Chicago Roof Replacement & New Roof Installation

Complete roof replacement from $9,000, typically $11,000–$15,000 for an average Chicago home. Full tear-off, decking inspection, ice-and-water shield at eaves and valleys, and architectural shingles rated to 130 mph. Manufacturer and workmanship warranties in writing.

What a Complete Roof Replacement Includes

The word "replacement" covers a wide range of actual scopes, and the gap between them is where most price differences between contractors actually live. A complete Widen replacement includes every item below. Anything missing from a competing quote is not a cheaper roof — it is a smaller job priced to look cheaper.

New Roof Cost in Chicago

Roof replacement in the Chicago area runs $9,000 to $22,000, or about $4.50 to $8.00 per square foot installed. A 1,800 square foot roof with architectural shingles and a single-layer tear-off commonly lands between $11,000 and $15,000.

Four things move that number: pitch (steeper roofs require staging and fall protection and cost materially more to walk), layer count (a second layer roughly doubles tear-off labor and disposal), decking condition (unknown until tear-off, which is why it should be quoted as a per-sheet contingency rather than discovered as a surprise), and complexity (each dormer, valley, and penetration adds flashing labor and material waste).

Completed Chicago-Area Replacements

Photographed on completion — real Widen installations, not stock photography. You receive the full documentation set for your own records and warranty file.

Should You Roof Over Your Existing Shingles?

Illinois code generally permits a maximum of two roofing layers, so a single existing layer can sometimes legally be roofed over. We rarely recommend it, and it is worth understanding why the savings are illusory.

A layover hides the decking, so any rot underneath stays and keeps spreading. It traps heat against the new shingles, measurably shortening their life. It adds dead load to the framing. And it guarantees a costlier double tear-off at the next replacement. The upfront saving is typically a few hundred dollars, set against several years of lost roof life and a larger bill later.

Timeline and What to Expect

A typical Chicago-area single-family replacement takes one to three days. Tear-off and dry-in happen the same day, so your home is never left open overnight — that is a firm rule, not a goal. Larger, steeper, or more complex roofs, and premium materials like slate or tile, take a week or more.

We do not begin a tear-off ahead of forecast rain. If the weather turns mid-job, the roof gets dried in before the crew leaves. For scheduling, April through October gives the best result: asphalt shingle sealant strips need surface temperatures around 40°F or above to bond properly. Winter installs are possible with hand-sealing, which is slower and costs more.

Your Two Warranties

Every replacement carries two distinct warranties, and homeowners are frequently sold on one while the other goes unmentioned. The manufacturer warranty covers the shingles themselves — typically 25 to 50 years depending on product line and whether the full system is installed. The workmanship warranty covers our installation.

Ask any contractor for both in writing before signing. The overwhelming majority of roof failures in the first decade are installation failures, not product failures, so a headline 50-year shingle warranty paired with a vague or absent workmanship warranty leaves you covered for the least likely problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Services

Helpful Guides

Ready to Get Started?

Call now for same-week scheduling or request a free estimate online.