A roof replacement in Calgary is priced from the roof itself, so the honest answer to "how much?" is "it depends on your roof, and here is exactly what it depends on." Two houses on the same street can need very different roofs: one has more area and steeper slopes, one has a second layer of old shingles to strip, one has rotten boards under the shingles.
That's why this page has no price list. Every Big Boy Roofing replacement is a written price from your measured roof, for the shingle you pick, with GST as its own line. It's itemized, it shows the area it was priced on, and it holds for 14 days. To get yours, ask for a quote with the form at the bottom of this page.
What follows is everything that goes into that number, in order of how much it moves it, so you can read any quote, ours or anyone else's, and see why it says what it says.
Roof size comes first
Roof area, not floor area, is the biggest single driver. It's measured off the roof itself, and it's the area printed on your quote. A two-storey house can carry far less roof than its living space suggests, and a wide bungalow can carry more. Roofers count area in squares: one square is 100 square feet of roof surface.
Shingles are ordered for more than the measured area. Every roof uses up material in cuts, overlaps, starter strip and ridge cap, so the material order includes an allowance for waste on top of the measured roof. How a roof is measured explains why a steep roof has more area than its footprint, and why two quotes can show slightly different numbers for honest reasons.
What else moves the price
Beyond area, these are the things that make one roof more work than another.
- Pitch (how steep the roof is). A steep roof needs staging and fall protection, and every square takes longer to install safely. A low, walkable roof is simpler work.
- Tear-off layers. A second layer of shingles from an earlier re-roof means more tear-off, more weight coming down and more disposal.
- Complexity. Valleys, dormers, chimneys, skylights, vents and changes in slope all need hand-fitted flashing (the metal that seals each joint), so two roofs with the same area can price differently.
- Access. A driveway beside the house with room for a disposal bin makes for an easier job than a tight lot or a roof that can only be reached from the back yard.
- The shingle. Essential (architectural shingles, Class 3 impact rated) is the base tier. Signature (heavier designer shingles, Class 3 impact rated) and Fortified (Class 4 impact rated shingles, the top hail rating) are priced upgrades on the same system underneath.
- Decking (the wood boards or panels the shingles are nailed to). If boards under the old shingles are rotten, they're replaced only with your written approval, at $120 per 4x8 sheet. Older Calgary houses often have board decking, which shingle makers can advise against shingling over directly, so ask about it when you get the quote.
What a written quote from us shows
When you want the number for your own roof, ask for a quote. It's a written price, and it lays out what the price is built on.
- The roof area it was priced on, measured off the roof.
- The shingle tier it was priced in.
- GST as its own 5% line, separate from the price of the work.
- The e-transfer, cheque or cash price. Paying by card is 3% more.
- The decking rate, so rot found during tear-off is priced before anyone replaces a board.
- How long the price holds: 14 days.
What should be in the price and often isn't
This is where two quotes stop being comparable. Ask about every one of these.
- Ice and water shield (a self-sealing waterproof membrane) at the eaves, valleys and around anything that comes through the roof. It protects the spots where Calgary's ice dams back water up under the shingles.
- New flashing at chimneys, walls and skylights, not reused.
- Drip edge, the metal strip along the roof edges that steers water into the eavestrough.
- Ventilation correction. Shingle warranties commonly exclude damage caused by inadequate ventilation, so an attic that can't breathe is a warranty problem as well as a shingle problem.
- Tear-off, disposal, and a magnet sweep of the property for nails.
- A stated rate or process for rot found in the decking, approved by signed change order.
Where costs run higher in and around Calgary
As a general pattern rather than a rule, geography moves it in ways people don't expect. Newer suburban two-storeys (Chestermere, Kinniburgh, Panorama Hills) often carry more roof area and more complex pitches than their footprints suggest, so they tend to cost more than the house size implies. Older, simpler houses (Huntington Hills, Thorncliffe) tend to be simpler jobs: smaller, walkable roofs with simple gables, offset by a higher chance of board decking or a second layer. Large acreage roofs in Bearspaw are their own category.
Insurance changes the question, not the cost
If this is a hail claim, the number that matters to you is what your policy pays and what you contribute, more than what the roof costs. Many replacement-cost policies pay actual cash value first and release the withheld depreciation once the work is complete and invoiced, so check how yours works in ACV vs RCV roof coverage. The deductible is yours to pay on any claim, and anyone offering to make it disappear is proposing insurance fraud with your name on it.
How much does a roof replacement cost in Calgary?
It depends on your roof: its measured area, pitch, how many layers come off, the decking underneath and the shingle you pick. We don't publish a figure, because a number given before anyone has measured your roof tends to become a change order later. Ask for a quote and you get a written price for your measured roof, in the shingle you choose.
Can anything be added to the price after I sign?
Rotten decking is the one thing that can only be found once the old shingles are off. It's priced at $120 per 4x8 sheet, written on the quote, and replaced only with your written approval. The rest of the quoted price holds for 14 days.
Is Class 4 worth the extra?
It depends on your roof and your insurer. Fortified is our Class 4 tier and a priced upgrade over Essential and Signature, and the difference grows with the size of the roof, so ask for your quote priced both ways. An impact-rated roof may qualify for an insurance discount with some insurers. Confirm yours in writing before you count on it.
One quote is thousands cheaper. What's the catch?
Usually scope, not efficiency. Materials and labour make up most of the price. Check for a missing decking rate, reused flashing, thinner ice and water coverage, no ventilation work, or a second layer being left in place.
Does the time of year change the price?
Availability more than price. After a major hailstorm every crew in the city is booked and lead times stretch; in late winter you have your pick. If your roof isn't leaking, booking off-season gets you a better schedule.
Where the facts on this page come from. If a source has changed since we last checked, tell us and we'll fix the page.
- GST/HST calculator (and rates) · Canada Revenue Agency
- Home insurance · Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
