Roof Replacement Cost in St. Louis (2026): What Homeowners Actually Pay

Updated July 29, 2026. Lane House Roofing & Exteriors, 3814 Lemay Ferry Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125.

Direct Answer

Roof replacement in St. Louis typically costs $9,500 to $18,000 for a full architectural asphalt shingle installation, or roughly $400 to $750 per roofing square. Final pricing depends on roof pitch, the number of existing shingle layers, decking condition, and the complexity of the roof, not on house size alone.

TL;DR

• Most St. Louis roof replacements run $9,500 to $18,000 with architectural shingles, or $400 to $750 per square installed.
• Your roof is bigger than your house. A 2,000 sq ft ranch has about twice the roof of a 2,000 sq ft two-story.
• The City of St. Louis does not require a permit for like-material replacement when 25% or less of sheathing is replaced. The County has separate rules.
• Missouri law makes your insurance deductible yours. RSMo 407.725 subsection 2 prohibits a contractor from paying or rebating any part of it.
• Get unit prices for decking and flashing in writing before signing. A lower total with vague scope is not a lower price.
• There is no federal tax credit for a standard asphalt or metal roof in 2026.

One liner: Learn the four variables that set your price, get the scope in writing, and the quotes stop looking random.

Key Numbers

Figure	What it means	Basis
$9,500 to $18,000	Typical full replacement, architectural shingles	Synthesis of 2026 local market figures
$400 to $750	Cost per roofing square, installed	Synthesis of 2026 local market figures
100 sq ft	One roofing square	Trade standard
10%	Standard waste factor, higher on cut-up roofs	Trade practice
15% to 25%	Labor premium on steep pitches	Trade practice
$75 to $120	Per sheet of replaced decking	Trade practice
40% to 60%	Share of total cost that is labor	Local contractor data, 2026 [6]
25%	Sheathing threshold above which the City of St. Louis requires a permit	City of St. Louis Building Division [10]
2015, 2018, 2021	IRC editions in force across the metro	County and City ordinances [11][12]
Aug 28, 2014	Effective date of RSMo 407.725	Missouri Revisor of Statutes [15]
5 business days	Cancellation right after written notice of non-coverage	RSMo 407.725.3 [15]
10 point	Minimum boldface type for the cancellation notice	RSMo 407.725.4 [15]
60% to 70%	Share of cost recovered at resale	National appraisal data [20]

What a Roof Replacement Costs in St. Louis Right Now

In short: Most St. Louis homeowners land between $9,500 and $18,000 for a full architectural shingle roof replacement, or roughly $4.00 to $7.50 per square foot of roof surface. Where you fall inside that band comes down to four things a contractor can only learn on your roof.

Roof replacement cost in St. Louis gets quoted with false confidence. Here is the honest version. A typical single-family replacement with architectural shingles runs $9,500 to $18,000 in 2026. The low end assumes one layer over sound decking on a walkable pitch. The high end reflects two layers torn off, decking repair, and a steeper cut. Anyone who gives you a firm number before asking about layers and pitch is guessing.

Pull up page one and you get four different answers for the same house.

Source	Quoted cost, 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof
St. Louis contractor guide [1]	$8,500 to $14,500
St. Louis contractor guide [2]	$8,000 to $15,000
St. Louis contractor guide [3]	$14,000 to $21,000
Missouri market analysis [4]	$12,200 average, 2,100 sq ft home

Same city, same material, a $13,000 gap. None of those pages explain the variables behind the spread, which is what the rest of this guide does.

National figures make it worse. The Remodeling Cost vs. Value report puts asphalt shingle replacement near $29,000 nationally, but that spec covers 30 squares on a hip roof with custom flashing at two skylights [5]. It describes 3,000 square feet of roof on a house most of us do not own.

Two neighbors on the same Affton block can get quotes $6,000 apart and both be fair. One has a single layer over solid decking at a 5/12 pitch. The other has two layers, soft sheathing in three spots, and a 9/12 roof that needs staging. They own different roofs.

So before you compare quotes, learn how roofers count.

How Roofers Price a Roof, and Why Squares Beat Square Feet

In short: Roofers price in squares, and one square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Your roof is larger than your house, usually by 15% to 30%, because of pitch and overhangs. Get that conversion wrong and every budget you build is wrong with it.

Roof cost per square in St. Louis runs roughly $400 to $750 installed for architectural shingles, which works out to $4.00 to $7.50 per square foot of roof surface. Notice the last three words. Roof surface, not house size. That distinction is where most homeowner budgets fall apart.

Here is the conversion, run on a 2,000 square foot ranch. Start with the footprint, which for a single-story home is close to the living area. Add the overhangs and call it 2,150 square feet of horizontal coverage. Now apply the pitch multiplier, because a sloped surface is longer than the flat area beneath it.

Roof pitch	Multiplier	Common on
4/12	1.05	Low-slope ranches, additions
5/12	1.08	Postwar South County ranches
6/12	1.12	The metro’s most common pitch
8/12	1.20	Two-story colonials, some bungalows
9/12	1.25	Steeper Webster Groves and Kirkwood homes
12/12	1.41	Victorians, century homes, dormered roofs

At a 6/12 pitch, that 2,150 becomes about 2,400 square feet of roof surface. Twenty-four squares. Add the standard 10% waste factor and the contractor orders closer to 26.4 squares of material. At $400 to $750 per square installed, the job lands between $9,600 and $18,000.

