What a new roof costs here, and what a complete quote contains
Two quotes for the same roof can differ by five thousand dollars, and the difference is almost never the shingles. It is the permit, the decking allowance, the fastening schedule and whether anyone intends to do the parts you cannot see.
The figures
| Roof | Installed | Expected life here |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural shingle, single storey | $12,500 – $18,000 | 20 – 25 years |
| Architectural shingle, two storey | $16,000 – $26,000 | 20 – 25 years |
| Complex roof, many valleys or dormers | Add 10 – 25% | — |
| Standing-seam metal | $24,000 – $41,000 | 40 years or more |
| Exposed-fastener metal | $15,000 – $26,000 | Washers at ~15 years |
| FORTIFIED upgrade on a planned reroof | Add $1,200 – $3,400 | Certificate lasts 5 years |
| Decking replacement, per sheet | $160 – $290 | — |
| Permit and inspections | $280 – $620 | — |
| Ridge ventilation | $620 – $1,400 | Adds years to a shingle roof |
Five things that separate two quotes
- The permit. Gulfport requires one on every reroof. If a quote does not have a line for it, either the contractor is absorbing it or they are not pulling one. Ask which.
- A decking figure. Some sheets are usually soft on an older roof. A good quote states the per-sheet price before starting, so three bad sheets is a known number rather than a conversation on day two.
- Six-nail fastening. The code here requires at least six nails per shingle because of the 160 mph design speed. Four is faster and cheaper and invisible once the roof is on.
- Ice-and-water and drip edge. Membrane at the valleys and penetrations, and new drip edge at eaves and rakes. Both are where wind-driven rain gets in, and both are easy omissions.
- Disposal and clean-up. Skip hire, tip fees and a magnet over the drive. It sounds trivial until a tyre finds a roofing nail.
Where the money actually goes
Tear-off and disposal is a real cost that layer-over markets avoid and this one cannot, because Gulfport permits one layer only. Materials scale with area and complexity — valleys, dormers, skylights and hips all add cutting, flashing and time. Access matters more here than inland: a raised pier-built house in Pass Christian or Waveland puts the ridge a long way up, and that is labour and safety rather than padding. And the roof's shape often matters more than its size; a simple gable of the same square footage as a cut-up hip roof with three dormers is a substantially cheaper job.
What a cheap quote is usually cheap on
Not the shingles, which are a commodity. It is the permit, the nail count, the underlayment specification, the drip edge, the ice-and-water, and the decking allowance. None of those are visible from the ground once the job is done, which is precisely why they are where the margin gets found. A quote several thousand dollars below the others is worth reading line by line rather than celebrating.
And the storm-chaser quote
After a named storm, out-of-state crews quote aggressively across this coast. Some are competent. The questions that sort them are an MSBOC licence number you can verify, a local address that is not a motel, and what happens if the roof leaks in year three. If the answer to the last one is vague, the price is not the bargain it looks.
Common questions
Why is one quote thousands lower?
Read the line items rather than the total. The usual gaps are the permit, a per-sheet decking allowance, six-nail fastening, ice-and-water at the valleys and penetrations, new drip edge, and disposal. A quote silent on all six is not the same job for less money.
How long does a replacement take?
Two to four days for an average single-storey house in good weather, plus inspection scheduling. Two-storey, complex roofs and substantial decking replacement take longer. Nobody should be tearing off into a forecast, so a sensible schedule here carries slack.
Can I just have the worst slope done?
Sometimes, and on a large roof where one slope has taken storm damage it can be reasonable. Be aware the new slope will not match the weathered ones for years, and that you will pay the mobilisation cost twice if the rest follows soon after.
Does the roof shape change the price much?
More than people expect. A simple gable and a cut-up hip roof with three dormers and four valleys can be the same square footage and differ by a quarter in price, because the second one is mostly cutting, flashing and detail work rather than laying field shingle.
Should I replace before or after hurricane season?
Before, if you have the choice. Spring and early summer give better weather, better availability and no competition with a post-storm rush. A roof replaced in April is also a roof that is not a claim in September.
Related: Roof replacement · Metal roof cost · Gulfport permits · The FORTIFIED grant