How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Roof? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $40,000 - $80,000
The cost to raise a roof sits around $60,000, on average. Most roof-raising projects fall between $40,000 and $80,000, depending on square footage, finishes, and more.
Raising a roof expands your home’s interior, making rooms feel grander or even adding additional living space. It’s an involved design upgrade, but it’s worth considering if you'd like to make a room feel bigger when you can't add space horizontally.
While the average homeowner pays around $60,000 for a vertical expansion, the cost to raise a roof can fall anywhere between $15,000 and $130,000, depending on a myriad of factors.
- Average
- $60,000
- Low end
- $15,000
- high end
- $130,000
Factors That Influence the Cost to Raise a Roof
There are lots of cost factors you need to keep in mind when planning your roof raising project. From your home size, frame type, to all the different professionals you’ll need to get on board, here are the most important things to consider.
Home Size
Your home’s size is one of the most significant factors that affect your total project costs. On average, raising a roof costs $35 to $65 per square foot, with an average of around $44 per square foot. Keep in mind that the price per square foot only pertains to the section of roof you’re raising and not to the entire home. The table below includes some average costs based on the size of the section you’re raising.
| Raised Section Size (sq. ft.) | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 100 | $3,500–$6,500 |
| 200 | $7,000–$13,000 |
| 300 | $10,500–$19,500 |
| 400 | $14,000–$26,000 |
| 500 | $17,500–$32,500 |
| 1000 | $35,000–$65,000 |
| 1500 | $52,500–$97,500 |
| 2000 | $70,000–$130,000 |
Frame Type
Your roof’s frame type will affect the cost of raising the roof, as more labor might be involved with certain options. If you have customized stick roof frames, your contractor will dismantle the framing in the area that you’re expanding and rebuild the new structure manually.
This is more labor-intensive than if you have prefabricated roof trusses. Your contract will remove the trusses and replace them with new ones. However, material costs for prefab trusses are often higher than traditional lumber, so they end up costing more overall.
The costs of the trusses range between $60 to $800 per truss, depending on type and style, while lumber costs will vary based on your roof design and size.
Complexity of Roof Design
The complexity of your existing and new roof design will both play a role in your roof-raising costs. Laborers will spend more time dismantling and re-framing a mansard roof or a hip roof than a standard gable roof because the angles are more challenging and require more work to get right.
It’s difficult to say exactly how the roof design affects the cost to raise it, but a roofing company near you will be able to provide an accurate estimate for your particular roof.
Chimney Adjustments
If you raise a roof with a chimney, it may cost an additional $500 to $6,000 to extend the chimney to the newly required height. In some cases, it might make more sense to take down and rebuild the chimney if it’s aged and won’t support the weight of additional building material.
Insulation
Part of the refinishing process might require you to install new insulation in the new interior space. This costs $1 to $4 per square foot, depending on the type of insulation. Your insulation costs could be lower if you raise the roof to add unfinished attic space, in which case you might only need blown-in insulation or fiberglass batts on the attic floor.
Drywall
After the workers install insulation, you’ll need them to put up drywall if you’re finishing the new interior space. You can expect to pay between $1.50 and $3 per square foot for drywall hanging and prepping for paint. Again, you might be able to keep this line item to a minimum if you’re just looking to add unfinished attic space.
Painting
Painting new drywall costs between $2 and $6 per square foot, on average. You might want to include other finishing costs in this line item, like installing trim or crown molding. Expect to pay between $1 and $3 per linear foot for trim or up to $6 per linear foot if you need it installed high up in a room with new cathedral ceilings.
Roof Removal
Before your contractor starts installing new framing, they’ll need to remove the existing roof and haul away the debris. This service on its own costs $1 to $5 per square foot, but many contractors include this expense in your initial estimate. Check with your contractor to see if this cost is included in the quote or if it’s billed separately.
Exterior Refinishing
Once the new roof framing, decking, and underlayment are down, your contractor will need to install new roofing material to match the rest of your home. Of course, the price you’ll pay per square foot will depend on your roofing material.
| Roof Material | Cost Per sq. ft. |
|---|---|
| Asphalt | $1–$2 |
| Clay tiles | $8–$18 |
| Metal | $2–$9 |
| Stone or slate | $8–$18 |
| Wood shake | $3–$6 |
Labor
You can expect labor costs to range between $1.50 to $3 per square foot. Costs increase by 10% to 20% if you hire a general contractor. A general contractor might seem like an unnecessary expense, but raising a roof involves quite a few other experts to construct and finish your space safely, and they can help the project run more smoothly.
Below are some experts that you’ll need that will contribute to labor costs, along with their average hourly rates:
Structural engineer: $70 to $250 per hour
Architect: $45 to $250 per hour
Plumber: $45 to $200 per hour
HVAC technician: $100 to $250 per hour
Electrician: $50 to $100 per hour
Roof installer: $45 to $75 per hour
Window installer: $35 to $75 per hour
Permits
Raising a roof will likely require several different building permits, depending on your location and the extent of the work you’re doing. In most cases, you’ll need the following permits:
Permit to alter the structural components of the home
Permit to install new roofing
Approval and permit for a raised ridge
Depending on your interior finishing work, you might also need the permits for the following, especially if you’re finishing the new space:
Changes to your electrical system
Additions to your HVAC system
Updates to your plumbing system
Expect to pay between $400 and $2,000 for all of these permits.
