ROOF COST Guide-RGV

The slope or pitch of your roof is one of the biggest contributors to price.

A higher pitch requires:

• Additional safety setup
• Extra labor time
• Specialized equipment
• More laborers on the crew
• Slower installation pace

Steep roofs can also add more material waste because cutting shingles to fit the angles produces off-cuts. A 6/12, 8/12, or 12/12 roof will always be more expensive than a low-slope home. This isn’t a contractor markup — it’s simply the real cost of labor and safety to do the job correctly.

Homeowners are often surprised to learn that shingle quality varies dramatically.

You’ll find:

• Basic 3-tab shingles (cheapest, lowest warranty)
• Architectural shingles (industry standard, better lifespan)
• Impact-resistant or designer shingles (top-tier protection and curb appeal)

But beyond shingles, the system underneath them matters even more:

underlayment, ice & water shield, ventilation, starter strips, ridge caps, nails, flashing, and sealants. Cheap materials reduce upfront cost but hurt long-term performance.

A one-story home is easier to work on than a two- or three-story home.

Height affects:

• Labor difficulty
• Ladder setup
• Safety requirements
• Time needed to carry materials up and down

Accessibility also matters. Tight side yards, pools, AC units, gardens, or fences can make the project slower and require more careful protection — and that adds cost to do the job without damaging your property.

A simple roof with long, clean slopes is one thing.

A roof with:

• Valleys
• Hips
• Dormers
• Multiple levels
• Skylights
• Chimneys
• Dead-spots
• Tight angles
• Turbines or solar panels

…requires significantly more precision, cutting, sealing, and time.

This complexity also creates more material waste, which is why two roofs with the same square footage can have two very different totals.

Every roof has a certain percentage of “waste” — shingles that must be cut and discarded to fit angles and details.

• A simple roof might have 8–10% waste.
• A complex roof might reach 18–25% or more.

This waste is not a contractor padding your bill — it’s literally the additional shingles required to install the system correctly.

One of the biggest differences in pricing across the roofing industry comes down to labor quality.

Cheap estimates usually involve:

• Untrained crews
• Day laborers
• No supervision
• No certifications
• No warranty backing

At XYZ Roofing, all installations are completed by Owens Corning Certified Installers who follow manufacturer specifications to protect your warranty and your home.

This ensures:

• Proper nailing patterns
• Correct underlayment installation
• Accurate ventilation setup
• Code-compliant flashing and sealing
• Work that actually qualifies for real warranties

Professional labor will always cost more — but the long-term value is unmatched.

Many roofing companies send a crew and disappear until the end of the job.

We don’t work that way.

At XYZ Roofing, every project includes a dedicated project manager on-site whose only job is to:

• Ensure correct installation
• Maintain job-site safety
• Protect the homeowner’s property
• Document the entire process
• Communicate with the homeowner in real time
• Verify quality at every stage

This level of supervision reduces errors, protects your warranty, and ensures the roof is installed exactly as promised. It’s a premium service — but it’s the only way to guarantee extraordinary results.