What kind of roof do I need, and what does it really cost?
For the person who knows they need a new roof and now has to figure out what kind. Three materials worth your time, nine components that should be on every estimate, and an honest NC price.
Three materials worth your time.
Walk into any roofer's showroom and you will see twenty shingles in five colors. The real choice is between three product categories. Anything else is a salesperson trying to be different.
Architectural asphalt shingle
The standard NC roof. About 80% of what we install.
- Lifespan in NC
- 22 to 28 years
- Installed price
- $350 to $450 per square installed
- Best for
- Most homes. Best lifetime cost. Insurance replaces them cleanly.
- Watch out for
- Avoid cheap "three-tab" shingles. Not the same thing. Refuse anything below GAF Timberline HDZ or equivalent.
Premium / designer shingle
Thicker, heavier, longer warranty. The "lifetime" tier.
- Lifespan in NC
- 28 to 35 years
- Installed price
- $480 to $620 per square installed
- Best for
- Homes you plan to stay in 15+ years, or where the HOA wants the look.
- Watch out for
- Marketing-only "premium" labels exist. Ask for weight per square. Good ones are 240 lbs and up.
Standing-seam metal
The longest-lived roof you can buy. Different category of project.
- Lifespan in NC
- 40 to 60 years
- Installed price
- $1,100 to $1,500 per square installed
- Best for
- Forever homes. Steep modern designs. The "one and done" roof.
- Watch out for
- Exposed-fastener "metal" (the kind with visible screws) is a different product. 20-year life and a leak at every screw. Standing-seam is the one you want.
A roof is nine things. Not just shingles.
When two estimates differ by $4,000, this is where the difference usually hides. The cheap roofer is leaving two or three of these off the job. The result still looks like a roof for a year or two. Then it starts to leak in the places they cut.
The deck
The plywood or OSB the whole roof sits on. Bad spots are replaced, not covered over.
Drip edge
Metal along the eaves and gables that pushes water off the deck. Required by NC code. Skipped surprisingly often.
Ice and water shield
Self-sealing membrane in valleys, around penetrations, and along eaves. Stops wind-driven rain.
Synthetic underlayment
The waterproof layer over the rest of the deck. The old tar paper is dead. Synthetic only.
Starter strip
A factory-made first row of shingles along every eave and rake. Wind goes under shingles without it.
Field shingles
The big visible layer. Architectural, premium, or metal panels. Most of what you pay for and the smallest part of what makes a roof last.
Flashing
Metal around the chimney, walls, skylights, and pipes. Where 80% of leaks come from when it's done wrong.
Ridge cap
The shaped shingles that cover the peak. Not optional. Not interchangeable with field shingles.
Ventilation
Ridge vent at the top, soffit vents at the bottom. Without it, shingles cook from the underside and the warranty is void.
Use this against your estimates. Every one of the nine should appear by name on your written estimate. Not as “we always include that.” In writing. If a line is missing, ask the roofer to add it. If they push back, you have your answer.
What a roof actually costs.
Real numbers from real jobs we did in 2024 and 2025. Your roof will land somewhere in here, with the calculator getting you most of the way to the right square.
Use the cost estimator on your house.
Six questions, ninety seconds. The math is the same math we use for our written quotes. No email, no follow-up call.
Open the estimator →Reading a written estimate.
You should get two or three written estimates. They will look different even when they are for the same roof. Here is how to compare them honestly.
- The material has a brand and a line. “Architectural shingle” is not enough. “GAF Timberline HDZ” or “Owens Corning Duration” is enough. Brand and line, every time.
- The nine components are all listed. Cross-check against the nine-components reference. Missing flashing, missing ridge vent, missing ice and water shield. These are the lines cheap estimates skip.
- There is a per-sheet decking price. No estimate can predict how much bad wood is under your old roof. A good estimate names a per-sheet price for replacement (usually $80 to $120/sheet). A bad estimate is silent and surprises you on install day.
- The warranty is named. “25-year warranty” means almost nothing. “GAF Golden Pledge, filed in your name within 30 days of completion” means something specific. Ask for the warranty document by name.
- Payment terms are reasonable. In NC, a typical schedule is a small deposit at signing, a material drop payment when the shingles arrive, and the balance at completion. Anyone asking for “half upfront” before any work starts is a flag.
If two estimates are identical on the page but $4,000 apart in price, the cheaper one is either eating their margin (unlikely) or planning to charge you back later with a surprise “additional work” invoice. Ask the cheap one to put a hard ceiling on additional work in writing. If they will not, that tells you what is coming.
When you are ready to talk to a real person, we will quote your roof against the nine-component spec on this page. No upsell, no “today only” pricing.
Tools to help you plan.
Three things to use as you sort estimates and budgets. All free. All on this site, no app to download.
Cost Estimator
The same math we use for our written quotes, run from six honest questions. Range only, no fake precision. No email required.
Nine components
A printable one-pager of every layer that should be on your roof. Pull it out when you read estimates. The cheap roofer is skipping two or three.
Materials comparison
Architectural, premium, metal. Lifespans, prices, warranties, and which one fits which house.