Roofers price by the square, not the square foot
A square is 100 square feet of roof surface. It is the unit every estimate is built on, and it is measured on the roof plane — not on your floor plan. A 2,000 square foot single-storey house does not have 20 squares of roof; once you account for pitch and overhangs it is usually closer to 25 or 28.
As a rough anchor for North Texas, installed architectural shingle tends to run somewhere around $450 to $800 per square depending on the shingle tier, the complexity of the roof and what the crew finds under the old material. Multiply that by 25 to 35 squares and you have the range most homeowners here end up in. Treat those as planning figures, not quotes — material pricing moves, and it moves hard in the months after a major storm when demand spikes.
The five things that actually move the price
1. Pitch. A steeper roof has more surface over the same footprint, and it is slower and more dangerous to work. Past a certain pitch crews need staging and fall protection, and labour cost climbs accordingly.
2. Complexity. Every valley, dormer, chimney and plumbing vent is a cut, a flashing detail and a leak risk. Two houses of identical size can differ by thousands if one is a simple hip roof and the other has seven planes. This is why West Plano roofs price higher than their square footage suggests.
3. Tear-off. Removing one layer is normal and included. A second or third layer — common on older downtown McKinney and Garland homes — is extra labour and extra disposal, and it should be its own line rather than a surprise on day two.
4. Decking. You cannot nail new shingle to soft wood. Rotten or delaminated sheathing has to be replaced, typically priced per sheet. A good estimate states that per-sheet price before the roof is opened, so the number is agreed rather than negotiated mid-job.
5. The parts that are not shingle. Underlayment, ice-and-water shield in the valleys, drip edge, starter strip, ridge cap, pipe boots, valley metal, and adequate intake and exhaust ventilation. A cheap estimate is usually cheap because it quietly reuses some of these.
What the material choice does to the number
Roughly, from least to most expensive per square installed:
- Three-tab asphalt — the old flat single-layer shingle. Cheapest, shortest life, and markedly more vulnerable to hail. Increasingly rare on replacements here for exactly that reason.
- Architectural (laminated) asphalt — the North Texas default. Thicker, better wind and impact performance, better looking. This is what most of this page's numbers assume.
- Impact-resistant (Class 4) asphalt — a premium tier built to survive hail. Costs more up front and many Texas carriers offer a premium discount for it, so ask your agent what the discount is before you decide it is not worth it.
- Metal — considerably more expensive, considerably longer lived, and a different trade. Worth pricing if you plan to stay in the house a very long time.
Most people here do not pay the full number
This is the part that surprises homeowners who move to Texas from milder markets. In hail country the large majority of roof replacements go through an insurance claim rather than out of pocket, and when a claim is approved the homeowner generally pays their deductible while the carrier covers the rest.
That changes the question completely. If your roof has claimable storm damage, the relevant number is your deductible — not the $18,000 on the estimate. If it is simply worn out from age, insurance will not cover it and the estimate is the real number. Working out which situation you are in is what an inspection is for, and it is covered in detail in our guide to roof insurance coverage in Texas.
How to read two estimates side by side
Price alone tells you very little. Put the two documents next to each other and compare these, in this order:
- Square count. If they disagree by more than a square or two, one of them measured badly. Ask both how they arrived at it.
- What is being replaced versus reused. Underlayment, drip edge, valley metal, pipe boots, ridge vent. Reusing these is the most common way an estimate gets cheap.
- Decking price per sheet, and whether it is stated at all.
- Ventilation. If neither document mentions intake and exhaust, neither contractor looked in your attic.
- Warranty — manufacturer warranty on materials and the contractor's own workmanship warranty are two different things with two different terms.
A higher estimate that replaces everything and states its assumptions is frequently cheaper over ten years than a low one that reuses flashing.
Free, no obligation
Not sure where your own roof stands?
A licensed North Texas roofer will inspect it, photograph anything they find and give you a written estimate — at no cost, whether you hire anyone or not.
Common questions
How much is a new roof in Dallas-Fort Worth?
Most full asphalt shingle replacements in DFW fall roughly between $9,000 and $25,000, driven mainly by roof size, pitch, complexity and what is found under the old shingle. Larger or steeply pitched homes run higher.
How many squares is my roof?
Most single-family DFW homes fall between about 20 and 35 squares. It is measured on the roof surface, not your floor area, so a 2,000 square foot house is usually closer to 25 squares once pitch and overhangs are counted.
Is a more expensive estimate a rip-off?
Not necessarily. Compare what is being replaced rather than reused — underlayment, drip edge, valley metal, pipe boots and ventilation are where cheap estimates get cheap. A higher quote that replaces everything often costs less over ten years.
Will insurance pay for my new roof?
If the damage is storm-related and the claim is approved, generally yes, with the homeowner paying their deductible. If the roof is simply worn out from age, insurance does not cover it.