Page 1 of 1 [ 16 posts ] 

happymusic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 10 Feb 2010
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,165
Location: still in ninja land

17 Aug 2010, 5:02 pm

I was wondering what a roof generally costs for about a 1500 square foot house. My grandmother has to have hers replaced and I'm curious if anyone else here has ever had to do it. She has been taken advantage of before so I'd like to know roughly what to expect. I mean I think it's around maybe $15,000-$20,000, but I truly have no idea how much it would be. Any advice?



BTDT
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,088

17 Aug 2010, 5:16 pm

She should get several quotes. In New England, about 4 years ago, ours cost around $6600--1/2 up front in cash and the balance when the job was completed.



Friskeygirl
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Jun 2009
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,865

17 Aug 2010, 5:26 pm

re shingled you mean, they go by the square footage of the roof, and the type of shingles used. we had ours done last year and it was $4000



visagrunt
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 16 Oct 2009
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,118
Location: Vancouver, BC

17 Aug 2010, 5:59 pm

If you are talking 1500 sq ft, detached, single level, then it is going to be a lot more than a 1500 sq. ft. terraced house. The other big variable is materials. Basic asphalt shingles are likely the cheapest route, while cedar shakes are probably the most expensive. If you are sticking with asphalt, I would figure anywhere between $3 and $8 per sq. ft. is probably a reasonable estimate.

Generally speaking, in tough economic times it's a buyer's market, so get three companies in to give written estimates. They know that they are in competition, and they are going to have to quote appropriately.


_________________
--James


happymusic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 10 Feb 2010
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,165
Location: still in ninja land

17 Aug 2010, 6:34 pm

Thanks, everyone. That helps put it into perspective. I'll make sure she knows to get several estimates. She will probably go with the most basic since she has little money. She had a life savings until one of her sons caused it to be wiped out. It was a very unfair situation in which she was basically a victim of one of my uncle's selfish neglect of his own affairs (tax evasion). The government came in, saw his name on her savings and took it all to settle the score. Anyway, she had scraped pennies her whole life to be able to take care of herself and is now left with only what she gets each month. So, I feel sorry for her and am trying to prepare myself for the cost so I can help her with it. Anyway, thanks again.



BTDT
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,088

17 Aug 2010, 6:48 pm

Another variable is the removal of the old roof. The first time a house needs new shingles, you can just put a new layer right on top of the old one. But, after you do that, you need to remove both layers before replacing the roof, significantly adding to the cost. Not only do you have to pay a crew to remove it, but they need to rent a dumpster to haul it away. We needed to remove the old roof, which added to the cost.



n4mwd
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 871
Location: Palm Beach, FL

17 Aug 2010, 7:05 pm

The cost depends on where you live and what kind of roof you have. If your roof has a high pitch, you'll need shingles. Don't go with cedar shake roofs. They frequently leak and are a fire trap. They generally last about 5 years and need replacing whereas an asphalt shingle roof will go 20 years or more.

Metal is also an option, but the cost is usually over inflated.

For flat roofs, you can go with torch-down which a composite roofing material that comes in rolls and is melted in place with a large torch. This is the cheapest roof and longest lasting (> 50 years). The problem is that it isn't very stylish.

The cost also depends on wood damage to the roof structures. Nearly all roofs that need replacing have at least some wood that needs replacing. Carpentry repairs can exceed the cost of the actual roof. You never know until you look at it. A good roofer knows this and will include the wood repairs in the estimate. A crooked roofer usually only includes the roof repair and requires actual cost for the wood. Then they have an amount you must pay that isn't bound by the roof estimate.

So like others have said, its best to get several estimates that include hidden wood damage. If they give you the "I can't tell until I strip the old roof off" line, go with another roofer. An experienced roofer CAN tell.

But for a typical roof with minimal wood damage, I would guess that you should expect to pay about $5K-6K.

If you do it yourself, you can save a lot of money, but you need to know what you are doing. I had my roof blow off in hurricane Jeane back in 2004. The roofers were going to charge $15K-$20K, but I did it myself for under $4K. It did take me about 4 months, but I actually got it done long before most people who waited for their insurance got theirs done.



tomboy4good
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Age: 62
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,379
Location: Irritating people everywhere

17 Aug 2010, 9:36 pm

We just had our roof redone in May for about $7800.00. That included removal of 2 layers of composite roofing, new asphalt tiles (30 year guarantee), & additional materials. You definitely need to get at least 3 or 4 bids before choosing anyone! I'd also look for someone who is local, & won't charge any money until the job is finished. Lots of people who are scammers want money upfront, & then vanish before the work is done! Ours was started on a Wednesday, & finished up by that Saturday.

