How Much Does a Roof Replacement Cost?
Updated August 19, 2026 · every figure is cited to a public source below
The two major cost trackers agree closely on the middle of the market: HomeAdvisor puts the national average roof replacement at $9,607, with most homeowners spending $5,902–$13,373, and Fixr independently lands at about $10,000, with a typical range of $7,500–$14,000.[1][2]
Under those averages, roof pricing is unusually mechanical: it is roof area times a per-square-foot rate that depends mostly on the material you pick and how hard your roof is to work on. That makes roofing quotes easier to sanity-check than most projects — if you know the numbers below.
Typical costs at a glance
Roofers price in “squares” — learn the unit and quotes make sense
A “square” is 100 square feet of roof surface, and it is the unit every roofing quote is built on. Labor alone runs about $200–$300 per square, before materials. So a 20-square (2,000 sq ft) roof carries roughly $4,000–$6,000 of labor before a single shingle — which is why labor is 40–60% of the total in Fixr’s breakdown, and about 60% in This Old House’s.[1][2][4]
Material sets the multiplier
Material choice moves the total more than anything else. On the same 1,700 sq ft roof, Fixr’s published ranges span a factor of six:
- Asphalt shingles: $6,000–$10,000 installed on a 1,700 sq ft roof — the default for a reason.[2]
- Metal: $14,000–$38,000 on the same roof; HomeAdvisor puts metal materials at $7–$13 per sq ft vs $3–$7 for asphalt shingles.[2][1]
- Concrete or clay tile: $14,000–$28,000; slate: $20,000–$60,000 — premium materials that can also require structural checks for the weight.[2]
- For one concrete comparison: on an 1,800 sq ft house, This Old House prices asphalt at about $7,071 and slate at about $23,417 — same house, three times the bill.[3]
What makes the price jump
Two roofs with identical shingles can still price thousands apart. The quantified culprits in the published data:
- Tear-off: removing the old roof adds $1,000–$3,000, plus $500–$1,500 for hauling debris away. Fixr prices tear-off at $50–$150 per square.[1][2]
- Steep pitch: a steeply sloped roof adds $1,000–$3,000 — it is slower, riskier work that needs more staging.[1]
- Hidden decking damage: replacing rotted sheathing runs $2–$8 per sq ft, and it is only discovered after tear-off — the most common source of mid-job change orders.[2]
- Permits: $100–$500 per Fixr; HomeAdvisor’s range runs up to $1,400 in some areas. Ask what your town charges.[2][1]
Do you get it back when you sell?
The 2025 Cost vs. Value Report’s roofing project is a big one — a full tear-off and 3,000 sq ft of new laminated asphalt shingles — at a $31,871 national-average job cost, and it recouped 68% at resale. A roof is partly maintenance and partly sale-readiness: buyers don’t pay extra for a new roof so much as they discount hard for an old one.[5]
How to find out what YOUR roof costs
Because roof pricing is area × rate, a good quote shows its work: the measured squares, the exact shingle line, tear-off or overlay, underlayment, flashing, and what happens per sheet if the decking is bad. Quotes that only show a bottom line can’t be compared — and the decking line is where an honest bid and a lowball diverge.
Getstimate gets you there in one step: describe the roof once (photos help), and compare line-itemed proposals from local roofers side by side — free, private, no obligation.
Common questions
Why did quotes for the same roof come back $8,000 apart?
Usually one of three things: a different material tier (architectural vs premium shingles), tear-off versus roofing over the old layer, or how each bid handles decking repair — some price it per sheet up front, others leave it as a surprise change order. Line items tell you which; bottom lines don’t.
What is a roofing “square”?
100 square feet of roof surface. A 2,000 sq ft roof is 20 squares. Roofers price labor and materials per square, so knowing your square count lets you sanity-check any quote against published per-square rates.
Is asphalt still the cheapest option?
By a wide margin in the published data — asphalt shingle materials run a fraction of metal or tile, and the same house that takes about $7,000 in asphalt can take over $23,000 in slate. Metal costs more up front but typically outlasts asphalt.
Does a new roof add value when I sell?
Partially. The 2025 Cost vs. Value Report found a full asphalt roof replacement recouped 68% of its cost at resale. In practice an aging roof costs you more in buyer discounts and inspection concessions than a new one earns back.
These figures are published national averages and ranges — context for planning, not a quote. Your project's real cost depends on your area, the site, materials, and scope, and the only way to know it is estimates from pros looking at yourproject. That's what Getstimate is for, and it's free.
Sources
- HomeAdvisor — How Much Does Roof Replacement Cost? — national average, range, per-square-foot and per-square labor, material and driver figures; page updated June 17, 2026 (accessed August 19, 2026). Note: HomeAdvisor and Angi share one cost dataset.
- Fixr — Roof Replacement Cost — independent national average, material ranges on a 1,700 sq ft roof, labor share, tear-off and decking figures; dated February 4, 2026 (accessed August 19, 2026).
- This Old House — Cost to Replace a Roof on an 1,800-Square-Foot House — per-material costs for a fixed house size, built on RSMeans construction-cost data; updated June 12, 2026 (accessed August 19, 2026).
- This Old House — Roof Replacement Cost Calculator — labor ≈60% / materials ≈40% split; dated February 23, 2026 (accessed August 19, 2026).
- 2025 Cost vs. Value Report (Zonda Media) — national-average job cost and resale recovery for the asphalt-shingle roofing replacement project (30-square scope), verified against the report’s public national table August 19, 2026. ©2025 Zonda Media, a Delaware corporation. Complete data from the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.