Savannah, GA · Coastal Georgia
Roof Tear-Off Cost in Savannah
Roof Tear-Off work in Savannah, GA is modelled here at $1,500–$9,000, with the middle of that band around $3,000. That is the national range for a roof tear-off multiplied by a 1.00 cost index for this metro, which puts Savannah at the national baseline.
A coastal market where higher wind-zone requirements offset otherwise moderate regional wages. Modelled at baseline.
Everything below explains what that index does and does not know. It is an estimate of where local labor, overhead and permitting sit relative to the national middle — it is not a feed of local quotes, and it cannot see your roof. The parts of this page worth more than the headline number are the local conditions further down and the component table, because those are what let you interrogate a real bid when you get one.
Estimated range — not a quote
Roof Tear-Off Cost in Savannah, GA
Low end
$1,500
Typical
$3,000
High end
$9,000
What this covers: stripping the existing roof covering to the deck and hauling it away, including the container.
Per roofing square (100 sq ft of roof surface)
$100–$300(typical $150)
Applied to a 15–30 square roof, which is where the job figures above come from. Your own square count beats any assumption we can make.
Modelled estimate. These figures come from national industry-typical ranges, not from quoted jobs, and no one has looked at your roof. Use them to sanity-check a bid — never as a substitute for one.
Where the Savannah number comes from
No mystery and no proprietary data: it is one multiplication, and we would rather show it than ask you to trust it. If you disagree with the index, substitute your own and redo the arithmetic — the whole model is one number wide.
national cost per square (typical) $150 Savannah cost index x 1.00 = $150/square -> shown as $150 assumed roof size (typical) 20 squares $150 x 20 sq x 1.00 $3,000 -> shown as $3,000 low 15 sq x $100/sq x 1.00 $1,500 -> shown as $1,500 high 30 sq x $300/sq x 1.00 $9,000 -> shown as $9,000
Each line is rounded independently before it is displayed, so multiplying two rounded figures together will not always land exactly on a third. That is a deliberate consequence of not printing modelled estimates to the dollar — the raw product is shown alongside each rounded figure so you can see the difference rather than wonder about it.
What the 1.00 index is
An editorial estimate that Savannah runs at the national baseline for this kind of work. It is derived from the general pattern of prevailing construction wages, site conditions and permitting overhead in markets of this type — not from collected local quotes, and not from a licensed location-factor dataset. If a local contractor tells you something different about this market, believe the contractor.
What actually matters in Savannah
Climate, geography and local building practice, all of which you can verify independently. You will not find an invented local statistic here — no made-up average roof size, no fabricated local job counts. Where we do not know something about Savannah specifically, we say the true general thing instead.
- ●Coastal location means higher design wind speeds than inland Georgia, affecting fastening schedules and sometimes material selection.
- ●Direct hurricane and tropical-storm exposure; wind-driven rain tests every flashing detail.
- ●Salt air is hard on fasteners and on unprotected metal — a standing reason to specify aluminium over steel near the water.
- ●Very high humidity year-round makes ventilation and moisture management central rather than optional.
- ●A historic core with strict architectural review in places, which can constrain material choice.
Timing and local demand
Demand spikes after named storms, and the historic-district work runs on its own approval timeline.
What the low, typical and high jobs look like
A range only helps if you know which end applies to you. These are the three jobs the Savannah numbers describe.
Low$1,500
one layer of asphalt on a walkable single-story roof, easy truck access
Typical$3,000
one to two layers of asphalt on an average home at a 5/12 to 6/12 pitch
High$9,000
multiple layers, a steep or multi-story roof, or a heavy covering such as tile or cedar shake with the disposal weight that implies
How this work is priced
Tear-off is usually invisible in a replacement bid, folded into a single per-square number. It is worth separating, because it is the part of the job that varies most with things you can actually verify in advance — how many layers are up there, how steep the roof is, and how close a truck can get.
The cost is roughly half labor and half disposal, and the disposal half is driven by weight rather than area. Asphalt shingles run in the region of 250 to 400 pounds per square, so a 20-square roof with two layers is somewhere around four to six tons of material going into a container. That is why a second layer costs more than a proportional amount extra, and why tile and slate tear-offs are in a different price class entirely.
What is and is not in the price
Most of the distance between two Savannah quotes is scope rather than margin. Compare both columns before deciding one contractor is expensive.
