What is the cost of a New Roof in Texas?

What are the other cost considerations for a new roof in Texas?

Roofing materials are only one of the considerations when planning the costs of a new roof in Texas, the other main charge is of course, labor.

Labor can be charged at an hourly rate which is usually on average $75 per hour or it can be charged per roof square rather like the roofing material. The average labour costs per roof square are between $150 and $300.

What is a roof square?

A roof square is used by contractors and roofing retailers to describe a standard unit of measurement which makes it easy to compare the cost of roofing materials such as shingles and underlayment.

A roof square equates to 100 square feet, if you know the square footage of your roof then just divide this by 100 and you will have the number of roof squares. Working out the square footage can be tricky particularly if the design of your roof is complicated with roof features like skylights or dormer windows or you might have different elevations and roof planes. A good guideline is to work out the square footage of the house and then multiply this by 1.5 and this should give you an approximate roof area. A proper roof measurement should form part of the inspection carried out by the roofing contractor before they estimate for your new roof but a rough guide will help you calculate some of the costs ahead of this. Don’t attempt to get onto the roof yourself to measure it, this is dangerous and won’t usually provide an accurate evaluation.

What will the roofer’s estimate look like?

Most roofing estimates will be split between labor and materials and some are more detailed than others. Some roofers will split the cost or they may include all the charges together and quote per roof square. The per square cost will include the materials, the installation and any tear down costs which is why it is higher per square than the prices you have seen at your local roofing depot which are usually materials only.

Not all roof costs which attach to a project may appear on the roofer’s estimate so your first question to any potential contractor is are there any other costs that you should budget for which are not listed on this quotation. A typical example of this could be the third-party contractor cost for the hire of scaffolding; most roofing contractors have an arrangement with the professional scaffolding company who will come in and install scaffold for each new roofing job. Sometimes these costs can appear on the roofing estimate but often as not they are billed separately by the scaffold company directly to the homeowner so they can form something of a nasty surprise.

Here are some other costs you may need to pay for your new roof in Texas but which will not be charged to you directly by your roofing contractor:-

• Building permits
• Professional fees for architects or surveyors
• Dump costs
• Charges to bring an old roof into line with the local roofing code

Read about roof prices in other states:

• Roof prices in Florida
• Roof prices in New Jersey 
• New roof prices in Michigan 
• New roof cost in Maryland 

How to find a good roofing contractor in Texas

If you don't already have a regular roofing contractor that you use then one of your first priorities if you were considering a new roof on your taxes home, is to find one. This can be easier said than done.

Start by asking friends, family members, neighbours and work colleagues if they can recommend anybody. Social media community groups can be a good place to look for recommendations but just bear in mind that many of the people who are contributing may not actually be known to you themselves and could just be promoting their buddy.

Use roofingpricing.com to find a reliable roofer in Texas. Simply scroll to the form above and fill out the details for no obligation quotes. 

Make sure you obtain at least two or three estimates from different roofing contractors and do not consider an estimate which has not been produced after a thorough roof inspection conducted at height both internally and externally. A quotation which is based purely on the type of materials and the roof size will not be accurate and there are likely to be hidden costs further down the line. A classic example of this is deteriorated or rotten roof timbers which may not come to light until the old roof is torn down. These will have to be restored or replaced before the roofing project can continue.

Make sure you ask a roofing contractor the following questions:

• Are they correctly licenced and insured?
• How long have they been in business for?
• Are there any costs which do not appear on the estimate and which they think will be chargeable?
• Is the existing roof in line with the local area roofing code?
• Do they foresee any hidden defects which will come to light when the old roof is torn down?
• Can you speak to previous customers and look at this contractor’s work?
• Are there any roofing grants either locally or federally which could be relevant to this project?
• What warranties and guarantees are offered on labor and roofing materials?

Roofing grants

Roofing grants can help with the cost of a new roof, they will not pay for all of it, but any contribution is usually welcome to the homeowner.

Roofing grants can be available from the federal government or via local schemes within your state or even your town. Start by asking a roofing contractor if he knows if there is anything available for which your project might be eligible. Most roofing grants are either based on income eligibility so aimed at low-income families and/ or older people who are struggling to maintain a watertight roof on their home. The other type of roofing grant available is geared towards sustainable roofing options and green roofs. It might be a possibility that you could alter your choice of roofing material or shingles in order to fall within the parameters of the latter type of scheme.

Roof grants will have conditions attached to them so always make sure you read the small print before you sign up. Not all grants are available for roof renewal, some are just repair only. Some schemes require that you repay the money if the house is sold within a certain period of time.