Where the Number Comes From
Most roofers price by feel, or by what the guy down the road charges. We price by production rate. Every roof is a certain number of man-hours. An experienced crew runs somewhere between three-quarters of a square and a square and a half per man per hour, tear-off and install, depending on the roof. So the price is that labor, plus material, plus what it costs to run a company that stands behind the work.
That last part is where the low bid cuts, and it's worth being plain about. To guarantee a result, you need layers: oversight, accountability, checks and balances. That means people who aren't on the roof. Someone measured it by satellite before anyone showed up. Someone confirmed the material with the supplier. Someone is checking the work. Someone is in the office answering the phone in year six. That's what makes a roof certain instead of hopeful, and it's a real cost. A roofer with a truck and a phone number doesn't carry it, and it shows up in his price, and it shows up again five years later.
What moves the price is anything that moves the production rate: pitch, complexity, layers, penetrations, siding and gutters that have to come off, rot, hand-loading. Everything that slows the crew down raises the number. The one thing that lowers it is a big open roof, past roughly 80 to 100 squares, where the crew hits a rhythm.
We're not built for everyone. We know that. We're built for the homeowner who wants certainty and understands it has a cost. If you're collecting seven bids and taking the lowest, that's a legitimate way to buy a roof. It's not what we're for. We're for the person who's been burned by the cheap roof, or watched a neighbor get burned, and would rather pay for it once. Nothing's more expensive than a cheap roof. We're the other option.
Roofing Cost at a Glance
Roof Repairs
Every repair starts at $500. Minor repairs, $500 to about $1,500. Moderate repairs, about $1,500 to $4,000. Major repairs, $4,000 and up. Most carry a 10 to 15 year warranty.
See Repair CostAsphalt Shingle Replacement
$500 to $1,000-plus per square, about $5 to $10 per square foot, as a full system. Rated 20 to 30 years. The best value for most West Michigan homes.
See Replacement CostStanding-Seam Metal
Starts around $12 per square foot, can exceed $25 to $30. Three to five times asphalt, most of it in the accessory work at every edge. Forty to seventy years.
See Metal CostCommercial Flat Roofing
TPO, EPDM, and modified bitumen roughly $6 to $12 per square foot. Coatings and restoration $2.50 to $8. Tapered insulation adds $2 to $4 where it's needed.
See Commercial CostCost Per Square Foot
What a square is, why your roof is bigger than your house, and how we actually arrive at a per-square number.
See Cost Per Square FootInsurance Claims
How roof claims actually work in Michigan, why scopes get underpaid, and what your policy owes you under code.
See Insurance ClaimsSeven Things That Change Your Roofing Price
- Roof size. Measured in squares, 100 square feet of surface, not the square footage of the house. Your roof is always bigger than your floor plan.
- Pitch and complexity. Steep roofs, valleys, hips, dormers, chimneys, and skylights all slow the crew and add fabrication. Every detail is a place where production stops.
- Material. Architectural asphalt is the value pick. Standing-seam metal is three to five times the cost and two to three times the life. Modified bitumen for residential flat sections.
- Layers. Michigan code caps a roof at two. Two layers is twice the tear-off. And we never overlay.
- Deck and structure. Rot found at tear-off has to be fixed. We price it as an allowance up front or per sheet once we can show you, your choice.
- Ventilation and code items. Ice and water shield past the ice line, ventilation sized to the attic, drip edge, kick-out flashing. Required by code and manufacturer spec, and the first things a low bid drops.
- Overlapping trades. Siding, gutters, fascia, framing. We're a licensed builder and we handle what's on the roof.
Which One Do You Actually Need?
Most roof problems are repairs. If damage is limited to one area, the deck is sound, the roof has life left in the field, and there's one layer, repair, and most of ours carry 10 to 15 years. If the roof is 20-plus and worn across slopes, leaks keep coming back in new places, there are two layers, or the deck is bad in more than one area, replacement. If it's a repair, we say repair. Our gallery is full of roofs where two other companies said replace and we fixed it for a few thousand dollars.
What a Complete Estimate Includes
Full tear-off and disposal. Synthetic underlayment. Ice and water shield past where the ice dam forms. Starter and ridge cap. All new drip edge and flashing, kick-out at every wall, nothing reused. Ventilation sized to the attic. Six nails per shingle, hand-sealed when it's cold. Deck repair priced up front or approved before it's done. Permit, cleanup, magnetic sweep. Manufacturer's enhanced warranty registered on your behalf, plus a workmanship warranty in writing.
If one bid is dramatically lower, look for what's missing. It's usually one of those. That's not a lower price. It's a smaller roof.
Spread the Cost
Stellar Roofing Company finances everything from a small repair to a full replacement, residential and commercial, through multiple lenders. Storm claims can pair with financing to cover the deductible. And we're one of the few roofing companies in West Michigan that can finance a commercial roof.
Why We Inspect Before We Quote
Not because we're hiding the price. Because we haven't measured the roof, counted the details, or looked in the attic yet, and every one of those changes the man-hours. Get us out for a free inspection, or send photos and get an inspector on the phone. Either way you get a firm written number before anyone touches the roof.
Roofing Cost Questions
How much does a roof cost in West Michigan?
Repairs start at $500 and run in three tiers up through $4,000-plus. Asphalt replacement runs $500 to $1,000-plus per square as a full system. Standing-seam metal starts around $12 per square foot. Commercial flat roofs run roughly $6 to $12 per square foot. Your number depends on the roof, not the house, and we confirm it with a free inspection.
How do you come up with your prices?
Man-hours times a production rate, plus material, plus the cost of a company that stands behind the work. Everything that slows the crew down raises the price. Everything that lets them run lowers it. Our cost-per-square page walks through it.
Why is one estimate so much lower than the others?
It's usually a smaller roof. Missing ice and water shield, reused flashing, four nails instead of six, ventilation skipped, an overlay instead of a tear-off, no written workmanship warranty. Nothing's more expensive than a cheap roof.
Do you give prices over the phone?
Ranges, yes. A firm number, no. Get us out for a free inspection or send photos to an inspector.
Do you finance?
Yes, everything from a small repair to a full replacement, residential and commercial, through multiple lenders.