Normally included in the price
- ●Stripping the roof covering down to the deck
- ●Removing old underlayment, drip edge and flashing
- ●Pulling or driving down nails
- ●Loading debris into a container or trailer
- ●Disposal or landfill fees
- ●Magnet sweep of the grounds and gutters
Normally billed separately
- ●Decking replacement discovered after the strip
- ●Removal of a satellite dish, solar array or antenna
- ●Asbestos-containing material, which is a specialist abatement job
- ●Landscaping protection beyond ordinary tarping
- ●Interior protection where the attic is finished or storage is exposed
What pushes a Savannah job to the top of the range
Multiple layers
Each layer is another pass of labor and roughly another full container's share of weight. Two layers commonly runs $50 to $125 per square above one.
Steep pitch
Above about 7/12 the crew cannot simply shovel material down the slope, and the staging required slows everything. Steep-pitch surcharges of 25% to 50% on the labor are normal.
Heavy materials
Concrete tile, clay tile and slate weigh several times what asphalt does. Both the removal labor and the disposal tonnage go up accordingly.
Poor access
If the container cannot be placed next to the house, every square has to be carried further. Narrow lots, steep drives and mature landscaping all show up here.
Rising landfill tipping fees
Disposal is a pass-through cost that varies by jurisdiction and has generally been rising. A contractor who separates it as a line is being transparent, not padding.
What keeps it at the bottom
A single layer over sound plywood
The fastest tear-off there is, and the one with the fewest surprises underneath.
Shingle recycling where it is available
Asphalt shingles can be recycled into road material in some markets, and where a recycler is close the tipping fee can be lower than the landfill. Worth asking about; not available everywhere.
Doing it as part of a full replacement
Tear-off as a standalone job carries mobilization cost twice. It is nearly always cheaper as part of the re-roof.
Component costs in Savannah
National component ranges with the 1.00 Savannah index applied. These are the lines a quote is built from — the most useful page on this site to have open while you read a bid.
| Line item | Range | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One layer asphalt, walkable pitch | $100–$175 | per square | The baseline case. |
| Two layers asphalt | $150–$275 | per square | Roughly double the disposal weight, not double the labor. |
| Three or more layers | $200–$350 | per square | Increasingly rare; most codes cap at two. |
| Cedar shake or shingle | $200–$400 | per square | Light material, slow removal, often over spaced sheathing. |
| Concrete or clay tile | $200–$450 | per square | Heavy. Disposal weight drives the price. |
| Slate | $250–$600 | per square | Heavy and often salvageable — ask whether salvage offsets the cost. |
| Steep-pitch surcharge, 8/12 and above | $25–$75 | per square | Applied on top of the base tear-off rate. |
| Container or dump trailer | $350–$700 | per job | Sometimes bundled, sometimes separate. Ask which. |
National baseline tear-off ranges. If a replacement bid does not break this out, ask for it — it is the easiest part of a quote to sanity-check. Adjusted for Savannah, GA at a 1.00 index and rounded.
Size your own roof before you read a quote
Every number in this guide is priced against roof area, and roof area is not house area. Put your footprint dimensions and your pitch into the squares calculator and you will know how many squares you are buying — which turns a vague estimate into arithmetic you can check against a bid.
Getting a real quote in Savannah
Everything above is a model. The number that decides your budget is a written quote from someone who has been on your roof, and you want three of them scoped alike — same material line, same underlayment, same flashing treatment, and the per-sheet decking rate written down before the tear-off starts.
Roofing contractors in Savannah
Browse roofing companies listed in Savannah, GA, compare Google review scores, and contact them directly.
All Georgia roofing contractors
Browse by city across Georgia — useful if your job sits between metros or you want contractors from a neighbouring market to bid.
- ●Check licensing yourself. Our listings are compiled from public records. Confirm any contractor’s licence and insurance with the Georgia licensing board before work begins, and ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from the insurer rather than a copy from the contractor.
- ●Compare scope, not just totals. The cheapest bid is often the one that left something out. Line up the three quotes against the component table above and find out what differs.
- ●Get the decking rate in writing. It is the one cost nobody can see before the tear-off, and it is the change order that surprises people. Agree the per-sheet price and an approval threshold before the job starts.
Other roofing costs in Savannah
Roof Replacement in Savannah
$5,600–$27,000 estimated
Full tear-off and re-roof in architectural asphalt shingle — the job most homeowners mean when they say "new roof". Priced per square, with the size assumptions shown.
Roof Repair in Savannah
$250–$3,500 estimated
Localized fixes — leaks, flashing, boots, valleys, a section of shingles. Priced per visit rather than per square, because that is how the trade actually sells it.
Metal Roofing in Savannah
$8,300–$56,000 estimated
Exposed-fastener panel through steel and aluminium standing seam. The widest price band in residential roofing, because "metal roof" covers products that differ by a factor of four.
