What a roof replacement costs in the Twin Cities
Two bids on one house can differ by thousands, and greed is rarely the explanation. They include different work, and in this climate the gap almost always sits in the same place: the winter work. Ice barrier, valleys, flashing and ventilation.
The lines that move the number
Tear-off comes first: code allows two layers at most, and a great many metro roofs were recovered once in the 1980s or 1990s, so this replacement strips to the deck: more labor, more disposal. Decking is the wildcard, priced per sheet by anyone doing it honestly; on a roof that has been through two tear-offs the boards have taken a lot of nails. Roof geometry does the rest of the arithmetic: the metro’s split-entries, walkouts and attached garages carry more planes, valleys and wall junctions than their square footage suggests.
Then the four lines this climate makes non-negotiable: ice barrier membrane at the eaves: with the run stated in feet, because the code minimum is a floor; valley construction, open with metal rather than woven shingle, because a smooth channel sheds ice; flashing replaced rather than reused at every wall junction; and attic ventilation, intake and exhaust balanced. That last one is the line most often missing from the thin bid, and the one that decides whether the new covering lives out its warranty.
Why timing changes the quote
The working season here runs roughly May through October, the shortest of any major market, because asphalt shingles need sustained warmth to seal. Every roof in the metro competes for those five months, and the calendar fills from the middle out. Quotes gathered in February and March consistently get more contractor attention, better scheduling and sharper pricing than the same job quoted in July, when the crews are already committed. On subdivision streets where whole plats reach replacement age together, quoting a season ahead of your neighbors is the single easiest money-saver available.
Before you sign, make every bidder answer
- How many layers come off, and what does hauling them cost?
- A strip and a recover are different jobs at different prices. Ask what the estimator actually found on your roof rather than what is typical for the neighborhood.
- Is there a written per-sheet rate for bad decking?
- It is how an honest bidder prices something nobody can see yet. Its absence is the single most common reason a final invoice lands above the quote.
- How many feet up the slope does the ice barrier run?
- The code minimum is a starting point measured from the eave, not a design. On a house that builds ice every winter, paying for extra coverage while the deck is open is far cheaper than living with the consequence.
- Open metal valleys or woven shingle, and why?
- The “why” matters more than the answer. A bidder who has a reason has thought about how meltwater and ice move down your particular roof; one who has no reason is repeating a habit.
- New flashing at every wall junction, or reused and sealed?
- Wall junctions are where most roofs here actually leak, long before the field wears out. New metal costs more on paper and less over the life of the covering.
- What is being done about intake and exhaust on this roof?
- “We reinstall the vents” is not a scope. Ask for intake and exhaust by name, in this climate it is the line with the largest effect on how the roof behaves in February.
Next step: How long a roof actually lasts here