How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Roof? [2025 Data]
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 adding much-needed living space. 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 many factors.
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. This project can add some style to your home and give it a unique flair. Learn the nitty-gritty of the total project cost.
Size of Roof
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. Remember that the price per square foot is related to the roof section—not the floor area of the room the roof is in. The table below includes some average costs based on the size of the section you’re raising.
| Raised Roof in Square Feet | 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 |
Type of Frame
Your roof’s frame type will affect the cost of raising the roof, as more labor will be involved with certain options. If you have customized stick roof frames, your contractor will dismantle the framing in the area you’re expanding and manually rebuild the new structure. Just as there are many different types of roofs, there are also more than a few options when choosing a frame type.
This is more labor-intensive than if you have prefabricated roof trusses. Your contractor will remove the trusses and replace them with new ones. However, material costs for prefab trusses are often higher than traditional lumber, so make sure you check the cost of materials versus labor when making a decision.
You’ll normally need one truss—the wooden support beams—for every 24 inches of roof span. Always rely on a local 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 | Average 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 |
Roofing Professional Cost
An experienced local roofer should be able to raise a roof. However not all roofing professionals will take on this complex job. The project involves raising not only the roof but also the ceiling. For this reason, some homeowners choose to hire a general contractor instead. Roofing professionals will charge the same or slightly more than a general contractor but may not have the same level of access to other professionals needed for the job (electricians, inspectors, etc).
General Contractor Cost
General contractors charge labor costs between $1.50 to $3 per square foot. This breaks down into project fees around 10% to 20% if you hire a local general contractor. 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.
Electrician Cost
Electricians are necessary if you want to rewire any existing electrical work, install ceiling fans and lights, or put in some outlets. Expect to pay an electrician $50 to $140 per hour of work.
Additional Pros
Depending on the scope of your roof-raising project, you may want to hire some additional professionals, including:
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
Window installer: $35 to $75 per hour
Additional Cost Factors
Demolition and Prep
You’ll need to remove the existing ceiling but due to the safety hazards, you shouldn’t do this alone. This isn’t like putting in a new floor—it’s above you, after all. You may be able to assist but you should lean on your professional for guidance if you want to contribute. Demolition costs vary, but will be budgeted for in the total estimate.
Permits
Raising the roof is a major project, and permits are always required. Your professional should handle this aspect as part of the project, but if you want to break it down, permits cost time to prepare and have a dollar value of $200 to $1,400 or more.
Repairs
If the work was done correctly there shouldn’t be much need for repairs. But if there is, you need to hire a professional. Anything more than a loose screw or chip of paint could be signs of structural damage.
Windows
Raising your roof leads to a number of possibilities regarding windows and skylights. Either of these options can bring an incredible amount of natural light into the space. Skylight installation costs about $1,800 on average and adding a window costs about $750 each.
Insulation
Insulation will be part of the project cost and is relatively simple and inexpensive to install. Insulation costs for raising a roof shouldn’t be more than 10% of the total project cost or take more than a day or two.
Painting
The cost of painting will vary, but homeowners can expect to pay around $1,100 to have their raised roof painted. However, if you choose to paint the trussing too, that will cost more. Discuss pricing and aesthetic options with your contractor because sometimes it can be more cost-effective to purchase the more expensive material if you don’t need to pay to paint it.
DIY Raising the Roof vs. Hiring a Pro
Raising a roof is simply not a DIY project—one wrong move could quite literally cause the ceiling to come crashing down. What’s more, most municipalities require certified professionals to handle any job that involves structural alterations.
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 if you have prior experience.
Overall, it’s best for 99% of homeowners 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 pricey undertaking, but if you have more room in your budget, 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.
Upgrading insulation: Many roof-raising projects include installing insulation. You may want to consider replacing insulation in other areas to maximize your home’s efficiency.
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.
Replace siding: Spruce up your entire home and not just the raised roof by replacing your old siding for maximum curb appeal.
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.
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 gutter system.
Tips to Reduce Cost While Raising the 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. Below are some additional tips to keep the cost of raising a roof as low as possible:
Tackle as much of the work as you can yourself.
Choose materials carefully and consider lower-cost options.
Plan your project for the off-season.
Consider energy-efficient materials.
Try to lump two projects together to get a lower labor cost.
Does Raising the Roof Increase Home Value?
Whether a roof-raising will increase your home’s value depends on your house and your market. If you are in the market to sell and have buyers who appreciate the feature, you can reasonably add a portion of the cost—usually 50% to 70%—to the sale price of the house.
Raising a roof is considered more of a luxury addition, and those often don’t yield the same return on investment (ROI) as other, more necessary home improvements.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will depend on your existing roof to some degree but it’s common to raise a roof 4 to 8 feet. The exact amount you can raise is subject to the existing structure and for most homes with average roof slopes—20 to 45 degrees—you can raise the roof around 5 feet.
You’re going to need a permit for nearly every roof-raising project. This is a very important step as the work you’re doing has serious safety considerations. Professionals are the ones to handle this type of work—including sourcing the permits—as they have the expertise required to perform the work safely. Insurance and warranty are usually voided if you do this work without a permit and you may even be required to halt construction and tear it down as a penalty for working without a building permit.
Technically a flat roof can be raised but it’s extremely expensive and there would not be much of a point. Most homeowners raise the roof in their homes to access the space between their existing ceiling and the roof but flat roofs don’t have this space. Therefore, you can raise a flat roof, but it involves heavy structural modification.
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