Two traps to watch for. First, living area is not footprint. A 2,000 square foot two-story home sits on roughly a 1,000 square foot footprint, so its roof is closer to 12 squares than 24. Homeowners who skip this step double their own estimate and then panic. Second, waste is not padding. A cut-up roof with five valleys and three dormers can run 15% waste or higher, and an estimate that omits a waste line has either buried it or underordered.

Where does the money go? Roofing labor runs about $150 to $300 per square, which is 40% to 60% of the total, with materials at 35% to 45% [6]. Shingle pricing barely moves by region, since manufacturers set wholesale cost nationally [6]. Labor is the regional variable. So when one bid comes in $4,000 under the others on identical materials, the discount is coming out of the crew, the tear-off, or the flashing detail.

Now that the unit makes sense, material choice is the next lever.

Roof Replacement Cost by Material in St. Louis

In short: Architectural asphalt shingles are the St. Louis default at $400 to $750 per square, or about $9,600 to $18,000 on a typical 24-square roof. Every other material is a premium against that baseline, and each premium buys something specific.

Material is the largest cost lever you actually control. Pitch is fixed, layers are fixed, decking is whatever it is. The shingle line is a choice, and it swings the total by a factor of four.

Material	Cost per square, installed	24-square roof	Service life	Who it fits
Three-tab asphalt	$325 to $475	$7,800 to $11,400	15 to 20 years	Rentals, short holds, tight budgets
Architectural asphalt	$400 to $750	$9,600 to $18,000	25 to 30 years	Most St. Louis homes
Class 4 impact-resistant	$550 to $900	$13,200 to $21,600	30 years or more	Hail-exposed homes, long holds
Designer or luxury shingle	$700 to $1,100	$16,800 to $26,400	30 to 40 years	Architecturally distinctive homes
Exposed-fastener metal	$800 to $1,200	$19,200 to $28,800	30 to 45 years	Outbuildings, some ranches, porches
Standing seam metal	$1,100 to $1,800	$26,400 to $43,200	50 years or more	Forever homes
Synthetic slate	$1,200 to $2,000	$28,800 to $48,000	40 to 50 years	Historic-district replacements

Asphalt, metal, or impact-resistant? What each choice buys

Three-tab is the trap. It looks like the value play and behaves like the opposite. Architectural shingles cost modestly more per square, then last 10 to 20 years longer and carry wind ratings three-tab cannot match [1]. Across an ownership window, the cheap option is the expensive one.

Architectural is the default for a reason. It handles St. Louis weather, every crew in the region installs it competently, and warranty programs are built around it. Lane House is an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, meaning the company has met the manufacturer’s standards for professionalism and craftsmanship and can offer stronger warranty coverage than a non-certified installer [7]. If you are pricing an Owens Corning roof in St. Louis, that certification is the line item worth asking about. See our roof replacement services for the shingle systems we install.

Class 4 is the hail question. Impact-resistant shingles run roughly $150 more per square. Missouri sits in serious hail country, and many carriers offer a homeowners premium credit for Class 4 roofs. Whether that credit exists and what it is worth depends entirely on your carrier, so call your agent before you order. Nobody can promise you a discount.

Metal is a time-horizon decision. A standing seam roof can protect a home for 50 years with minimal maintenance [7]. It also costs two to three times an asphalt roof, and the break-even against replacing asphalt twice sits decades out. Right for a forever home, wrong for a ten-year hold.

One caution on premium materials. Material returns the most when it matches its neighborhood. A synthetic slate roof on a modest block will not recover its cost at resale, while the same roof in Ladue or on a Compton Heights Victorian can.

What It Costs by House Size: 1,200, 2,000, and 2,800 Square Feet

In short: A 1,200 square foot ranch runs about $5,600 to $10,500. A 2,000 square foot ranch runs $9,600 to $18,000. A 2,800 square foot two-story runs $8,800 to $16,500. If that last one looks backwards, keep reading.

Home	Footprint	Pitch	Squares	Budget range	Likely landing
1,200 sq ft ranch	1,200	5/12	14	$5,600 to $10,500	$7,700
2,000 sq ft ranch	2,000	6/12	24	$9,600 to $18,000	$13,500
2,000 sq ft two-story	1,000	6/12	12	$4,800 to $9,000	$6,800
2,800 sq ft two-story	1,700	8/12	22	$8,800 to $16,500	$12,600

The 1,200 square foot ranch

Common across Lemay, Affton, and older Mehlville subdivisions. Footprint 1,200 square feet, plus overhangs brings coverage to about 1,285. At a 5/12 pitch that becomes roughly 1,390 square feet of roof surface, or 14 squares. Budget $5,600 to $10,500, with most straightforward jobs near $7,700.

Roof cost for a 2,000 sq ft house in St. Louis

This is the size everyone searches, and it has two different answers.

If it is a ranch, the whole 2,000 square feet sits on the ground. Add overhangs, apply a 6/12 pitch, and you get about 2,400 square feet of roof, or 24 squares. Budget $9,600 to $18,000.

If it is a two-story, only about 1,000 square feet touches the ground. Same overhangs, same pitch, and you land near 12 squares. Budget $4,800 to $9,000.

Identical square footage on the listing sheet. Roughly half the roof. This single distinction explains more bad roof budgets than any other factor, and no online calculator asks about it.

