What does a new roof cost in North Texas?
Most single-family asphalt shingle replacements in the Fort Worth market land somewhere between eight and twenty-five thousand dollars, and the spread is that wide because four things move it: how many squares of roof there are, how steep it is, how many layers have to come off, and what goes back on. Metal runs well above that range. Anybody quoting a figure without seeing the roof is guessing.
Squares, not square feet
Roofing is priced in squares, and one square is one hundred square feet of roof surface. A two thousand square foot single-story house with a moderate pitch has roughly twenty-five to thirty squares of roof, because the roof surface is larger than the floor plan once the slope and the overhangs are counted.
That conversion is the first thing to get straight, because a price per square foot of house and a price per square of roof differ by roughly a factor of a hundred and the two get quoted interchangeably.
Pitch and complexity
A roof steep enough to need harnesses and roof jacks takes longer and costs more to cover than a walkable one. Anything above about a 7/12 pitch moves into that category.
Complexity is the other half. A simple gable roof is fast. A roof cut up with valleys, dormers, hips, chimneys, skylights and a dozen penetrations needs flashing detail at every one of them, and flashing detail is labor rather than material. Two houses of identical square footage can differ by thousands on this alone.
Layers and decking
Tearing off two layers instead of one roughly doubles the tear-off labor and the disposal volume. On older Fort Worth housing stock a second layer is common and it is often not discovered until the first layer is off.
Decking is the genuine unknown on any replacement. Sheets that have been wet cannot hold a nail and have to be replaced, and there is no way to count them from the outside. Decking is normally priced per sheet as an allowance, which is why the final number can move slightly from the estimate. Ask what the per-sheet rate is before you sign.
Material
Three-tab shingle is the cheapest and it is increasingly rare on new work, because architectural shingle costs modestly more, lasts longer and carries a better wind rating. Impact-resistant shingle costs more again and may earn a premium discount from your carrier, which is worth asking about before choosing.
Metal is a different order of cost and a different order of service life. A metal roof can last thirty to fifty years or more against the fifteen to twenty-five an asphalt roof gives in this climate, which is the whole argument for it.
Related questions
Why do roofing quotes vary so much?
Usually because they are not quoting the same job. Check the decking allowance, whether flashing and vents are being replaced or reused, and what underlayment is specified.
Is the cheapest quote a bad sign?
Not by itself. It becomes one when the scope is thinner than the others, which is what a line-by-line comparison shows.
Does a new roof add value to the house?
It rarely returns its full cost on paper, and it removes an objection that stops buyers making an offer at all.
Can I pay for a roof over time?
Financing exists across the trade. Ask at the estimate what is available on your job rather than assuming.
