How much does a new roof cost in Montgomery County, PA?

Why the range is so wide

Roofers price by the square, which is 100 square feet of roof surface, not by the size of your house. A 1,800 square foot two-story colonial has a much smaller roof than a 1,800 square foot rancher, because the rancher spreads all that living space under one big roof. That's why two houses with the same square footage can get very different quotes.

For reference, the full replacements on our project pages ran from about 15 squares on a Bensalem townhome to 22 squares in Warminster, about 25 in Hatboro and 50 squares on a big house in Hatfield. Most houses around here fall somewhere in that 15 to 35 square band.

Size sets the baseline. After that, the price moves on things you can't see from the street: how steep the roof is, how many layers are already on it, and what shape the plywood deck is in.

What actually sets the price on a house around here

• Pitch. A roof you can walk on goes faster than one where the crew has to work tied off. Steep roofs on older homes in Ambler and Abington cost more per square than a low-slope rancher.
• Layers. A lot of local roofs got a second layer of shingles nailed over the first back in the '80s and '90s. Every extra layer is more labor and more dumpster weight to tear off and haul away.
• Decking. If water has been getting in, some plywood under the shingles is soft or rotted, and it gets cut out and replaced before new shingles go on. Nobody can tell you exactly how many sheets until the old roof is off, which is why a good estimate lists a per-sheet price for it.
• Valleys, dormers, chimneys and skylights. Every place the roof changes direction or meets a wall needs flashing. A simple gable roof has few; a big colonial in Blue Bell can have a dozen.
• Material. Architectural asphalt shingles are what we install on most homes. Metal costs more up front and lasts longer. Slate is a different trade and priced job by job.
• Access. Tight lots, a twin you share a roof line with, or nowhere to put a dumpster all add time.

Check this yourself before you call: Go up in the attic with a flashlight on a dry day. Dark stains on the underside of the roof boards, soft spots when you press with a screwdriver, or daylight around nails all mean decking work. Then look at the roof edge from a ladder at the gutter: if you can count two sets of shingle edges, there are two layers.

What we see on jobs in Montgomery and Bucks County

Most of the houses we roof were built between the 1950s and the 1990s. The post-war Capes, ranchers and split-levels in Willow Grove, Hatboro and Warminster have simple roofs and usually come in toward the lower end of the range. The two-story colonials in Dresher, Maple Glen and Blue Bell are bigger and more cut up, so they land in the middle or upper part.

Our freeze-thaw winters are hard on roofs here. Snow melts on a sunny afternoon, refreezes at the gutter overnight, and pushes water back under the shingles. That's why we put ice and water barrier along the eaves and in the valleys on replacements, and it's part of the price.

(Question for Jim: the one or two things Jim finds most often when the old roof comes off around here (e.g. how often there are two layers, how often decking needs replacing, plank vs plywood decking on older houses))

Permits are part of the price too. (Question for Jim: which townships we work in require a permit for a full re-roof, whether Armstrong pulls it, and whether the fee is included in the quote)

What one recent replacement actually cost

(Question for Jim: one recent full replacement you're comfortable publishing: town, house type, roof size in squares, layers torn off, sheets of decking replaced, shingle used, and the final price or a price range)

You can see the scope and photos of other recent replacements on our projects page.

How to compare roofing estimates

When you have two or three quotes in hand, the cheapest one isn't always the cheapest roof. Lay them side by side and check that each one spells out:

1. Full tear-off, or a layer over the top? A second layer is cheaper today but hides the deck and usually shortens the life of the new shingles.
2. A price per sheet of decking. If it is missing, the bill can grow once the roof is open and there is nothing in writing to hold it to.
3. Ice and water barrier at the eaves and valleys. Important with our winters.
4. New flashing, vent boots and ridge vent. Or are they reusing the old ones?
5. The exact shingle line, and the warranty in writing. Both manufacturer and workmanship.
6. Permit, dumpster and cleanup. Included, or extra?

If the roof is getting old but you're not sure it's time, our repair-or-replace guide walks through the 30% rule we use, and roof inspections are free.

When you don't need a new roof

If your roof is under about 15 years old and you have one leak, you almost certainly need a repair, not a new roof. Same if the problem is a cracked vent boot, a few shingles after a storm, or flashing around a chimney. A repair like that usually runs $350 to $2,500. Our rule of thumb: once a repair would cost more than about 30% of a new roof, put the money toward the new roof instead.

Related questions

How much is a new roof in Pennsylvania?

In our part of southeastern PA, most asphalt shingle replacements we do run between $6,500 and $18,000. Size, pitch, layers and decking set where yours lands. You get a free written estimate after we have looked at the roof and attic.

How much does a new roof cost in Bucks County compared with Montgomery County?

About the same: it is the house, not the county line, that sets the price. A Warminster rancher and a Willow Grove rancher cost about the same to roof; a big Doylestown or Newtown colonial costs more for the same reasons a Blue Bell one does. See our Bucks County and Montgomery County pages.

Does it cost more to tear off two layers of shingles?

Yes. Each extra layer is more labor and more weight to haul away. It is still almost always worth tearing everything off, because it lets us see and fix the deck.

How much does replacing roof decking add?

It depends on how many sheets are bad, and nobody knows that until the old roof is off. A good estimate lists a price per sheet so you know in advance what it will cost if we find rot. (Question for Jim: per-sheet decking price we can publish)

How long does a roof replacement take?

Most re-roofs on an average house take a day or two, weather permitting. Bigger or steeper roofs and lots of decking work take longer.