The 2,800 square foot two-story

Footprint around 1,700 square feet including an attached garage, at a steeper 8/12 pitch. That comes to roughly 2,200 square feet of roof, or 22 squares, for $8,800 to $16,500. Less roof than the 2,000 square foot ranch, despite 800 more square feet of house. Roofs are priced by what faces the sky.

Adjust your row honestly

Those ranges assume one layer over sound decking. Add for reality:

• Second layer to tear off: roughly $50 to $100 more per square
• Decking replacement: typically $75 to $120 per sheet, and a sheet covers 32 square feet
• Steep pitch, 8/12 and above: a 15% to 25% labor premium
• Complexity: valleys, dormers, skylights, and chimneys each add flashing labor

A roof replacement cost calculator in St. Louis will take your house size and a national labor rate and hand back a number in four seconds. Treat it as a ballpark, never as a budget. It does not know your pitch, your layer count, or what your decking looks like. Nobody knows that last one until tear-off day, which is why the sensible move is to hold back roughly 10% of your budget as contingency.

What Drives Roof Replacement Cost in St. Louis

In short: Seven variables decide where you land inside your range: pitch, layers, decking condition, complexity, site access, home age, and ventilation. Four are visible from your driveway. Three are not, and those turn a quote into a change order.

Every driver below costs money for a physical reason. Understanding the reason lets you tell a fair premium from a padded one.

1. Pitch

Steeper roofs cost more because crews slow down on them. Somewhere around 7/12 to 8/12 a roofer stops moving freely and starts working off staging and harnesses. Production per day drops and labor hours are the bill. Expect a 15% to 25% labor premium. Roof replacement cost for a steep roof in St. Louis is a labor story, not a materials one.

2. Layers

Tearing off two layers takes roughly twice the labor of one and doubles disposal volume. Cost to tear off and replace a roof scales almost linearly with what is up there. If a previous owner shingled over the original roof, you are paying for their savings.

3. Decking condition

Under the shingles sits the deck, and nobody can grade it from the ground. Approved substrates run to minimums, generally 3/8 inch plywood, 7/16 inch OSB, or one inch board sheathing [8]. Soft or delaminated sheets get replaced by the sheet, and the count is unknown until tear-off. This is the largest source of mid-job surprise.

4. Complexity

Flashing labor scales with intersections, not with area. A simple gable has two planes. A cut-up roof with five valleys, three dormers, two skylights, and a chimney can have fifteen planes and a dozen hand-fitted flashing details. Two roofs of identical square footage can differ by thousands on complexity alone.

5. Site access

A South County ranch with a wide driveway lets the crew stage material at the eave and park a dumpster ten feet from the work. A tight City lot with street-only parking means hauling bundles by hand and adding hours to every phase. In practice this is neighborhood-specific. Older City neighborhoods like Soulard, Benton Park, and Tower Grove have narrow lots, party walls, and street-only parking. Contractors commonly put that premium at $300 to $800 against the same job in a suburban driveway [3].

6. Home age

Older St. Louis housing stock brings its own arithmetic. Century homes often have board sheathing rather than sheet goods, which changes fastening and can require an overlay before shingles go down. Original chimneys need custom flashing rather than a stock kit. Roof replacement cost for older homes in St. Louis runs above the equivalent postwar house, and the premium is real work.

7. Ventilation

Attic ventilation affects how long shingles last, because trapped heat ages asphalt from underneath. Code ventilation ratios are generally 1 square foot of net free vent area per 300 square feet of attic floor where a vapor retarder is present, and 1 per 150 otherwise [9]. Correcting undersized ventilation during a replacement is inexpensive, since the roof is already open. Warranty terms around ventilation vary by manufacturer, so read yours rather than trusting a blanket claim in either direction.

One local detail worth getting right: St. Louis sits in IECC Climate Zone 4A, the mixed-humid zone, not Zone 5 as at least one local cost guide states [21]. Ice barrier requirements at eaves are set by your jurisdiction based on local ice-damming history rather than by climate zone alone. Ask what your estimate includes for ice barrier coverage, and where.

How long it actually takes

Most residential roof replacements finish in one to three days on site, depending on the size of the home and the complexity of the pitch [7]. Steep pitches, heavy decking repair, and cut-up roofs push toward the long end. The calendar from signed contract to crew arrival is usually the longer wait, and it stretches in peak season.

Tear-off is also hard on gutters, and drip edge tucks behind them. If your gutters are already sagging, replacing them alongside the roof costs less than a separate job later. Worth pricing your gutter replacement at the same time.

Of those seven drivers, pitch, complexity, access, and age are readable from outside. Layers, decking, and ventilation are not. Which is why the next question is one nobody thinks to ask until the bill arrives.

Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof in St. Louis?

In short: It depends on which St. Louis you live in. The City of St. Louis and St. Louis County are separate governments running different building codes, and a job that needs a permit at one address may not at another five miles away. Confirm with the authority over your address before you sign anything.

This is the question every cost guide answers wrong. One page-one competitor states flatly that a permit is required in every jurisdiction in the St. Louis metro. The City’s own published list says otherwise.

The City of St. Louis 25% rule

The City of St. Louis Building Division lists roof replacement among work that usually does not require a building permit, specifically when the work is done with like material and 25% or less of the roof sheathing is replaced [10].

Two things flip that into permit territory [10]:

1. Material change. Swapping asphalt for metal, or shingle for synthetic slate, is not like-for-like.
2. Sheathing. Once more than 25% of the deck comes off and goes back on, you need the permit.

