Top 4 Factors That Affect The Cost of a New Roof

No one wants to pay more for something than they have to, especially when it comes to a large home improvement purchase. So, why can there be thousands of dollars difference between contractor bids for neighboring homes? And how can homeowners get an idea of what a new roof will cost?
In general, labor for a new roof should make up 60-65 percent of the cost and most of the remaining cost, 30-35 percent, should be the cost for materials, according to Rick Taylor, a longtime roofing contractor now working as a training manager for TAMKO Building Products, Inc. After labor and materials, the remaining costs, approximately 5-10 percent of the total, should consist of disposal for any building materials that need to be removed and any additional fees like paying to have the shingles craned up to the roof or renting scaffolding for the job.
As for the specific dollar figure, there are many factors that go into a roofing bid. Here are the top four factors that can affect the cost of a new roof.
1. Size
The larger the house, the larger the roof, and the more shingles needed to cover it. According to industry standards, one square of shingles is the amount needed to cover 100 square feet of roof, and as a rule of thumb for most three-tab and laminated shingles, there are three shingle bundles in each square. To estimate the number of squares needed, divide the total square feet by 100.
When calculating how much roofing you need,