It’s that time of year again — you get up onto the roof, see a few things that need replaced and repaired, and hastily start to Google “how much does a residential roof replacement cost near me.” The answers aren’t always fun to read and you can already tell the budget you had in mind won’t cover nearly everything you expected it to. So, you decide to put it off for another year, next season for sure, you’ll take care of everything then.
The unfortunate thing about residential roofing repairs is that they don’t stay the same year after year, they actually get worse. Small leaks can turn into flood risks, missing shingles suddenly become large bare spots in need of extensive repairs, and what looked like mild weather erosion is actually harming your insulation and driving your energy bills up. Every year you put off a residential roof replacement you are actually spending more money trying to piece together repairs that aren’t tackling the bigger issue.
To help make the blow of needing a residential roof replacement in Maryland seem a little less intimidating, we’ve broken down the costs your Maryland roofing contractor has to take into account for each job. Seeing the breakdown both here and during your free roofing estimate will help you understand where each portion of the cost goes and how it becomes an investment that provides value to your home, energy bills, and more.
Remember this: a cheaper roofing contractor near you is not the answer to your roofing problems. Experienced roofing companies have competitive rates that cover all parts of the job to give you the best roof and the best coverage possible.
1) Roofing Contractor Insurance
One of the most important things your residential roof replacement cost covers is insurance. Working with a roofing company that has cheap prices because they’ve omitted getting the proper insurance is a huge red flag and puts you at risk. It’s always tempting to work with a friend or family member who has experience with residential roof replacements and offers to do the work for you; when you see their friend-or-family discount compared to a roofing company’s quote, you can feel tempted to take them up on the offer.
Part of what you are paying for with a professional roof replacement, however, is insurance, coverage, and peace of mind. Your friend, family member, or friend-of-a-friend is offering you a discounted rate probably because they don’t have insurance costs. It may seem unlikely that something could wrong or that a friend would come after you for damages or injuries that occurred on the job, but these circumstances happen more than homeowners realize.
A residential roof replacement cost covers various insurance coverage, including injury compensation in case a contractor gets injured on the job and damage repairs in case something goes wrong and is the fault of the company. Don’t risk being held responsible for someone’s injury on your property or having to pay out of pocket for home damages if something goes wrong.
2) All Roofers Should be Licensed
Another fee that professional roofing companies in Maryland have to factor into their residential roof replacement costs is their licensing fee. You always want to work with a licensed roofing company in Maryland for numerous reasons. The first one being that a licensed roofer is held accountable for the work that they do; if you work with an unlicensed roofer and a major mistake is made, there is no accountability and no way to enforce they take care of the damages.
Licensed roofing companies are a must-have for your residential roof repairs because they have a standard to uphold, are held responsible for any mishaps that occur, and have an understanding of regulations, requirements, and codes for residential roofing projects.
The licensing fee is, of course, a small factor in the overall roof replacement cost, as it is divided among all of their clients to cover the year’s expense, but this is a cost you help to cover in order to receive proper workmanship.
3) Does Your Roof Replacement Have Warranty Coverage
Before you get sticker shock from a free estimate on your residential roof replacement, or from a general Google search that can vary wildly with results, ask your Maryland roofing company if they provide any type of warranty coverage. Some professional Maryland roofing contractors will supply warranties that cover either their labor, the materials, or both.
Warranty coverage can be a big deal when it comes to a residential roof replacement and is an important part to consider when comparing estimates and overall roof replacement costs in your area. After you’ve gotten a few free roofing estimates, compare which of those offer warranties, for how long, and what. A higher residential roof replacement cost that includes a warranty is more valuable in the long run because it means longer coverage in case something goes wrong. When you take into account unpredictable Maryland weather, this can be a game-changer.
4) Residential Roof Repairs Require Quality Materials
You know that part of a residential replacement cost includes materials, but it’s important to consider the quality of those materials when considering costs and overall price. Like we mentioned earlier, working with a friend-of-a-friend who can promise you a lower price means making sacrifices and one of those sacrifices is probably materials.
A professional roofing company that provides an estimate on an entire residential roof replacement is also available to talk to you about the quality of their materials. A DIY job means getting whatever is available at your local hardware store and this doesn’t include the best of the best that you can get. Although the cheaper price tag is alluring, what it means is that those materials will wear out faster, won’t insulate as well, and probably won’t hold up to Spring winds, Summer rainstorms, heavy Winter snowfalls, or falling Autumn tree branches. Then, you’re back to this process in less than 10 years.
