Roofing Costs - Understanding How Contractors Come Up With Bids

If there is one thing that many homeowners dislike, it is the renovation or repair of their roofs because roofing costs can be quite expensive. So if you find that there are some shingles missing from the top of your house or there is water leaking on your ceiling, then you must consider having your roofing system checked by professionals. But before you contract the services of the first roofing company that you find in the yellow pages or on the Internet, you better read the tips below on how you can bring down the repair costs of your roof.

Before thinking about roofing costs, the first thing you need to do is to shop around. Do not just get one contractor to check your roof and give you a bid. Ensure that you ask at least five companies to give you bids. Also, be sure that the contractors you choose have good professional background. You will only know this through referrals from your family or friends or by checking the references of the company. Do not forget to ask the company for references and be sure to call them so you will know if the company bidding on your project is dependable and professional. 

In order to know if the estimates provided by the companies are reasonable, you have to think about how these groups come up with their bids. Of course, the bulk of the roofing costs will go to the materials that will have to be used, a portion will be used for the hauling of the shingles or other materials that will be removed from your old roof, and some will go to the labor and miscellaneous costs. You can expect for higher estimates if the company also needs to do some structural repairs or masonry work if your chimney and other structures on the roof ought to be fixed too.

It is important to note that labor and miscellaneous expenses are different from one company to another. So if you want to make your own estimate of the roofing costs, then you need to start by considering the price of the materials. The common 3-tab shingles usually cost $19 to $22 per bundle. If you want the heavier ones then you must be willing to pay $25 to $32. Roofing felt usually costs $5 to $7 each roll, while metal trim for your roof is about $30. For hauling and dumping of materials, the cost usually ranges from $150 to $300.