FAQ

It depends on the material and the square count, which is why the question cannot be answered from the total alone. At the estimated Monsey rate of $350 to $700 per square, $30,000 buys about 43 to 86 squares of shingle roof, more than most houses carry, so on shingle it deserves an explanation: layers, decking, a steep or many-valleyed roof. For metal at about $4 to $30 a square foot nationally, the same $30,000 covers 1,000 to 7,500 square feet of roof, so it can be fair. Ask for both materials priced on your measured roof.

Asphalt shingles, up front: about $1 to $4 a square foot nationally against $4 to $30 for metal. Metal is generally rated at 40 to 70 years against 15 to 30 for asphalt, so over a long ownership the gap narrows. Whether it closes depends on how long you will own the house, which is why both are priced on the same roof.

For asphalt shingle on most houses here it is high: at $350 to $700 a square, $50,000 would cover roughly 71 to 143 squares, far more roof than most homes have. For metal on a large roof, at $4 to $30 a square foot, it can be in range. The total only means something next to the square count and the material, so ask for both on paper.

For Monsey, a published estimate puts roofing at about $350 to $700 per square, which multiplies out to roughly $7,000 to $14,000 for a 20-square roof and $10,500 to $21,000 for 30 squares. National guides put the average replacement anywhere from about $9,500 to $17,631, within a range from $5,800 to over $47,000. Your roof's own figure is a written quote once it has been measured.

In Monsey, plan on one. The Town of Ramapo's fee schedule has its own line for a re-roof or a tear-off and replace, listed at $250 for a residence in its February 2018 schedule, so confirm the current fee. The Town's Building Department is at 237 Route 59 in Suffern. Kaser and Wesley Hills are incorporated villages, so ask the village which office handles a re-roof there. Whoever does the work should pull it.

Ask for their Rockland County home improvement license number, since the county licenses home improvement contractors through its Office of Consumer Protection. Ask how many squares they measured, how many layers come off, how decking is priced, and who pulls the permit. If you are undecided on material, ask for shingle and metal on the same count. And ask for the maker's terms and their workmanship terms in writing.

Shingles curling, buckling or missing across whole slopes; granules collecting in the gutters; a sag you can see from the street; daylight through the deck in the attic; and damaged flashing that keeps leaking after repair. Age is a prompt rather than a verdict: asphalt is generally rated at 15 to 30 years. One sign alone is usually a repair.

A small, steady drip in one spot, caught in a bucket, can usually wait a few days for a proper repair. Water near a light fixture, a ceiling that bulges, or a leak that grows with every rain cannot wait at all. The longer any leak runs, the more sheathing, insulation and ceiling it takes with it, which is how a small repair becomes a large one.