A roof replacement is easily one of the most important repair jobs you may need to organize for your home. It’s not glamorous like an addition or a cutting-edge kitchen remodel, but it can be absolutely necessary in order to maintain your home’s ability to withstand adverse weather. When an old roof begins to fail, you’re putting both the structure of the building and all the possessions you keep inside it at risk. This is why you need to treat a roof replacement as a serious matter and avoid delaying it when you know it’s needed. The good news is, the need to install a new roof usually doesn’t sneak up on you. You can take plenty of time to educate yourself before you start talking to roofing Austin TX contractors and soliciting bids.
How A Roof Replacement Is Priced
The cost of a replacement roof is dictated by several factors. The most important of these are the overall size of your roof (in square feet), the pitch (i.e. steepness) of the roof, and the material you choose for the new roof in Austin,TX. Your choice of contractor also determines how much you will pay. A solid middle-of-the-road replacement roof installed with architectural shingles generally costs between $3.50 and $5.50 per square foot, including the cost of the labor required to install it. At the affordable end of the spectrum, you may be able to install a new roof on a small home with cheap three-tab shingles for as little as $7,000.
Roof Material Options
Cost and personal taste play a role in selecting the material for your new roof, but the region and design details of your home matter, too. Metal roofing is common or even preferred in some places thanks to its superior fire resistance. If your home is one of many in the area with Spanish colonial design details, using tile for your replacement roof may be a necessity. Certain materials only work with certain types of roof. Wood shakes, for example, work well on roofs with a steep pitch but become problematic if you install them on a flatter roof.
Do You Need To Remove The Old Roof?
In the past, roofers and homeowners frequently took the path of least resistance and simply applied a new roof on top of a home’s old one. Some homes even wound up with three full layers of roofing applied one atop the other. This practice is becoming less common today; many jurisdictions have rules prohibiting it. Check your local rules to find out whether or not you’re required to tear off your old roof when replacing it. Even if adding a second layer is allowed, bear in mind that it comes with potential disadvantages.
Saving Money With Off-Season Roofing
In most regions, the prime season for roof work stretches from late spring to early fall. Skilled and experienced crews can extend this period and continue doing safe, effective roofing Austin all the way to the onset of winter. Off-season roofing Austin TX may offer you the potential for savings, as the reduced overall workload pushes the price of labor down. Experienced roofers can speed up an off-season job by assigning more workers to it.
Learn All You Can
As with any major home repair or improvement project, a roof replacement will go more smoothly when you fully understand everything that’s going on. Prepare yourself thoroughly and master the roofing trade’s jargon so that you can approach a roofing Austin TX contractor as a knowledgable client.