Flat & Low-Slope in Savannah
$3,600–$35,000 estimated
Single-ply membrane — TPO, EPDM and PVC — plus modified bitumen. Covers whole low-slope roofs and the flat sections over additions, porches and dormers.
Storm & Hail Damage in Savannah
$450–$12,000 estimated
Wind, hail and impact damage — from a tarp on the night of the storm to a full insurance-scoped replacement. The one topic where the price you pay and the price of the work are usually different numbers.
Decking & Sheathing in Savannah
$500–$14,000 estimated
Replacing sheathing under the shingles — the change order that surprises more homeowners than any other, because it cannot be quoted until the old roof is off.
Roof Inspection in Savannah
$0–$1,200 estimated
From the free look that comes with an estimate through to an infrared moisture scan or an engineer's report. Priced per visit, and often free — which is itself worth understanding.
Tear-Off & Disposal costs elsewhere in Georgia
Same model, different index. Comparing neighbouring markets is a quick way to see how much of a quote is the work and how much is the market it is being done in.
Common questions
How do I know how many layers are on my roof?
Look at the roof edge from a ladder at the eave, or at the rake edge where the shingles overhang. Each layer is visible as a separate course in section. A contractor will check this during the estimate, and the number should appear in the written scope.
Can I tear off my own roof to save money?
It is legal in most places and it is a bad trade. Tear-off is the most dangerous phase of the job, the debris volume surprises people, you own the container and the tipping fee, and if the deck is exposed when weather arrives the damage is yours. Contractors also generally will not warrant work over a deck they did not strip themselves.
What happens if it rains mid-tear-off?
A competent crew strips only what they can dry in and covers the exposed deck before leaving each day. Ask directly how they handle weather, because the answer tells you a lot about how the rest of the job will go.
How we build these cost ranges
The short version: these are industry-typical ranges, not a quote.
For this page: the Savannah, GA cost index is 1.00, meaning we model this metro at at the national baseline. A coastal market where higher wind-zone requirements offset otherwise moderate regional wages. Modelled at baseline.
These are modelled ranges, not quotes
Every figure on this page is an estimate produced by a model, not a price anyone has been charged. We do not collect invoices, we do not receive bid data from contractors, and we do not have a feed of completed jobs. If you need a number you can rely on, the only source of one is a written quote from a contractor who has been on your roof.
Where the national ranges come from
The national baseline for each work type is an industry-typical installed-price band: the range that published cost guides, manufacturer installation literature and ordinary contractor pricing conventions broadly agree on for 2026. Each band is expressed low / typical / high, and where the work is genuinely sold by the square we show the per-square price and the roof size assumptions separately, so the whole-job figure can be re-derived rather than taken on trust.
Where the city adjustment comes from
Each metro carries a single cost index, with 1.00 meaning the national baseline. The index is our own editorial estimate of where local labor, overhead and permitting sit relative to the national middle, based on the well-established general pattern that construction costs run higher in large, high-wage, densely-built metros and lower in smaller ones. It is not a measured price feed, it is not a licensed location-factor dataset, and it is not derived from local quotes. The city figure is simply the national band multiplied by that index.
What we deliberately do not do
We do not publish invented local statistics. There is no "average roof size in your city" on this site, because we have not measured one. Local context here is limited to climate, geography and building-practice factors that are true of the region and that you can verify independently. We would rather be generic and correct than specific and made up.
Why the numbers are rounded
Modelled figures are rounded before display — to the nearest $500 above $10,000, the nearest $100 above $1,000, and more finely below that. A modelled estimate printed to the exact dollar is claiming a resolution it does not have. The rounding is the honest representation of how coarse these estimates really are.
What the model cannot see
It cannot see your pitch, your decking, how many layers are up there, how a truck reaches your house, what your local supplier quoted this month, or how booked the good crews are after the last storm. Those factors routinely move a real quote further than the entire spread between our low and high figures. Treat these ranges as a way to tell a plausible quote from an implausible one — nothing more than that.
A note on this particular topic
Tear-off is rarely purchased on its own. These figures exist so you can check the tear-off share of a replacement bid, and the per-job total assumes it happens as part of a re-roof rather than as a separate mobilization.
Cost model version 2026.08. Baselines and the regional index are reviewed periodically; the date shown on each page is the date that page's figures were last reviewed. Contractor listings on this site are compiled from public records — confirm any contractor’s licence and insurance with your state licensing board before work begins.
Get three quotes in Savannah
Every figure on this page is modelled. A written quote from a contractor who has been on your roof is the only number worth budgeting from — search roofing companies and contact them directly, free and with no middleman.