How Much Does a New Roof Cost in Colorado?

Finding concrete answers on how much it will cost you when you need a new roof can be challenging. We are here to help you take the guesswork out of the cost of your new roof replacement!

Since 1979 Holladay Grace has helped homeowners in the Colorado Springs and greater Pikes Peak Region understand everything that impacts their roof replacement. This article will go over the average cost to tear off and replace your roof with various roof materials we see in our community.

What is the cost to replace your roof?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is unknown without a proper inspection and estimate. However, I can give you the average cost to reroof a standard Colorado Springs home. Roof costs vary based on the size and complexity of your roof, the type of roofing material selected, labor costs, and other miscellaneous costs.

As a general rule of thumb, if you own a typical single-family home in Colorado Springs, you can expect a new roof to cost between $14,000 – $20,000. This ballpark figure is based on an architectural shingle asphalt roofing system on a 2,400 sq ft home with a walkable roof pitch and a little roof complexity.

While we provide the figures above to give you an idea of what a typical single-family home roof replacement might look like, it’s impossible to know the exact cost until a local roofing contractor comes to your home to look at your roof.

With this in mind, the range above is based on an architectural asphalt roofing system. But what if you want a different roofing material besides asphalt shingles?

This article will give you a price per square foot for the six common roofing materials in Colorado Springs.

By using the numbers below and multiplying them by the square footage of your roof, you will get a good idea of how much your roof replacement will cost.

Disclaimer: The price per square foot provided below are not exact. Your cost depends on multiple factors based on your home’s roof and the roofing contractor you hire.

Variables that affect the cost of your new roof

Roof Size

To begin with, the size of your roof is one of the most significant determinants of the cost of your new roof. The bigger your roof, the more your roof replacement will cost. Generally, roofs are priced per square foot.

Measuring your roof

There are multiple ways to measure your roof. Some roofing companies can use a simple tape measure; others can use complex software programs to measure your roof. The things that need to be calculated and included in the size measurement include the total area along with eaves, rakes, valleys, hip/ridge, roof to wall, and slope.

Roof Measurement Diagram

Roof Pitch Diagram

Follow these 3 steps to get an idea of the size of your roof:

1. Walk the width and length of your home. To account for the average walking step being about three feet long, you’ll want to multiply your number of steps for the width and length by 3 to convert your steps to feet.
2. Now that you have the approximate width and length of your home in feet, multiply these two numbers to get your home’s footprint in square feet.
3. Next, multiply that number by 1.3. You want to do this because the average roof has about 30% more surface area than the home’s footprint due to the pitch of the roof.

Now you have an idea of how many square feet your roof is.

Here’s a roof measurement example:

You find your home is 20 steps long and 13 steps wide.

First, multiply those numbers by 3 to translate your steps to feet. 20 x 3 = 60 and 13 x 3 = 39.

So now you have your home at 60 feet long and 39 feet wide.

Next, you will multiply those two numbers to get your home’s footprint in square feet. So 60 x 39 = 2340 sq/ft.

Now that you know your home’s footprint is 2340 sq/ft, you want to multiply that number by 1.3 to get a good idea of your roof’s surface area is 2340 x 1.3 = 3042 sq/ft.

As a result, you have a solid benchmark of how many square feet your home’s roof has.

Roof Style

It’s also important to realize that the style of your roof can affect the cost. A roof with multiple pitches, dormers, and architectural elements will be more expensive than a simple “up and over” roof. The more angles, edges, facets, and slopes, the more expensive the roof.

Up and Over Roof Example

Two-Story Roof With a Little Complexity

Cut Up, Steep and High Complexity Roof Example

Roofing Material Choice

In addition, materials vary widely in their cost, aesthetic and functional features. Just like buying a car, there are pros and cons to different materials that must be considered.

In fact, for all roofs, there are “good, better, and best” options and each level comes with increasing aesthetic and functional benefits as well as corresponding increases or decreases in price. Defining what is important to you will affect your material selection and the cost of your roof.

A roofing contractor should work with you to help determine the best roofing product for your home and your individual goals. If you are replacing your roof due to a weather event, you most likely will be filing an insurance claim on your homeowner’s insurance policy.

Furthermore, your insurance company will pay to replace the roof with like, kind, and quality materials. In other words, if your project is part of an insurance claim, your roof will be replaced with the same roof system.

It is possible to change the roof system during an insurance claim project; however, if the roof materials you choose are more expensive than the existing roof materials, you will be paying for that difference out of pocket as your insurance company will not cover the cost of the more expensive roof you desire.

Additionally, if you are replacing your roof due to old age and normal wear and tear failure, you can choose any roof materials you would like.

A structural engineer will have to be consulted if you are changing an asphalt shingle roof and would like a tile roof due to a tile roof being much heavier than an asphalt shingle roof. The engineer will verify whether or not the structure can support the additional weight associated with a tile roof system.

Labor

The fact is, roofing is a labor-intensive job. Generally, the labor required to reroof your home includes: removing all the current roofing and unseen layers down to the roof’s deck, repairing or replacing any rotten decking, hauling away and legally disposing of the existing materials, installing the new roof system and all accessory components and lastly cleaning the property to remove any trash created during the project to ensure your property is left as good or better than was found.

Miscellaneous Costs

The final step in creating a price for your reroof is understanding and accounting for miscellaneous costs.

