Roof replacement cost: what goes into the price?

Ask a roofer what a new roof costs and most will tell you it depends. They are right, and it is also a dodge. It depends on seven things, every one of them measurable, and an honest quote shows all seven. This guide walks through them in the order a Mammoth inspector prices a roof, with the 2026 San Antonio ranges we actually see, so you can read any quote you are handed and know whether the number is real.

One rule before we start. Nothing here replaces the free, written Roof Grade. The ranges are true for typical homes; your roof is a specific home with a specific attic, and the inspection is where the range becomes a number.

A standard replacement on a typical single-story San Antonio home lands between $5,000 and $15,000. Two-story homes, cut-up roofs and premium materials push past $20,000. Across our own jobs the average replacement runs $15,000 to $18,000, because most of the homes we replace are larger north-side and Hill Country houses and many choose a Class 4 shingle, metal or the Forever Roof rather than the cheapest option.

Those are installed prices: tear-off, disposal, underlayment, the roof itself, flashings, ventilation and the clean-up. If a number you have been given is much lower, one of those is missing, and it is usually the one that stops leaks.

Roofers price in squares. One square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Your roof is bigger than your house's footprint because it slopes and overhangs: a 2,000 sq ft single-story home with a typical pitch usually carries 22–26 squares once the overhangs and the pitch are counted, and a 10% waste factor goes on top for the cuts at hips, valleys and rakes.

This is the first thing to check on any quote. If two roofers quote the same house and disagree on the squares by more than a couple, one of them measured from the street. We measure on the roof, and the number is written on the quote where you can check it.