Those two triggers interact expensively. You cannot know your sheathing percentage until tear-off, so a job that starts exempt can become permit work on day one.

St. Louis County is a different government

The County runs its own Department of Transportation and Public Works with its own permit process, and its published residential guidance turns on roof slope and whether you are re-roofing with different materials rather than on a sheathing percentage. The thresholds are specific enough that I am not going to paraphrase them as your rule. Call County Public Works with your address and your slope.

If you live in Mehlville, Lemay, Oakville, or Concord, you are likely in unincorporated St. Louis County, which means the County is your building department. If you live in Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Clayton, or Ballwin, your city may run its own building division with rules layered on top.

And if you are across the river. Lane House serves Columbia and Waterloo, Illinois, along with the wider Metro East. Those addresses are not under Missouri rules at all. Monroe and St. Clair County jurisdictions run their own permit processes and adopted codes, and some Illinois jurisdictions carry wind uplift fastening requirements that exceed Missouri minimums [3]. If your house is on the Illinois side, none of the City or County guidance above applies. Call your local building department.

Three code editions, one metro

Jurisdiction	Residential code edition	Adopted by
St. Louis County	2015 IRC	Ordinances 27,654, 28,327, 28,807 [12]
City of St. Louis	2018 IRC	Ordinance 70795, August 1, 2018 [11]
Frontenac, Creve Coeur, others	2021 IRC	Municipal ordinance [13]

Missouri has no statewide building code. The state leaves adoption and enforcement to local jurisdictions [13], which is how one metropolitan area runs three editions of the same code simultaneously.

One rule holds across editions: IRC Section R908.3 requires stripping all existing layers rather than overlaying when the existing roof has two or more applications, when the roofing is water-soaked or degraded, or when the covering is wood shake, slate, clay, or cement tile [14]. That is the code basis for tear-off cost, not a contractor preference.

Historic districts are their own cost line

The City has 14 historic districts and 112 City Landmarks, and the Cultural Resources Office requires approval for a range of exterior work. In most instances a permit is required by that office even where the Building Code does not require one [10]. If you own in Soulard, Lafayette Square, Compton Heights, or The Hill, budget for a review step and expect material choice to be constrained, which can push you toward synthetic slate and a five-figure swing.

Who pulls it

Your contractor should. A quote that leaves permitting to you is shifting cost and risk onto the homeowner. Permit fees themselves are modest relative to the job. Local contractors commonly quote $75 to $250 for a residential reroof across the metro, varying by jurisdiction and often calculated against project value [1][3]. Treat that as a planning figure rather than a published schedule, since each jurisdiction sets and revises its own fees.

Hail Damage, Insurance, and the Missouri Deductible Law

In short: An approved hail claim does not make your roof free. You still owe your deductible, and on a percentage-based wind and hail policy that runs several thousand dollars. Missouri law is specific about what a contractor may and may not do around that deductible.

Roof replacement cost with insurance in St. Louis is the most misunderstood number in this guide, because homeowners hear “covered” and picture zero.

Actual cash value pays the depreciated worth of your roof, and you cover the gap. Replacement cost value pays the depreciated amount first, then releases the rest once work is complete and documented. Either way, subtract your deductible. Flat $1,000 deductibles still exist on older policies, but percentage-based wind and hail deductibles are now common. A 2% deductible on a $300,000 dwelling limit is $6,000, not $1,000. On a $14,000 roof under RCV, the carrier’s share is $8,000 and yours is $6,000. Check your declarations page before a storm, because the wind and hail deductible is often separate from your all-perils number.

What Missouri law says, and the subsection almost everyone cites wrong

Missouri regulates roofing contractors on insurance work through RSMo 407.725, effective August 28, 2014 [15].

Subsection 2 prohibits a contractor from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of your deductible, defined broadly to include any allowance, any discount against fees, and any compensation, gift, prize, bonus, coupon, credit, or referral fee [15]. There is no clever structure around it. The deductible is yours.

Subsection 6 is separate and often confused with it. A contractor may not represent or negotiate, or offer to, on your behalf on any roof claim [15]. Note what that leaves open. Documenting damage and preparing assessments for your carrier is permitted. Negotiating your claim is not.

Several published guides, including one from a St. Louis construction law firm, cite 407.725.6 as the deductible ban. It is subsection 2.

Subsections 3 through 5 give you a cancellation right most homeowners never learn about. If your insurer notifies you in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered, you may cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after receiving that notice [15]. The contractor must provide that statement in boldface type of at least ten points, plus a detachable NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form [15]. Payments come back within ten days, less the value of any emergency work you acknowledged in writing [15]. That type requirement is checkable. Look at the contract in front of you.

Subsection 7 makes any violation an unfair practice under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act [15].

What the carrier approves is not always what the roof needs

An initial scope of loss covers what the adjuster documented, which is often shingle replacement on the damaged slopes. Several things routinely fall outside that first scope: code-required items like synthetic underlayment, ice barrier, and drip edge, decking damage that nobody could see before tear-off, and ventilation correction [1].

Those gaps get handled through a supplement, which is additional documentation submitted to the carrier showing work the original scope missed. Understand the distinction, because it matters legally. Supplying your carrier with documentation and detailed assessment is permitted. Negotiating your claim on your behalf is not, under subsection 6 [15]. You are the party who deals with your carrier. Your contractor is the party who documents what your roof needs.

