How the ballpark is calculated
The calculator starts from the roof footprint you outline on the map: the area of the roof seen from straight above. It uses typical rates for a licensed, insured US roofing company, and they assume a normal walkable pitch (roughly 4/12 to 7/12) with one layer to tear off:
- Asphalt shingles: $7,500 for the first 1,000 square feet of footprint, plus $6 for each square foot after that. A 1,500 square foot footprint comes to about $10,500, and 2,000 square feet to about $13,500
- Metal roof: $14,000 for the first 1,000 square feet, plus $12 a foot. About $26,000 for a 2,000 square foot footprint
- Tile roof: $18,000 for the first 1,000 square feet, plus $15 a foot. About $33,000 for 2,000 square feet
The price includes tear-off, underlayment, flashing, cleanup and disposal. Extras are added on top: steep pitch (8/12 or steeper) adds $2,000 on shingles, a second story $750, tearing off a second layer $1,500 and replacing about five sheets of rotten decking $600. The calculator shows a range around the total, because no one can price a roof exactly from above.
What the map cannot see
The outline gives the footprint, not the sloped surface, and it does not read pitch, layers or soft decking. A steep roof has much more surface than its footprint. That is why this is a ballpark and the real estimate comes from a roofer who measures on the roof. Read roof replacement cost by material for what moves the price, and the roofing calculator to turn your footprint into squares.
For roofing companies
The same calculator goes on your website with your own starting prices, rates and extras. Homeowners who see a number that fits their budget book the inspection; the ones who wanted a $5,000 roof stop calling. Leads arrive with the address, the outlined footprint and the price they saw.