Owning a house offers many benefits, but it also comes with many responsibilities. Roof repair or replacement is usually not a project homeowners look forward to, as it can be expensive. What makes matters even more confusing is that there’s still not much information available on how much it costs. In fact, you’ll find numbers that range anywhere from a couple of thousand dollars to tens of thousands.
That’s why we’ve created a tool that allows homeowners to accurately calculate the average cost of a roof based on historical data. Where can you find it, and how can you use it? We explain this below.
How does Instant Roofer’s roof replacement cost calculator work?
When Googling ‘what is the cost for roof replacement,’ you’re likely to get many different results, which don’t help much. While it may seem like a simple question, finding the answer can be difficult. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the average cost of a roof has risen by 20% to 40%.
The truth is that the total cost depends on many different factors, including the size and pitch of the roof, choice of materials, and even geographical location. However, there are some lesser-known aspects that also impact the cost. Quite often, roof damage is caused by problems with drip edges. In some cases, you may be required to replace them in addition to your roof, which, of course, increases the total costs. Nevertheless, with the right data, it is possible to calculate the average roof replacement costs.
At Instant Roofer, we’re the first in the industry to continuously gather and update real-world roof replacement costs from all across the country. On our website, you can find accurate estimations of how much money you’ll have to spend on your roof based on material type. Here’s how we do it:
We use data from our contractors
Contractors who sign up on our platform consistently update their pricing to provide accurate estimates to homeowners. Since each contractor’s pricing is related to their service area, we can compare how roof replacement costs differ across regions.
We compare the prices of different materials
In some resources, you’ll find statements like ‘the average cost of a roof is $10,000.’ However, that doesn’t give you much clarity, as the real numbers are often quite different.
To ensure comparable estimates, our calculations take a look at the most commonly used roofing materials: architectural asphalt shingles, designer asphalt shingles, slate roofing, tile roofing (concrete and clay), metal roofing (standing seam and corrugated options), cedar shake roofing, slate roofing, flat roofing, and copper roofing.
We take advantage of homeowner inputs
Homeownership involves many challenges. That’s why, at Instant Roofer, our goal is to provide homeowners with as much information as possible, even before buying a house or a roof. This is why we’ve created a free tool that allows you to enter your address and project details and get an accurate estimate for your home.
We then use this data (provided by homeowners) to ensure our estimates are reflective of the current market.
We aggregate all our data
After collecting all the pricing data from our homeowners’ inputs and contractors, our system finally calculates the average roof cost in the United States. We know that browsing through a sea of data can give even the most patient person a headache. To avoid this and make our clients’ lives easier, we break down our data for each state and city.
Generally, states like New York and California have higher roof installation costs, while Midwest and Southeast regions have lower rates. This difference can be explained by several factors, including strict building codes, more expensive labor rates, and material costs.
Our estimate data is refreshed every 24 hours, which means you can rest assured you’re getting the most recent pricing.
So – what are the cheapest roofing materials in the US?
It’s no secret roofing costs can vary dramatically by the material type. Based on our data, architectural asphalt shingles are currently the most affordable roofing material (for a 3,000-square-foot roof, you can expect to pay between $6,000 and $9,000), while the Tesla Solar Roof with Powerwalls is currently the most expensive option ($97,000+).
What’s next?
Calculating roof costs involves many variables. It’s a long and complicated process, and we’re constantly working to ensure it provides even more clarity to homeowners. But the fun doesn’t end here. On our website, you’ll find several convenient tools designed to offer personalized roofing quotes. Use our roof financing calculator to figure out your projected monthly payments or our solar panel cost calculator to get a solar panel estimate.