Budget accordingly. Your out-of-pocket exposure is your deductible plus whatever falls outside the approved scope.

Red flags after a storm

• Anyone offering to cover, absorb, waive, or work around your deductible
• Anyone offering to negotiate with or represent you before your carrier
• A contract with no bold ten-point cancellation notice attached
• Pressure to sign the day of the door knock

Hidden Costs and the Mid-Job Change Order

In short: Hidden roof replacement costs in St. Louis are rarely hidden on purpose. They are unpriced, because nobody can grade your decking through your shingles. The fix is getting unit prices in writing before the first bundle comes off.

Here is what tear-off day tends to turn up.

What gets found	Why it happens	Typical cost	Optional?
Bad decking sheets	Old leaks, condensation, delamination	$75 to $120 per sheet	No
Chimney flashing rebuild	Original flashing rusted or tarred over	$400 to $900	No
Chimney masonry	Failed crown or mortar joints	$500 to $2,500, separate trade	Sometimes
Ventilation retrofit	Undersized or blocked soffit intake	$400 to $1,200	Recommended
Skylight replacement	Seals fail around the same age as shingles	$600 to $1,800 each	Sometimes
Solar panel removal and reset	Panels bolted through the existing roof	Varies, licensed pro required	No
Gutter and drip edge damage	Drip edge tucks behind gutters	$6 to $12 per linear foot	Sometimes

None of that is exotic. All of it is normal on a 20-year-old St. Louis roof.

Ask for unit prices, not reassurance

This is the most useful thing in this guide. Before you sign, get four numbers in writing:

3. Price per sheet of replaced decking, and whether that includes labor
4. How many sheets are already included in the base bid as an allowance
5. Price per linear foot for flashing replacement beyond what is quoted
6. What triggers a change order, and whether you approve it in writing before work continues

Do that and a discovery becomes arithmetic. Eleven bad sheets at a pre-agreed $95 is $1,045, and you knew the rate three weeks ago. Skip it and eleven bad sheets becomes a negotiation held on your driveway with your house open to the sky. Nobody negotiates well from that position. A contractor who will not put unit pricing in writing is keeping that upper hand on purpose.

Some of it is not roofing at all

Chimneys. The metro’s brick housing stock means chimneys. Replacing the flashing where the chimney meets the roof is roofing work. Repointing failed mortar or rebuilding a cracked crown is masonry, a different trade with a different license. A roofing quote will not include it.

Solar panels. Most panels are bolted or mounted into the existing roofing material and need removal by a licensed professional to come off safely, though a small number of systems can stay in place [7]. Either way it is a separate cost and schedule. Raise it at the estimate, not at tear-off.

Tear-off is also rough on adjacent surfaces. If your siding replacement is on the horizon anyway, sequencing it with the roof costs less than two separate mobilizations.

A complete estimate already includes disposal, driveway and landscaping protection, a magnetic nail sweep, and the permit where one is required, and reputable crews haul debris away legally since some older roofs contain asbestos [7]. If a bid omits those lines it is not cheaper, it is incomplete. Hold roughly 10% of your budget in reserve. On a $13,500 job that is $1,350.

Roof Replacement Financing in St. Louis, and the Off-Season Question

In short: Winter saves you less than you hope, and the real timing lever is avoiding the weeks after a metro hail event, when demand spikes and pricing hardens. Financing is widely available, and the terms deserve more scrutiny than the rate.

Is roof replacement cheaper in the off season in St. Louis?

A little, and not for the reason most people assume. Materials do not get cheaper in January, because manufacturers set shingle pricing nationally. What softens is labor, and only when a crew has an open week to fill. Expect a modest concession rather than a sale. Local contractors commonly describe late fall and winter pricing as running 5% to 10% softer than peak season, and that softening is on labor rather than materials [1].

What you gain in the slow season is attention. Your job is not one of nine that week, and the crew is the company’s own rather than whoever was available.

Winter installation works, with care. Asphalt shingles carry a thermally activated sealant that bonds once the roof gets sufficient heat from sunlight, so crews hand-seal with an approved asphalt roofing cement to protect against wind blow-off until warmer weather finishes the job [16]. Shingles also grow brittle when cold, so bundles get stored warm and handled gently, and open metal valleys are often preferred because bending a cold shingle can crack it [16]. The trade association declines to publish one universal minimum temperature and defers to each manufacturer’s instructions [16], though crews commonly treat roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit as the cue to switch into cold-weather methods. Lane House installs year-round, taking extra precautions to keep the home watertight [7].

The timing insight worth more than any seasonal discount: the expensive window is not summer. It is the six weeks after a metro-wide hail event, when carriers pay claims at once, local crews book out, and out-of-town operations arrive to work the storm. If your roof is aging but not failing, replacing it on your own schedule beats replacing it in a queue.

Paying for it

Path	Typical use	What to check
Contractor financing	Convenience, fast approval	Written APR, term length, total cost over the full term
Home equity line or loan	Larger projects, lower rates	Closing costs, variable rate exposure, your home as collateral
Personal loan	No equity, mid-size job	Fixed rate, origination fee, prepayment terms
Cash or savings	Any	Whether it leaves you a reserve for contingency

Lane House offers 100% financing on its work [7]. Whatever route you take, read for these before signing:

• Deferred interest presented as zero percent. If the balance is not cleared by the promotional deadline, interest can be charged retroactively from day one.
• No written APR. A financing offer without disclosed terms in writing is not an offer you can evaluate.
• Prepayment penalties. You want the option to clear it early.
• On-the-spot financing after a storm. Pressure plus paperwork is a bad combination.