Cost to Raise a Roof by Frame Type
Your project costs differ based on your roof frame type because truss styles can complicate demolition and reconstruction, as well as tying in the new section of the roof with a matching exterior style. The cost of the trusses will affect your total, too.
You’ll normally need one truss for every 24 inches of roof span. Always rely on a structural engineer to determine the exact number of trusses you need. Once you have that number, you can use the table below to get an estimate for your truss costs. The prices below are based on a 60-foot roof span, which requires an average of 31 trusses.
| Truss Type | Cost Per Truss |
|---|---|
| Attic | $100–$400 |
| Cathedral | $250–$550 |
| Fink | $120–$260 |
| Fan | $150–$200 |
| Hip | $100–$250 |
| Gable | $80–$800 |
| Scissor | $120–$500 |
| Queen Post | $50–$100 |
| Raise Tie | $70–$580 |
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Raise Your Roof
Raising a roof is simply not a DIY project—one wrong move could quite literally cause the ceiling to come crashing down on you. What’s more, most municipalities require certified professionals to handle any job that involves structural alterations, like raising a roof. It's important to have a contractor help determine the feasibility of safely raising your ceiling based on the structure of your home.
With that being said, you can DIY some of the project yourself. Things like installing insulation, hanging drywall, painting, and adding finishing touches can all contribute to the roof-raising project and scratch that DIY itch. If you’re really ambitious—and extra careful—you could take on window installation and even removal of your old roof. Doing all of these extras yourself could save you between $1,000 and $5,000.
Overall, it’s best to hire a roofing company near you to help you get it done.
Cost of Common Add-Ons for Roof Raising Projects
Raising a roof is a massive undertaking that’s likely to cost around $60,000, but if you have some more room in your budget, it might be a good idea to consider completing the following projects at the same time.
Full roof replacement: Since your contractor will be up on the roof anyway, consider replacing the roofing material on the portions of your roof that you aren’t raising. This will ensure that your roof looks uniform, and it will set you up for decades of life from your entire roof. Full roof replacement costs around $10,000, on average.
Upgrading insulation: Many roof-raising projects include installing insulation in the newly-built sections of home. You may want to consider replacing insulation in other areas, too, to maximize your home’s efficiency. Installing all new insulation costs around $1,800, on average.
Converting your attic to living space: Raising the roof often means expanding your attic, and you can convert that to living space to add value and utility to your home. Converting your attic to living space costs around $200 per square foot.
Replace siding: Spruce up your entire home and not just the raised roof by replacing your old siding for maximum curb appeal. Siding replacement costs an average of $11,500.
Roof inspection: It’s a good idea to get a roof inspection after any roof work, and raising a portion of your roof is no exception. Plan to spend around $230 on roof inspection costs after the construction is over.
Gutter replacement: Most homes benefit from gutters, and since you’ll be disrupting your existing ones by raising the roof, you should consider replacing the entire system. Gutter installation costs around $1,200, on average.
How to Save on the Cost to Raise a Roof
The best way to save on the cost of raising a roof is to get at least three quotes from highly qualified companies and contractors in your area. You may be surprised at the price difference for the same job, depending on who you ask. Below are some additional tips to keep the cost to raise a roof as low as possible:
Tackle as much of the work as you can yourself: While structural work and roof installation are jobs for professionals, you can save hundreds or even thousands by doing finishing work, like hanging drywall, painting, and installing trim yourself.
Choose your materials carefully: It might be tempting to choose cheap roof or construction materials to keep costs down, but you should consider the longevity of the products, too. For example, 3-tab shingles are more affordable than architectural asphalt shingles, but you’ll get more value out of the latter over time.
Plan your project for the off-season: Most homeowners plan on major home renovations for the spring, and as demand goes up during this time, so does the cost. If possible, plan on completing the renovation in the fall to save.
Consider energy efficiency: There are more options now than ever before for maximizing your home’s energy efficiency, from roof types and insulation options to window frame materials. Try to find a balance between upfront costs and long-term energy savings.
Save the finishing work for another time: Don’t forget that you can schedule the exterior roof raising now and then tackle the interior finishing project later if the cost is too much all at once. You might not want to leave an unfinished area in your main living area, but converting an attic to a living space can often wait.
Mizuki Hisaka contributed to this piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high you should raise your roof depends on a few factors. First and foremost, you should check local building restrictions, as most municipalities have limits for how high your roof ridge can be. You might need to submit for approval for a raised ridge. Second, consider how you’ll use the interior space. You might want a higher roof for vaulted or cathedral ceilings, or you might want to raise a lower portion of your roof to the second story to add as much vertical living space as possible.
In most cases, yes, you’ll need permission to raise your roof. If you have a two-story home already, most building departments will require that you get special approval to raise the ridge of your roof above the standard in the area. Even if you only have a one-story home and are adding a second story, you’ll need permission in the form of building permits to alter the structural components of your home.
Raising your roof will almost certainly add value to your home because it either adds living space, which adds direct value, or it makes areas feel more open and luxurious, which can add to a buyer’s opinion of the property, providing indirect value. The actual value you’ll add to your home by raising your roof depends on how you’ll use the added interior space, as well as the finishes you choose for your project.