Roof work prices by the failure and the square, which makes it legible once the vocabulary is clear. Published national guides put minor repairs at $150 to $450, leak repairs at $350 to $1,200, and emergency tarping at $200 to $1,000. Replacement is priced per square foot installed: roughly $3.50 to $6.00 for asphalt shingles and $9 to $16 for metal.
Plainfield numbers carry a fabric footnote the national guides do not print: the same square footage prices differently as asphalt, wood, or slate, and a historic district address can rule out the cheapest material answer entirely. When comparing Plainfield quotes, compare the material named in each one and whether district review applies to your street; a quote silent on both is not pricing your roof.
What moves a specific quote: pitch and height (labor), how much decking is found failed under the tear off, the component that failed, and timing, since storm weeks price emergency work as emergency work across the whole market.
The decision rule mirrors the rest of the trades: when repairs in a short window total a third to a half of a replacement, and the roof's age says more failures are queued, replacement usually wins. Ask for both numbers in writing, with decking priced per sheet so the tear off holds no surprises.
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