These are things to read, not advice on which to pick. Your lender or financial advisor is the right party for that call.

Lane House does not bill for the work until the project is finished, with the exception of partial payment on special-order material [7]. That structure is worth asking any contractor about. A large deposit demanded before a single bundle arrives is a legitimate risk signal, especially from a company you met after a storm.

How to Read a Roof Replacement Estimate, Line by Line

In short: The cheaper quote is usually the shorter one, and it is short because things are missing. Compare scope before you compare totals. Twelve line items separate a complete estimate from a number written on a business card.

Two roof replacement quotes in St. Louis on the same 24-square house can arrive $4,000 apart. Almost always the gap is not margin. It is scope.

What should be on your roof replacement estimate

7. Squares quoted, plus the waste factor
8. Tear-off, with the number of layers stated
9. Disposal, including dumpster and haul-away
10. Decking: how many sheets are included, and the unit price beyond that
11. Underlayment type, synthetic or felt, named by product
12. Ice barrier at eaves and valleys
13. Drip edge at eaves and rakes
14. Starter strip and ridge cap, named as separate products
15. Flashing: step, valley, chimney, and pipe boots, with what is replaced versus reused
16. Ventilation: what is being installed or corrected
17. Permit, and who pulls it
18. Cleanup, including magnetic nail sweep and landscaping protection

The same house, two quotes

Line	Quote A: $11,200	Quote B: $15,400
Squares	24	24, plus 10% waste stated
Tear-off	“Remove old roof”	Two layers, itemized
Underlayment	Not named	Synthetic, product named
Ice barrier	Not listed	Eaves and valleys
Drip edge	Not listed	Eaves and rakes
Flashing	“As needed”	Step and valley replaced, chimney rebuilt, boots new
Decking	Not addressed	5 sheets included, $95 per sheet after
Ventilation	Not addressed	Ridge vent, soffit intake verified
Permit	“Homeowner responsibility”	Pulled by contractor

Quote A is not $4,200 cheaper. It is $4,200 less specific. Every “as needed” and every omitted line is a decision deferred to a moment when you have far less room to push back. Price the missing lines in and the two quotes converge.

Credentials worth verifying, and one that does not exist

There is no Missouri state roofing license. Missouri has no statewide building code and leaves adoption and enforcement to local jurisdictions [13]. A contractor advertising as “state licensed” in Missouri is describing something the state does not issue. What is real and checkable:

• Municipal registration in the jurisdiction where your house sits
• General liability insurance, verified by a certificate sent to you directly from the carrier
• Workers compensation, because an uninsured crew injured on your roof is a problem that can find its way to you. Lane House states it carries both [7]
• Manufacturer certification. Owens Corning Preferred Contractor status reflects the manufacturer’s standards for professionalism and craftsmanship and unlocks stronger warranty options [7]
• Local work you can look at. Ask for completed roof replacement projects near you, and go look at them

Two warranties, not one

The manufacturer warranty covers the shingles against product defect. The workmanship warranty covers the installation and comes from the contractor. A defect-free shingle installed badly is a workmanship claim, and a lifetime shingle warranty is worth little from a company that will not exist in five years. Ask for both in writing, and ask how long the company has operated locally. Lane House has been in business since 2003 [7].

One thing that is not on your estimate, whatever a salesperson says

There is no federal tax credit for a standard roof replacement in 2026, for two separate reasons. First, roofing lost eligibility years ago. The IRS stated in its 2023 Form 1040 instructions that a metal roof or asphalt roof with pigmented coatings or cooling granules is primarily designed to reduce heat gain and no longer qualifies for the energy efficient home improvement credit [17]. Second, the 25C credits that the Inflation Reduction Act extended through 2032 were later made unavailable after 2025 [18].

The narrow exception is 25D. Solar roofing tiles and shingles that also work as solar electric collectors can qualify, while traditional roofing materials and structural components do not [19]. If someone quotes you a tax credit on asphalt or metal, they are working from stale information.

When Replacement Is the Right Call, and When It Is Not

In short: Age decides this more than damage does. Localized damage on a roof under 15 years old is usually a repair. Widespread wear, or any damage on a roof past 20, is usually a replacement, because the rest of the roof is on the same clock as the part that failed.

Not every roof problem is a roof replacement, and a guide that pretends otherwise is not worth reading.

Points toward repair	Points toward replacement
Roof is under 15 years old	Roof is 20 years or older
Damage confined to one small area	Wear visible across multiple slopes
One leak with an identifiable source	Multiple leaks, or a source nobody can pin down
Shingles intact apart from a few	Widespread curling, clawing, or cracking
Little granule loss	Granule accumulation in your gutters
Decking sound throughout	Soft spots or visible sag in the roofline

If your column is the left one, get a repair specialist. Lane House does full replacements and exterior renovations and does not take patch repair work [7], and pointing you elsewhere costs us nothing.

The age math

Most roofs are built to last between 15 and 25 years, with some slate and metal systems going longer [7]. A 22-year-old roof with one localized leak is usually a replacement conversation. The failure you can see is not special. It is the first part of a system that is uniformly two decades old. Common signals include missing or curling shingles, water stains on ceilings, granule buildup in gutters, and age past the 15 to 20 year mark [7].

