Industry news for Utah roofing consumers.
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"Roofing costs are through the roof"
By Bryon Saxton
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
LAYTON - The asphalt shortage dead ending some road repair is also impacting home repair.
Because the predominant shingle used on "steep slope" residential roofs is made of asphalt, the cost of it is also tied to the petroleum prices. The cost to repair or replace a roof on homes is "skyrocketing," suppliers say.
"We have had eight (price) increases this year from manufacturers, three within a 31-day period," said Dino Pappas, owner of Roofers Supply, which has four stores accross the state.
For the average home, roofing material costs over the past year have increased by "$1,500, taking the overall cost for roofing materials for the same home from $3,000 to $4,500.
"And there is more (increases) to come," Pappas said of roofing materials slated for another price increase Monday, followed by another in September.
Roofers Supply has stores in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Cedar City, and Lindon, just north of Orem.
Although the cost of oil may be leveling off, Pappas said, asphalt manufacturers are reeling from the earlier oil increases.
"Contractors will tell you they cannot calculate the increases fast enough for their bids," he said. "Shingles have almost doubled in price in the last 12 months."
"I've been in the business for 30 years and I have never seen such dramatic increases in prices."
In addition to building material increases crunching the wallets of those trying to keep a good roof overhead, it is increasing the cost of new construction in passing those roofing costs onto consumers.
"I think it is causing people to tend to repair their roof, rather than replacing the roof," Pappas said.
There are four major shingle manufacturers in the country, Pappas said, and all are being impacted by the same increase.
"It gets passed on in a very rapid succession," he said.
Some things homeowners can do to stem the tide of rising roofing costs to communicate with suppliers in pre-buying materials, and book jobs early with roofing contractors to hedge against future price increases.
"The prices are not going to go down, (but) hopefully will level off," he said. "Just like gas, it's not going to return to $2 a gallon."
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