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Buying a new roof isn’t cheap. The average national cost of replacing a roof is $7,633, with most homeowners spending between $5,203 and $10,119, according to data from HomeAdvisor.
Costs vary depending on where you live, the type of materials you use and whether or not you have other home improvement work that needs to take place alongside the roof replacement. Following are seven steps to getting a good deal on keeping a solid roof over your head.
1. Get an inspection
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Unless there’s a glaring problem, it might be difficult to spot exactly what’s going on with your roof. You might see that a few tiles were blown off in a windstorm or notice a leak, but those observations only tell a small part of the story.
If you really want to know what’s going on, hiring a roof inspector can be a good investment. HomeAdvisor says you’ll pay an average of $203 for an inspection.
An inspection can help you determine whether you really need a new roof — or can simply repair the roof you have. Roofing companies can also make this assessment, but you will have to be confident that you will get an unbiased opinion, as they might have an interest in selling you a new roof.
2. Find out if the roof is under warranty
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If you have recently purchased the home, look at whether the existing roof is still under warranty. You might have received that information upon purchasing the house. If not, try to get in touch with the people from whom you purchased the home, or review any repair records.
If your home is new, you might also have some coverage under a new-home warranty. The Federal Trade Commission offers guidelines on how such warranties typically work.
In addition to warranties, you might also want to look at the local bylaws of your housing association. For example, if you live in a townhouse community, your housing association might actually be responsible for replacing the roof.
3. Decide whether to repair or replace
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Assuming you don’t have any warranty coverage, you’ll need to decide whether to repair or replace the roof. Calculate how near the roof is to its natural “end of life.” You should be able to get that information from your roof inspector or the warranty information.
If the roof still has 10 or 15 years left in it, and the cost of the repairs is relatively inexpensive, it might be worth doing a repair. Just make sure you’re not throwing money at a temporary fix to a problem that soon will require a complete replacement.