Roof replacement value in St. Louis, stated honestly

A new asphalt shingle roof returns roughly 60% to 70% of its cost at resale according to national appraisal data [20]. Read that correctly. You do not make money replacing a roof. What you do is remove a deduction. A buyer’s inspector will find a 23-year-old roof, and that finding becomes a price concession, an escrow holdback, or a dead deal. The concession a buyer demands is rarely smaller than what the work costs.

What waiting actually costs

Water that gets past failing shingles finds the decking first, at $75 to $120 per sheet. Then insulation. Then drywall and paint. Then, if it runs long enough, framing and mold remediation, which are not roofing costs at all. The homeowner who replaces a tired roof on a calm week in October pays for a roof. The homeowner who waits for the leak pays for a roof plus everything the leak touched.

Getting your number

Every range in this guide is a planning tool. Your actual number depends on your pitch, your layers, your decking, and your address, and those come from someone standing on your roof.

Lane House Roofing & Exteriors has replaced roofs across the Greater St. Louis metro since 2003, holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and is an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor [7]. Estimates are free and detailed, with a no-contact option if you prefer. There is 100% financing available, and no billing until your project is finished, aside from partial payment on special-order material [7].

Call (314) 845-2166 or request your free estimate.

Lane House Roofing & Exteriors, 3814 Lemay Ferry Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a new roof cost in St. Louis in 2026?

Most St. Louis homeowners pay between $9,500 and $18,000 for a full roof replacement with architectural asphalt shingles, or roughly $4.00 to $7.50 per square foot of roof surface. The low end assumes a single layer of shingles over sound decking on a walkable pitch. The high end reflects a two-layer tear-off, decking repair, and a steeper roof.

What is a roofing square?

A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Contractors price and order material by the square rather than by the square foot, so a 24-square roof covers about 2,400 square feet of actual roof area.

Why is my roof bigger than my house?

Two reasons. Overhangs extend the roof past the walls, and pitch makes a sloped surface longer than the flat area beneath it. A 6/12 pitch adds about 12 percent. A 2,000 square foot ranch typically carries around 2,400 square feet of roof, while a 2,000 square foot two-story carries closer to 1,200 because only half its floor area touches the ground.

Do I need a permit to replace a roof in St. Louis?

It depends on your jurisdiction. The City of St. Louis lists roof replacement done with like material, where 25 percent or less of the roof sheathing is replaced, among work that usually does not require a building permit. A permit is required when the material changes or when more than 25 percent of the sheathing is removed and replaced. St. Louis County is a separate government with its own rules, and incorporated municipalities may add their own. Confirm with the authority over your specific address before work begins.

Can my roofer pay my insurance deductible in Missouri?

No. RSMo 407.725 subsection 2 prohibits a contractor from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of your insurance deductible as a sales inducement, and the statute defines that broadly enough to cover allowances, discounts against fees, gifts, credits, and referral fees. Subsection 6 separately prohibits a contractor from representing or negotiating your insurance claim on your behalf.

Is there a federal tax credit for a new roof in 2026?

No, for two separate reasons. The IRS stated in its 2023 Form 1040 instructions that a metal roof or asphalt roof with pigmented coatings or cooling granules no longer qualifies for the energy efficient home improvement credit. Separately, the 25C credits extended through 2032 by the Inflation Reduction Act were later made unavailable after 2025. Solar roofing tiles and shingles that function as solar electric collectors can still qualify under 25D, but traditional roofing materials do not.

Is roof replacement cheaper in the off season in St. Louis?

Somewhat, and less than most people expect. Material pricing is set nationally and does not drop in winter. Labor softens modestly when crews have gaps, commonly described locally as 5 to 10 percent below peak season. The larger timing factor is avoiding the weeks immediately after a metro hail event, when demand spikes and pricing firms up.

How long does a roof replacement take?

Most residential roof replacements finish in one to three days on site, depending on the size of the home and the complexity of the roof pitch. Steep pitches, significant decking repair, and cut-up roofs push toward the longer end. The wait from signed contract to crew arrival is usually longer than the work itself, and it stretches during peak season.

Can I stay in my house during a roof replacement?

Yes. Most replacements are one to three day jobs and do not require you to leave. It is loud, and vibration can knock loose items off walls and shelves, so take those down and clear your driveway beforehand.

Should I repair or replace my roof?

Age decides this more than damage does. Localized damage on a roof under 15 years old is usually a repair. Widespread wear, or damage on a roof past 20 years, is usually a replacement, because the rest of the roof is on the same clock as the part that failed. Granule buildup in your gutters, curling shingles across multiple slopes, and soft spots in the decking all point toward replacement.

