Home Depot roofing is a go to choice for homeowners looking to save on the cost of roof replacement without compromising quality.
Home Depot carries a huge range of roofing products, including roofing shingles from major brands like GAF and Owens Corning.
Learning more about the types of roofing materials Home Depot offers can help you make the right choice based on your budget and your home’s needs.
Average Home Depot Roofing Cost
It’s a little tough to determine the average total cost of Home Depot roofing for two reasons – the company carries several brands, and it no longer offers installation.
The former issue means there is a lot of variance in Home Depot’s pricing, as well as differences in the bundles of shingles you receive from the company.
For instance, some of its shingles come in bundles that cover 30 square feet, while others come in packs covering 100 linear feet.
As for the latter issue, costs can vary widely depending on the contractor you use to install your shingles and the shingle material.
Still, you can determine a rough estimate using some research.
Shingle Make | Cost Per Square Foot | Installation Cost Per Square Foot | Total Cost for a 1,700-Square-Foot Roof |
---|---|---|---|
Owens Corning Oakridge Sierra | $1.20 | $4.50-$6.00 | $9,690-$12,240 |
GAF Timberline HDZ | $1.27 | $4.50-$6.00 | $9,809-$12,359 |
Owens Corning DecoRidge | $3.40 | $4.50-$6.00 | $13,430-$15,980 |
GAF TimberCrest | $3.83 | $4.50-$6.00 | $14,161-$16,711 |
Starting with shingles, the cheapest shingles Home Depot supplies are Owens Corning’s Oakridge Sierra range, which comes in at $39.47 for a 32.8-square-foot bundle.
That creates a price of $1.20 per square foot.
Home Depot’s most expensive shingles are its GAF TimberCrest, which cost $3.83 per square foot.
So, that price range of $1.20 to $3.83 gives an average of $2.52 per square foot of shingles from Home Depot.
Did you know? Beyond Owens Corning and GAF roof shingles, Home Depot also offers a full roof replacement kit for 93 x 72 x 75-inch barrel saunas. Made by ALEKO, this specialist kit is excluded from the above calculations because it only has one use – saunas – making it irrelevant to most people who want to buy standard roof shingles.
Next, there are installation costs.
A roofing contractor typically charges between $4.50 and $6.00 per square foot for installation, giving an average of $5.25 per square foot.
Add that to the average cost of shingles per square foot ($2.52) and you get $7.77 per square foot installed.
Finally – calculating the costs for the average American roof.
Estimates vary on the size of the average American roof, though most settle at around the 1,700 square feet mark based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Assuming this figure is correct, you can use a simple formula to determine the average cost of Home Depot roofing:
Square footage of the roof times the cost per square foot of roofing materials installed.
This gives an average cost of $13,209 to fit a full roof using Home Depot shingles, though remember that this cost could go much higher (or substantially lower) depending on the installer and the shingles you buy.
The cheapest Home Depot shingles combined with the lowest installation costs work out to $9,690 for installation.
But the most expensive Home Depot shingles combined with installation costs of $6 per square foot add up to $16,711 for a 1,700-square-foot home.
Cost Of Home Depot Roofing Shingles
Home Depot only offers two types of roofing materials – asphalt shingles and felt.
The cost of asphalt shingles varies depending on the brand you buy, though it matches the average cost of shingles from the company.
That’s because both the cheapest and most expensive shingles Home Depot offers fall into the asphalt category.
So, expect to pay between $1.20 and $3.83 per square foot of asphalt shingles, depending on the brand and make of shingles.
Did you know? Though most of Home Depot’s shingles fall under the asphalt umbrella, it actually offers several different types of shingles. These include cost-effective starter shingles (which won’t last long but are great for keeping to a budget), architectural shingles (to create a 3D look), and hip and ridge shingles.
As for felt, Home Depot only offers one option – GAF’s Quickstart 33-linear foot “peel-and-stick” starter rolls.
At $27.98 per box, this felt can serve as an underlay on which you place shingles, though you may not need it if you’re replacing an existing roof that has in-tract felt.
Additional Cost Factors Of A Home Depot Roof
Unfortunately, roof installation often requires more work than picking shingles and finding a contractor to fit them.
That only works if you’re fitting a roof on a newly built house.
In most cases, Home Depot’s customers are looking to replace an existing roof, meaning they have to consider several additional factors that may drive up their costs.
Factor 1 – Roof Removal
Removing existing roof shingles (and underlay) can cost almost as much as installing a new roof, at least in terms of contractor costs.
