Is $25,000 Too Much for a Roof?

The $25,000 roof in Greater Victoria is most often a big single-storey: the 2,600 sq ft ranchers on North Saanich acreage and in Dean Park, the sprawling 1970s Metchosin and Central Saanich homes with attached garages and carports under the same roof, and Cordova Bay bungalows with a low-slope torch-on wing. A 3,000 sq ft rancher has about 3,600 sq ft of roof, and at $7 per sq ft that is $25,000 in asphalt before a single extra. Long driveways and rural lots keep access easy, so the price is mostly area.

It is also the number on the Fairfield and Oak Bay character home of 2,000 sq ft that looks modest from the street but has a 9/12 pitch, two brick chimneys, a dormer on each side and 1920s plank decking of unknown condition; our model gives that house $14,100–$31,600 in asphalt. And it is the metal price on a 2,000 sq ft Broadmead or Highlands two-storey where the owner wants a roof that sheds moss for forty years.

On a large asphalt rancher: everything in a standard re-roof plus the items large roofs need, namely a stated decking allowance (3,600 sq ft of 1970s plywood will have some soft spots), new flashing at the garage-to-house transition and any low-slope wing, and a plan for the torch-on section if there is one (a separate line, usually at $9–$16 per sq ft in our model). On a heritage roof: new step and counter flashing at every dormer and chimney, crickets behind chimneys, and a per-sheet decking rate rather than a vague allowance, because plank decking surprises are common. On metal: profile, gauge, coating, fastener system, underlayment and snow or drip details at eaves.

• Decking allowance or per-sheet rate stated
• Low-slope sections priced as their own line
• Every chimney and dormer flashed with new metal
• Workmanship warranty of ten years where offered; RCABC RoofStar guarantee if the contractor is a member

Any two-storey home in standard asphalt. A 2,500 sq ft two-storey has about 1,500 sq ft of roof and models at $8,700–$15,700; a steep one with two chimneys and difficult access reaches $14,100–$28,700 only with every extra in play. A $25,000 quote for a plain two-storey in asphalt is about $20 per sq ft of roof, which is the price of concealed-fastener standing seam, not shingles. Ask for the squares and the shingle line, and get a second quote.

Also watch for $25,000 quotes that are fair in total but padded in one line: a $4,000 decking allowance where the model uses $500–$2,500, or three chimney re-flashes at $1,500 each on a house with one chimney and two vents.

Metal on any rancher. The model floor for a 1,500 sq ft single-storey in metal is $21,600 and for 2,000 sq ft it is $28,800; Shoreline's 2026 Victoria guide puts typical metal jobs at $18,000–$35,000 and Forge's at $12–$20 per sq ft for standing seam. A $25,000 metal quote on a 2,000 sq ft rancher is either an exposed-fastener agricultural panel or is missing scope. Cedar is similar: a 1,500 sq ft rancher in No. 1 shakes starts at $25,200 in our model.

Use the calculator with your real floor area and storeys, tick the extras the roofer mentioned, and see where $25,000 lands. Inside the range: compare scope and warranty across two or three quotes. Outside: ask for an itemized version. For a roof this size the difference between a good and a poor quote is often $5,000 of decking and flashing that one contractor priced honestly and another left for a change order.