These costs vary from job to job and may include:

• Permit fees
• Inspections
• Port-a-potties
• Warranties
• Material delivery

When your roof is inspected, it is difficult for roofing contractors to identify any roof deck issues as the roof system covers up the deck. Some parts of your roof deck may need to be replaced due to rot and weathering. The integrity of the roof deck can only be inspected after the existing roof system has been removed.

Some older homes in Colorado Springs have plank decking. If the space between the decking is larger than ¼ inch, we must install 4′ x 8′ sheets of decking over the space decking, as the current code requires.

One easy way to find out if you have plank decking is to take a quick look in your attic. If you see your roof deck is made up of horizontal planks of wood, chances are you have space decking and may need to bring your roof deck up to current code requirements.

Asphalt Shingle Costs

There are three types of asphalt shingles; 3-tab, architectural/dimensional, and designer. Each type of asphalt shingle has a different look, performance qualities, lifespan, and price. The most common type of asphalt shingle in Colorado Springs is architectural/dimensional.

3 Tab Asphalt Single

Architectural/Dimensional Asphalt Single

Designer Asphalt Single Example

Up-and-Over Roof

A one-story basic up-and-over roof with no valleys price is around $5.00 per square foot. This includes architectural shingles, leak barriers, synthetic underlayment, and all accessory roof components.

Up-and-Over Roof Example

Two-Story Little Complex Roof

A two-story house with a bit of complexity and standard accessibility price is around $5.50 per square foot. This includes architectural shingles, leak barriers, synthetic underlayment, and all accessory roof components.

Two-Story Roof with a Little Complexity

Two-Story, Steep Sections, Cut Up and Complex Roof

The price per square foot for a two-story house that is steep, cut up, and complex with standard accessibility is around $8.00 per square foot. This includes designer shingles, leak barriers, synthetic underlayment, and all accessory roof components.

Two-Story, Cut Up with Steep Sections, Complex Roof

Metal Roof Costs

Standing seam metal roofs are beautiful and can be found throughout our community. Standing seam metal roofs cost about $12.00 per square foot for a one-story basic up-and-over roof with no valleys. For a more complex roof, you can expect a new standing seam metal roof to cost around $15.00 per square foot.

Metal Roof Example

Concrete Tile Roof Costs

Concrete tile roofs come in different profiles and have different performance qualities. The two most common profiles of concrete tiles are S-Tile and Flat-Tile. Tile roofs cost around $15.00 – $17.50 per square foot. This includes the entire system, including; tile, leak barrier, valley metal, synthetic underlayment, raised battens, and all accessory roof components.

Flat Tile Roof Shown Left, S-Tile Roof Shown Right

Synthetic Roof Costs

Synthetic shingles are made of synthetic polymer and are designed to look like slate or cedar shake roofs. Although the slate and shake profiles are made of the same materials, the shake profile tends to be more expensive than the slate profile. Two examples of synthetic shingle manufacturers are F-Wave and DaVinci Roofscapes.

DaVinci Roof Example

F-Wave Roof Example

F-Wave roofs cost around $10.00 per square foot, and DaVinci roofs cost about $19.00 per square foot.

Stone Coated Steel Roofing Costs

Stone Coated Steel roofing systems come in various profiles, similar to tile and synthetic products. These systems install similarly to asphalt shingles, tile, and synthetic systems but are made of steel. Various manufacturers produce Stone Coated Steel products, a great option in our Colorado climate.

Stone Coated Steel Roof Example

Stone Coated steel roofs cost between $13.00 – $16.00 per square foot.

Flat Roof Costs

Flat roofs on residential homes are not uncommon here in Colorado Springs. The flat roof systems we see in our community are single-ply membranes TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin) and EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer). We also see Modified Bitumen on flat roofs here in Colorado Springs.

These systems are more complex than those listed above, and providing a price per square foot is extremely difficult. If you have a flat roof system, reach out to Holladay Grace, and we would be happy to come to inspect your home and give you a price for the repair or replacement of your flat roof.

TPO Flat Roof Example

EPDM Flat Roof Example

Modified Bitumen Flat Roof Example

Roof System Warranties

In general, each roof system comes with a different standard material warranty. Roofing contractors generally have various relationships with manufacturers and can offer enhanced system warranties.

This means the majority of products on your roof will all come from the same manufacturer, and your warranty will cover the entire system, not just parts, and pieces. These warranties range from 10 years to a lifetime, and some higher-end warranties even include workmanship and leak coverage.

The Must-Read Guide for Your Roof Purchase

Now you understand what goes into the price of a roof replacement, what different materials cost per square foot, and what roof makes the most sense for your home and your budget.

However, you don’t want to make a decision this big based on cost alone. That’s why you need The Homeonwer’s Guide to Buying a Roof Replacement.

This guide gives you all the critical information homeowners need to buy a new roof, from understanding the different components that make up a roof to selecting a reputable roofing contractor. Become the most informed homeowner in the roofing industry and get The Homeonwer’s Guide to Buying a Roof Replacement today.

Since 1979, Holladay Grace has treated every project as if it were our own.

If you’re local to Colorado Springs or the greater Front Range area, don’t hesitate to contact us for a roof replacement or any of your other roofing needs.

Here’s The Homeonwer’s Guide to Buying a Roof Replacement, so you have all the information needed for your roofing project.