Oh yeah, & because different materials vary in price, the cost can fluctuate a lot! The cheapest material is asphalt shingles. The technology for them has changed a lot & some of them look really nice! I don't recommend wood shingles, & in fact, they're banned in some areas due to high flammability. Tile or concrete roofs are really nice, but also very expensive.

Good luck!


_________________
If I do something right, no one remembers. If I do something
wrong, no one forgets.

Aspie Score: 173/200, NT score 31/200: very likely an Aspie
5/18/11: New Aspie test: 72/72
DX: Anxiety plus ADHD/Aspergers: inconclusive


bee33
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Apr 2008
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,280

17 Aug 2010, 11:35 pm

I got a new roof about 6 years ago for $3200. But they didn't have to remove the old roof, since there was only one layer of previous roofing tiles. If they had had to remove the old roof (if there had already been two layers of roof tiles) then it would have been about $7000. The house is two stories and about 2000 sq feet, or 1000 sq feet per floor.

Another thing to consider if it's a hardship for her to shell out so much cash at once is that loans might be available from her bank for home repairs. And if she is low-income there could also be social service housing agencies that might help.



Keeno
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 8 Mar 2006
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,875
Location: Earth

20 Aug 2010, 9:59 am

I live in a block of 6 flats where work is about to take place, any time now, to completely replace the roof. The square footage would probably be about 1200 square feet, and I understand the cost will be about £12,000.



auf_ehre
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Age: 59
Gender: Male
Posts: 112
Location: Weltraum

20 Aug 2010, 11:48 pm

You know you could do it yourself too.

You can get 25 year shingles for like $70 a square.

Actually putting on the shingles is time consuming, best done in the Spring or Fall. The actual shingles have notches cut in them to make it easy to get them on straight.

If there's only one layer of shingles on now, just go over top of it with another layer. If you have leaks now, it'd be wise to remove the old shingles and repair the rotten boards underneath, but not mandatory.

Metal roofing will last until the next Ice Age, but is much more expensive.



Francis
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 Jul 2009
Age: 54
Gender: Male
Posts: 522

22 Aug 2010, 10:34 pm

I did my last house for about $1800 dollars. I have no idea how much it would cost if you paid someone to do it.



Keeno
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 8 Mar 2006
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,875
Location: Earth

23 Aug 2010, 1:00 pm

Metal roofing doesn't last indefinitely, either. Our block has a metal roof. Metal roofing can split and perish, which has happened on our roof. I don't live on the top floor but a flat immediately below it is having severe roof leaks. Not good in a very wet spell, as we're having currently.



daniel3103
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 7 Aug 2010
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 122
Location: Rotherham, Yorkshire

23 Aug 2010, 1:43 pm

happymusic wrote:
I was wondering what a roof generally costs for about a 1500 square foot house. My grandmother has to have hers replaced


How does she know that she needs a new roof? Has she been told that by a reliable roofer? A few years ago, a landlady of mine was having leaks from the ceiling, and when she got roofers to look at the problem, they told her that she needed a new roof. However, I happened to personally know a roofer. When he came, he fixed the problem by replacing only a few tiles.



fjoois
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 30 Apr 2019
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Posts: 34

20 Jul 2019, 8:42 am

It is difficult to paint popcorn ceilings and requires a thick nap roller and a large amount of paint, as the texture absorbs paint like a sponge. Textured ceilings catch dust and it is difficult to clean them. They also tend to cast harsh shadows, which makes rooms appear smaller. Once, I had such a ceiling, I decided it was time to make a [url=https://r[/url]. By the way, I heard that the texture of the material used in popcorn ceilings may contain asbestos, a mineral that is associated with asbestosis and mesothelioma (a type of cancer). And if the ceilings were painted, the paint likely contained lead additives.



Last edited by B19 on 14 Nov 2019, 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.: spammer

Dear_one
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Feb 2008
Age: 75
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,717
Location: Where the Great Plains meet the Northern Pines

16 Sep 2019, 9:28 pm

I'm in the middle of covering my old shingles with steel roofing. The house is 1500 'sq, and the material cost me $3k CND. I found some repair was needed at one spot, which adds to the job. It is a complex shape, which also causes much extra expense. I chose steel because I expect fewer problems with ice dams on the eaves.
One approach might be to talk to roofing wholesalers, and ask which crews they would recommend.