Expect to pay somewhere between $1 and $4.50 per square foot of roof removed, creating an average total cost of between $1,700 and $7,650 for a 1,700-square-foot house.
Note – disposal of waste materials from a roof removal isn’t always included in the contractor’s square-foot price, especially if you’re paying closer to the $1 per-square-foot range.
Always check with your contractor to see if they provide separate quotes for removal and disposal.
Factor 2 – Your Roof’s Slope
Square footage isn’t the only thing that an installer has to consider when fitting a roof.
Accessibility can be a challenge, especially when it comes to the roof’s slope.
As a rule of thumb, expect a contractor to charge more per square foot for installation if they need to tackle steep slopes in your roof.
Installing onto slopes takes more time, carries more risk, and sometimes requires special equipment.
Again, speak to your contractor about this issue before they begin the job.
They should explain that a roof’s slope is calculated as a ratio that calculates how many inches the roof slopes up vertically for every 12 horizontal inches.
If you start hearing ratios like “10/12” or “12/12” getting bandied about, you have a steep roof and may have to pay more for installation.
Factor 3 – Additional Roofing Materials
As nice as it would be to think that you can just fit shingles onto a bare roof and be done with the job, that simply isn’t the case.
A full roof needs decking as a base (which you should hopefully already have in a roof replacement), along with vents to permit airflow and underlayment to provide more protection against water.
You may also have to pay for flashing, which goes around skylights, chimneys, and any other roof features that have edges along which shingles don’t fit perfectly.
How much you pay for these roofing materials depends on how much of them you’ll need.
For example, you’ll probably need all of the bells and whistles for a new roof installation.
But if you’re replacing an existing roof, you may already have vents and workable underlayment that your contractor can use, meaning you only have to pay for new flashing around features.
Factor 4 – Your Location
Thankfully, you should get fairly consistent prices on roofing materials from Home Depot, regardless of where you live.
But you can’t say the same for contractor costs.
An installer’s hourly or per-square-foot rate may be higher in some locations than it is in others, with the differences often being linked to the cost of living in your state or city.
Furthermore, some states and cities have local building codes or installation requirements the contractor must meet to perform the installation.
California is a good example, as it has statewide fire classifications, roof insulation requirements, and roof covering rules that your installer must follow, all of which may drive up your price.
Home Depot Roof Installation Services
For over 16 years, Home Depot offered roof installation and replacement services as part of its expansive services division.
But not anymore. As of 2019, the company scrapped roof installation from its list of 400 services, leaving customers with the task of finding their own installers once they’ve bought shingles and accessories from Home Depot.
This is a definite shot to the convenience factor that Home Depot usually offers.
As for finding your own installation team, expect contractors to charge between $4.50 and $6 to install your Home Depot shingles, assuming they’re fitting them fresh and don’t have to remove an existing roof.
Did you know? Many of Home Depot’s installation and repair services aren’t carried out by Home Depot itself. Instead, it has a network of contractors throughout the country that it relies upon to do the work for it. If you want a Home Depot installation or repair service, the company usually refers you to several contractors in your area, allowing you to choose the best quote.
What Roofing Accessories Does Home Depot Offer?
For the DIY roofer, Home Depot offers over 160 accessories you can use to make your life a little easier when you’re on top of your house.
These accessories vary widely, from simple screws made for certain types of shingles to full protection kits designed to guard against falls.
It’s nearly impossible to list every accessory Home Depot offers, so here’s a small selection:
- Flashing and Repair Tape – Both were created to enable quick fixes to damaged roofs. Flashing and repair tape can help you quickly fit flashing or new shingles without replacing an entire roof. Expect to pay in the region of $20 to $40 for about 50 feet of tape.
- Roof Rippers – You have to get rid of the old before you can bring in the new if you’re replacing a roof, and roof rippers help you do that. These tools cost about $40, and you can use them to quickly pull up shingles, thus keeping your hand safe and preventing damage to the underlay.
- Fall Protection Kits – For about $110, you can get a fall protection kit that includes a rope and harness. But this kit isn’t for you. It’s for any buckets you bring up on the roof with you, and it’s designed to ensure you don’t waste valuable materials because of accidental knocks or spills.
- Inner Kits – Essentially serving as brackets for your roof, inner kits are great for making repairs to a roof structure so it’s ready for you to apply your singles. Home Depot generally offers them in 8- and 10-foot varieties, costing between $70 and $110.