Definition Bank

Term	Definition
Square	The roofing unit of measure. One square covers 100 square feet of roof surface. Contractors price and order by the square, not the square foot.
Pitch	The slope of a roof, written as rise over run. A 6/12 pitch rises 6 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal distance.
Pitch multiplier	The factor that converts flat horizontal area into actual sloped roof area. A 6/12 roof has about 1.12 times the area of the footprint beneath it.
Waste factor	Extra material ordered to cover cuts, valleys, and starter courses. Ten percent is standard, and cut-up roofs need more.
Tear-off	Removing existing roofing down to the deck before new material goes on. Cost scales with how many layers are up there.
Roof deck	The structural sheathing beneath the roofing, usually plywood, OSB, or older board sheathing. Its condition cannot be graded until tear-off.
Underlayment	The water-resistant layer installed over the deck and beneath the shingles. Synthetic underlayment has largely replaced felt.
Ice barrier	A self-adhering membrane applied at eaves and valleys to block water backing up under shingles from ice or wind-driven rain.
Drip edge	Metal flashing installed at eaves and rakes that directs water off the roof edge and into the gutter rather than behind it.
Step flashing	Individual metal pieces woven into the shingle courses where a roof meets a wall or chimney. Replacing it is roofing work. Repointing the brick is not.
Actual cash value	An insurance settlement basis that pays the depreciated worth of your roof. You cover the difference between that and replacement cost.
Replacement cost value	An insurance settlement basis that pays depreciated value first, then releases the remaining depreciation once work is complete and documented.
Unit price	A per-item rate agreed in the contract before work begins, such as a price per replaced decking sheet. It converts a discovery into arithmetic.
Workmanship warranty	The contractor’s warranty on installation quality, separate from the manufacturer’s warranty on the shingles themselves.

Entity Cards

Architectural asphalt shingle

Property	Value
Cost per square, installed	$400 to $750
On a 24-square roof	$9,600 to $18,000
Service life	25 to 30 years
Wind posture	Substantially better than three-tab
Best fit	The default for most St. Louis homes

Class 4 impact-resistant shingle

Property	Value
Cost per square, installed	$550 to $900
On a 24-square roof	$13,200 to $21,600
Service life	30 years or more
Hail posture	Highest impact rating available in asphalt
Insurance note	Some carriers offer a premium credit. Confirm with your agent before ordering. Nothing is guaranteed.

RSMo 407.725

Property	Value
Enacted	S.B. 101 (2011), amended by S.B. 610 (2014)
Effective	August 28, 2014
Subsection 2	Prohibits a contractor from paying or rebating any part of your deductible, including allowances, discounts, gifts, credits, and referral fees
Subsection 6	Prohibits a contractor from representing or negotiating your insurance claim
Subsections 3 to 5	Five business day cancellation right, ten point boldface notice, refund within ten days
Enforcement	A violation is an unfair practice under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act

Permit jurisdiction: City vs. County

Property	City of St. Louis	St. Louis County
Residential code	2018 IRC, Ordinance 70795	2015 IRC, Ordinances 27,654 / 28,327 / 28,807
Reroof permit trigger	Material change, or more than 25% of sheathing replaced	Turns on slope and material change. Confirm your address
Authority	Building Division, Permit Section	Department of Transportation and Public Works
Extra review	Cultural Resources Office in 14 historic districts and for 112 landmarks	Municipal building division if your address is incorporated

Sources

19. All Weather Roofing Systems. “St. Louis Roofing Cost Guide: What a Roof Really Costs in 2026.” Updated April 26, 2026.
20. Brody Allen Exteriors. “St. Louis Roof Replacement Cost in 2026: What Homeowners Should Expect to Pay.” June 2026.
21. Revolve Construction. “Roof Replacement Cost in St. Louis, MO: 2026 Pricing Guide.” Updated May 13, 2026.
22. AboveBoardPros. “Roof Replacement Cost in Missouri: 2026 Price Guide.” 2026.
23. Remodeling / Zonda. “Cost vs. Value Project: Roofing Replacement, Asphalt Shingles.” Project specification.
24. SquareDash. “Roofing Labor Cost Per Square (2026).” April 2026.
25. Lane House Roofing & Exteriors. Company website, lanehouseroofingandexteriors.com. Accessed July 29, 2026.
26. New Heights Roofing. “3 Ways Your Roofing Contractor Can Void Your Roof Warranty.” Approved deck substrates. March 2026.
27. International Residential Code Section R806.2, attic ventilation minimum net free area. As summarized in published residential re-roofing building guides.
28. City of St. Louis Building Division. “When a Residential Building Permit is Needed.” stlouis-mo.gov. Accessed July 29, 2026.
29. City of St. Louis. “Building Codes Adopted by the City.” Ordinance 70795, adopted August 1, 2018.
30. St. Louis County. “Codes and Ordinances,” 2015 International Building, Residential, Existing Building and Swimming Pool Codes. Ordinances 27,654, 28,327, 28,807.
31. UpCodes. “Missouri Building Codes.” Missouri has no mandatory statewide building code; adoption occurs at the local level.
32. International Residential Code Section R908.3, roof covering replacement and tear-off triggers.
33. Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo Section 407.725, effective August 28, 2014. L. 2011 S.B. 101, A.L. 2014 S.B. 610. revisor.mo.gov.
34. Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association. “Recommendations for Installation of Asphalt Roofing Shingles in Cold Weather.” asphaltroofing.org.
35. Internal Revenue Service. 2023 Instructions for Form 1040, Schedule 3 line 5b correction regarding pigmented metal and cooling-granule asphalt roofs.
36. Constellation. “Home Energy Tax Credits and Rebates Guide.” Note on 25C credits being unavailable after 2025.
37. Baker Tilly. “Understanding IRS sections 25C and 25D for energy-efficient home improvements and residential clean energy credits.” May 2026.
38. Journal of Light Construction / Zonda. Cost vs. Value report, asphalt shingle roofing replacement return on investment.
39. IECC Climate Zone reference for St. Louis, Missouri (Climate Zone 4A, mixed-humid). 2021 IECC Table R402.1.3 guidance.