What Roof Repairs Actually Cost
We price repairs in three tiers, and we'll tell you how they work, because most roofers won't.
Every repair starts at $500. That's the minimum, and it's not a number we picked. It's what it costs to put a tradesman in a truck carrying tens of thousands of dollars in tools at your house and back, and behind him, the layers of the company that make sure the repair is right. Somebody measured the roof by satellite before he arrived. Somebody confirmed the material was correct and on the truck. Somebody is checking the work and answering the phone if the leak comes back. That's overhead, and it's the reason we can promise the outcome and not just quote it. We pay those bills twelve months a year on maybe eight months of workable weather, and that's what the rate is built on. A roofer charging less isn't charging enough to still be in business when your warranty comes due.
What Each Tier Looks Like
Minor Repairs:
$500 to about $1,500
Small, contained problems. A pipe boot. A few shingles. A section of step flashing. A localized leak with no wood damage. Handled by one of our Level 2 technicians, usually a few hours to half a day.
Moderate Repairs:
about $1,500 to $4,000
More complex, and handled by our highest-skilled Level 4 technicians. Most chimney re-flashes land here. Skylight replacements at $2,000 to $3,000 per skylight. Improperly built valleys. Areas where multiple materials meet or the roof geometry makes things hard. Usually a full day.
Major Repairs:
$4,000 and up
Structural issues, rebuilding sections of the roof, significant water damage, complex drainage or flashing problems, or a big fieldstone chimney on a steep roof, which can push a re-flash to $6,000 or $7,000. Multiple days, and often more than one trade.
Two honest answers. Some roof problems have a minor option, which fixes what's in front of us with realistic expectations for how long it lasts, and a moderate or major option, which addresses the root cause with a stronger warranty and costs more because it's a more thorough job. Both are legitimate. We lay out both and let you decide based on your budget and how long you plan to keep the roof.
From Our Gallery
These are actual Stellar repairs, with the time on the roof and the price. Full write-ups and photos in the gallery.
- Pipe boot replacement: about $500, 10-year warranty. A handyman had charged the same $500 to caulk it. It leaked worse.
- Chimney flashing and three pipe boots: about $1,600, three hours. Two other companies said the roof needed replacing.
- Chimney flashing rebuild: about $1,500, four hours, 10-year warranty. Several rounds of caulk from other companies before us.
- Chimney flashing and deck repair: about $2,400, five hours, 15-year warranty. Done within one business day of a home inspection.
- Valley leak repair, both sides of the roof: about $3,000, six hours, 15-year warranty. Three separate causes the first roofer missed.
- Skylight replacement with interior trim: about $3,800, one day. Leaked for years through several failed repairs.
- Hip section rebuild with new framing and ventilation: about $2,600, one day, 15-year warranty. Ten winters of leaks, still dry five years later.
- Residential EPDM flat roof, full tear-off and rebuild: about $10,800, a day and a half, 15-year warranty. Four layers and a cheap contractor's roof that failed in two years.
Every one of those was a repair another roofer would have quoted as a replacement, or a replacement another roofer would have done cheap.
What Moves a Repair Into a Higher Tier
We can give you the ranges. We can't tell you what your repair costs until we've seen it, because none of those show in a phone call. Get us out for a free inspection, or send photos and get one of our inspectors on the line.
- Roof pitch and access. Steep roofs and multi-story homes take longer and need more safety setup.
- The source of the leak. A pipe boot is minor. A chimney with reused step flashing and rotted decking behind it is moderate to major.
- Wood damage. If a leak has been running long enough to rot the deck or framing, that's real carpentry, and it moves the tier.
- Chimney size and material. Brick versus fieldstone, and how big, is the difference between $1,600 and $6,000.
- Skylight size, roof pitch, layers, and whether the interior trim needs to be rebuilt.
- Whether it's one leak or three. On the same ceiling stain, we've found water coming in at two, three, four places.
- Materials. Matching a discontinued shingle, or a specialty membrane on a flat roof, adds cost.
When Repair Stops Making Sense
Repair is the right call when damage is limited to one area or one detail, the deck and structure are sound, the roof has years of life left in the field, and there's one layer of shingles. Most of our repairs carry a 10 to 15 year warranty.
Replacement makes more sense when the roof is 20 or more years old and worn across slopes, when leaks keep coming back in new places, when there are two layers of shingles, or when the deck is bad in more than one area. At that point you're paying for repairs on a roof that's dying anyway.
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.
How to Keep Repair Costs Down
- Act early. A cracked pipe boot is a $500 fix. The same boot leaking into the deck for three winters is a $2,600 section rebuild.
- Bundle. Since every repair starts at $500 and that covers the trip, one visit that handles three small problems costs a lot less than three visits.
- Get on a maintenance schedule. A spring and fall visit catches the pipe boot, the lifted flashing, and the clogged drain before they're leaks. It's the cheapest roofing you'll ever buy.
- Don't patch it with caulk. Household caulk doesn't belong on a roof and roofing tar isn't meant to be exposed. Half the chimneys in our gallery had been patched by someone before us, and every patch made the real repair bigger.
Get an Exact Repair Estimate
We can't tell you what your repair costs until we've seen it. Get us out for a free inspection, or send photos and get an inspector on the phone. Either way you get a firm written price before anyone touches the roof.
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Roof Repair Cost Questions
How much does a roof repair cost in West Michigan?
Every repair starts at $500. Minor repairs like a pipe boot or a few shingles run $500 to about $1,500. Moderate repairs like a chimney re-flash or a skylight replacement run about $1,500 to $4,000. Major repairs with structural work run $4,000 and up. Your number depends on the source, the pitch, and how much wood the water got into, and we confirm it with a free inspection.
Why is there a $500 minimum?
Because that's what it costs to send a tradesman with a truck full of tools to your house and back, with the company behind him that measured the roof, confirmed the material, checked the work, and answers the phone if the leak comes back. We pay those bills year-round on eight months of workable weather. A roofer charging less isn't charging enough to be here when the warranty comes due.
Is a repair or a replacement more cost-effective?
If damage is isolated and the roof has life left, repair, and most of ours carry a 10 to 15 year warranty. If the roof is 20-plus, worn across slopes, or on its second layer, replacement, because you'd be paying for repairs on a roof that's dying anyway. We show you photos and tell you which.
Can I get a price over the phone?
Ranges, yes. A firm number, no, and be cautious of any roofer who gives you one without seeing the roof. Get us out for a free inspection, or send photos and get an inspector on the phone.
Do you finance repairs?
Yes. Stellar Roofing Company finances everything from a small repair to a full replacement, residential and commercial, through multiple lenders. Ask about it when you schedule.