Residential roof repair costs include high-quality, dependable materials at a wholesale price that your roofing company is able to get that probably isn’t available to you. Reputable Maryland roofing companies will also have a protected storage facility to store the wood, shingles, and other materials that keeps them in prime condition. This is much better than buying shingles at a low dollar amount that are then exposed to the elements because you stored them outside long before you could install them. A little more today takes you a long way tomorrow.
5) Labor is Only One Piece of a Roof Replacement
A lot of homeowners look at the cost of a residential roof replacement estimate and think “how long is this going to take?” and chalk the entire cost up to labor. They deduct the amount of materials they found at their local hardware store (which isn’t the same materials your roofing contractor will be using anyway) and they assume what’s left is just labor. This misunderstanding is why people opt to do a DIY roof replacement or work with a neighbor if they’ve offered.
Labor is still a vital part of the cost but it isn’t the entire thing. Labor covers the employees or subcontractors your roofing company employees, and this factors in not only the total number of hours but experience, benefits provided to employees, and more. Just like your salary is determined by many factors, so are the salaries of the roofing contractors, which is then divided up amongst many jobs.
A residential roof replacement cost helps cover the labor, the employee benefits, and compensates them for their experience, the risk of the job, and more. This is also why labor costs may vary from job to job, depending on the difficulty, the risk, and more. Remember that a crew will come out and spend an entire day extracting your old roof and adding a new one, which isn’t easy, and you’d much prefer to pay an experienced team than cut corners and risk an improper job with more issues down the line.
6) Roofing Companies in Maryland Have Overhead
When you work with a professional roofing company near you, you have to remember that part of the overall roof replacement cost includes their overhead. You may argue that your roofing contractor doesn’t have an office location that houses employees but overhead is more than just a building.
Overhead costs can include the storage facility for their materials, travel expenses of receiving the materials, van or truck upkeep, website fees, marketing, tool expenses, and more. This matters because a roofing company that allocates the proper funds to these areas is ensuring you get the best experience, every time.
You should want to work with a company that makes sure the tools are kept up and top of the line, their employees always have the proper safety equipment, their vans and trucks are always running properly, and they have the resources to assist you in case of an emergency. A company that may appear cheap is probably cutting corners in these areas, making their work risky and not giving you the longest lifespan you can expect from a roof replacement.
7) Are There Add-Ons or Extras, Like Metal Roofing
This is a bit that will vary from estimate to estimate, but something to consider with your roof replacement cost is if any add-ons or extras have to be factored in. This can be anything from a steep-sloped roof to unique materials. If you’re considering something that is more economic-friendly, if you want to upgrade to a metal roof, if you have solar panels that have to be accommodated for, or anything else in this vein, it is going to factor in to the overall cost.
Keep in mind this doesn’t just include the cost of the materials but also the experience the roofers need to have to get the job done correctly and may even impact how many hours of labor are needed. Your residential roof replacement cost will adjust based on different details that may not seem critical to you but can impact the overall flow and ease of the job that a roofing company has to account for.
8) Did Your Roofing Company Account for Unexpected Issues
Another aspect of a residential roof replacement cost to consider is if your roofing company accounted for unexpected issues that may arise. This is something that varies from company to company and there are pros and cons to factoring in the cost of unexpected issues before a job begins.
If your cost is higher for your roof repairs because the roofing company likes to add in a portion that covers unexpected difficulties (as most jobs have something arise that they didn’t anticipate) this can be beneficial so you’re not caught off guard later and scraping to cover the new repairs. However, if your roof repairs are straightforward and nothing goes awry, you paid more upfront for a job you didn’t need to have completed.
Talk over your roof’s history with your roofing company if this is part of your roofing estimate to make sure the roofing estimate has everything you want it to have and doesn’t include anything extra you don’t want to worry about.
9) Don’t Forget To Consider Roofing Financing Options
All in all, even understanding a residential roof replacement cost doesn’t make it any easier to set aside the money. While this guide helps you understand why these costs are important and why you should ensure you’re working with professionals, you may be struggling with figuring out how to get together the total amount.
Always talk to your roofing contractors about their financing options. These can be a lifesaver when it comes to paying for a big residential roof replacement or even covering small roofing repairs on your home. In the end, professional roofing companies want to ensure their clients get the best care they can because a high-quality roof is a protected home, so they will be willing to work with you, whatever you’re up against.
