and you're not sinking tile money into a property you may sell.
A real-world example
Take a 1,800 sq ft ranch in suburban Georgia. The roof works out to about 20 squares once you account for the overhang and a shallow 4/12 pitch. Re-roofing it in architectural asphalt, with a single layer to tear off and no rotten decking, ran a recent owner around $9,400 all-in: roughly $7,000 in material and labor, $1,000 for the tear-off and disposal, $300 for the permit, and the rest in flashing, vents, and ice-and-water at the valleys.
Move that exact same ranch to Connecticut and the bill climbs past $13,000, almost entirely on labor and the added eave protection that Northeast winters demand. Same house, same shingle, $4,000 of geography.
When repair beats replacement (and when it doesn't)
If your roof is under 15 years old and the damage is localized, a repair is almost always the smarter spend. But once a roof is near the end of its rated life, patching becomes throwing good money after bad. A few signs it's replacement time: shingles curling or losing granules across the whole roof, daylight visible in the attic, repeated leaks in different spots, or a sag along the ridge.
Landlords have a particular trap here. Deferring a roof to save cash one year often means an emergency replacement after a storm at peak-demand pricing, plus interior water damage and a displaced tenant. Planning the replacement on your own timeline almost always costs less than reacting to a failure.
Reading a roofing quote without getting burned
Good estimates spell out the brand and line of shingle, the number of squares, whether a full tear-off is included, the underlayment type, and the warranty on both labor and material. Vague one-line bids are a red flag.
Ask whether the price assumes one existing layer or a tear-off to the deck. Roofing over an old layer is cheaper short-term but voids many warranties and hides rot. Confirm who pulls the permit and how decking replacement is billed if they find soft spots, since that's the most common surprise once the old roof is off. And get the workmanship warranty in writing. Materials usually carry a manufacturer warranty, but the install is only as good as the crew standing behind it.
Ways to save on roofing
- Get three written bids in the same season. Off-peak (late fall to early spring) often brings lower quotes than the post-storm summer rush.
- Stick with architectural asphalt unless an HOA, code, or resale goal demands an upgrade. It's the best dollar-per-year value for most homes and rentals.
- Re-roof before a failure, not after. Emergency and storm-season pricing is materially higher than a planned job.
- If hail or wind caused the damage, file the insurance claim before paying out of pocket; in hail-belt states a covered claim can cover most of the cost.
- Bundle the tear-off, flashing, and gutter work with one contractor instead of hiring separate trades.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a roof replacement take?
Most asphalt re-roofs on an average home wrap up in one to three days. Tile, slate, and metal take longer, often four days to over a week, depending on roof size and crew. Weather delays are the usual reason a job runs long.
Can I put a new roof over the old shingles?
Sometimes, and it's cheaper because there's no tear-off. But most building codes cap you at two layers total, an overlay voids many manufacturer warranties, and it hides any rot in the decking. For a roof you intend to keep, a full tear-off to the deck is the safer call.
Does homeowners insurance cover a new roof?
Insurance typically covers sudden damage from a covered peril like hail, wind, or a fallen tree. It does not cover wear-and-tear or an old roof that simply failed. Many policies also pay actual cash value (depreciated) rather than full replacement cost unless you carry a replacement-cost endorsement.
What's the cheapest roofing material?
3-tab asphalt is technically cheapest, but architectural asphalt costs only slightly more and lasts longer with better wind ratings, so it's the practical budget pick. Expect $450 to $900 per square installed.
How do I know how many squares my roof is?
Divide your roof's total surface area by 100. A roofer measures it precisely, but a rough estimate is your home's footprint times a pitch multiplier (about 1.1 for a low slope, up to 1.4 for a steep one). A 2,000 sq ft footprint with a moderate pitch is roughly 24 squares.
Sources
- Forbes Home — New Roof Cost
- Angi — Roof Replacement Cost
- Today's Homeowner — Roof Replacement Cost
- HomeAdvisor — Roof Installation Cost
Cost ranges are 2026 estimates and vary by region, materials, and contractor.
Related cost guides
Roofing~$1,100Roof Repair Cost
Most roof repairs land between $380 and $1,900. What pushes a quote toward the high end is rarely the shingles — it's what's underneath.
Typical range $380–$7,000
Roofing~$1,800Gutter Replacement Cost
New gutters run most homes $600 to $3,000. The number that moves it is material — aluminum is the workhorse, copper is the splurge.
Typical range $600–$6,000
HVAC~$4,700Furnace Replacement Cost
A new furnace runs about $4,700 installed for most homes, but the gap between an entry-level gas unit and a high-efficiency one is wide. Here's how the numbers really break down.
Typical range $2,800–$7,500