- Ladder Stabilizers – The more complex your roof (especially where slopes are concerned), the more difficult it is to keep a ladder stable while you’re working. Home Depot offers a ladder stabilizer for about $120.
Pro Tip: Roofing accessories are great if you’re handling the installation yourself, but you’re very unlikely to need them if you hire a contractor to install your roof. Speak to your installation technician ahead of time to check they have everything they need to fit your shingles.
The Pros And Cons Of Buying Roofing From Home Depot
Home Depot is far from the only hardware store that sells roofing materials, so it’s worth knowing what the company does well (and not so well) before making your decision.
Benefits of Home Depot Roofing
The pluses of purchasing Home Depot roofing materials are mostly experienced by DIY installers, though there are some reasons to buy from them if you decide to work with a contractor.
A Superb Range of Accessories
With over 160 roofing accessories in its online store, Home Depot does a good job of offering most of the things the DIY roofer needs to complete an installation.
But it doesn’t offer everything.
For example, you may need special screws or installation kits for certain types of shingles, which you won’t find at Home Depot if you didn’t buy the brands of shingles the company offers.
But you should find most of what you need.
Home Depot Works with Great Brands
GAF and Owens Corning provide shingles to Home Depot.
They’re two of the best roofing brands in the United States, and though they don’t offer their full ranges through Home Depot, they offer enough to cover roof replacements and installations of varying budgets.
Did you know? Both GAF and Owens Corning have long and decorated histories in American roof supply. Owens Corning has made shingles since 1938, and GAF is even older, having started as a roof supplies company in 1886.
Drawbacks of Home Depot Roofing
There are a few drawbacks to buying roofing supplies from Home Depot, several of which may affect your decision.
A Lack of Installation Convenience
Until 2019, you could buy shingles from Home Depot and then rely on its services department to help you find a contractor (approved by the company) to install them.
You can’t do that anymore.
Home Depot has scaled back its roofing services to guttering and very minor repairs, leaving you alone to find somebody to install your roof for you.
There Isn’t Much Variety in Shingles
GAF and Owens Corning are great brands to have on board.
But they’re far from the only companies that make good roof shingles, and it would be nice to see Home Depot strike up agreements with a few more major players to give their customers more variety.
CertainTeed and Atlas are two heavy hitters that could give you more options if Home Depot offered them.
Home Depot vs Lowes Roofing
Though both Home Depot and Lowes offer plenty of options for roofing, Lowes absolutely comes out on top for variety.
The company has shingles from Owens Corning and GAF (like Home Depot), as well as a handful of options from Z Ridge and CertainTeed.
If you’re looking to achieve a certain look, Lowes has a better chance of helping you to get it than Home Depot.
Both companies offer the manufacturers’ standard warranties on the shingles they sell, meaning there’s little to separate them there.
But Lowes also comes out on top in terms of convenience, as it offers an installation service that covers everything from consultation and supply to hooking you up with a quality installer.
Though the battle between Home Depot and Lowes is often close, when it comes to roofing, Lowes has Home Depot beaten in the most important categories – variety and convenience.
Did you know? Lowes doesn’t have an in-house roof installation team. Instead, it maintains a network of local installers around the country, each of whom is background checked to confirm they have licenses and insurance. Lowes also offers a standard two-year warranty on labor, and the option to buy a 25-year transferrable warranty.
What Type Of Home Depot Roofing Is Easiest To Install?
There’s little to separate the various shingles Home Depot offers in terms of installation because GAF and Owens Corning shingles generally require the same installation process.
The same applies to maintenance, as both companies produce comparable shingles that last a long time, assuming they’re properly maintained.
What Are The Best Cheap Roofing Options At Home Depot?
The best cheap roofing options from Home Depot are Owens Corning’s Oakridge Sierra range, costing $1.20 per square foot, and GAF’s Timberline HDZ, which costs about $1.27 per square foot.
So, Owens Corning comes out on top on a pure cost basis, though the Timberline HDZ range is of a higher quality than the Oakridge Sierra range.
Can Home Depot Meet Your Roofing Needs?
The answer – yes, with the caveat that you’re happy to locate the installation contractor yourself.
The loss of Home Depot’s roof installation service is a major blow to the convenience the company used to offer, leaving you to source a contractor or install your shingles yourself.
Assuming you’re happy to do that, Home Depot offers shingles from two of the country’s leading manufacturers (GAF and Owens Corning), as well as a ton of accessories for DIY roofers.
Prices aren’t bad, and you’ll also find some specialty roofing materials, such as sheet roofing and roofs made specifically for certain types of saunas.