What is the current rate for the installation of cedar shakes?

3/7/2018 at 6:52:40 AM

Hi Glenn

First get a clear answer from your builder that shakes are allowed in the area. Some areas in Ontario they are banned because of fire risk. They are much more time consuming

and more wastage. You may have to spray them with fire retardant after completion. Don't expect to make a lot of money on this. The experience out weighs the money, if your the only one in the area that knows how to put them on properly.

3/7/2018 at 7:20:09 AM

Hi there,

While I can't give you exact numbers, I can help you get to them.

I have found that the price of the cedar shakes themselves can fluctuate greatly. I would suggest first getting in touch with your supplier. Find out the cost per bundle and how much one bundle will cover. Add in your underlay and accessories to get a true material cost.

Will you be responsible for disposal of an existing roofing system? Add that cost in.

Make a labour budget: how long will it take you to do the job? How many on your crew? Calculate your labour cost.

Once you have all your costs summed up, divide to get your overhead and profit margin. For example, if you require a 10% overhead and 20% profit margin (30% total margin), divide your costs by 0.7 (because 1 - 0.7 = 0.3). It's a reverse calculation to get to the total price you will charge your customer before tax.

Once you have a job of this nature completed, you'll be able to take the total roof area of the job and divide it into your price. If you budgeted correctly, you'll then have a baseline price for future cedar shake jobs. Of course, the price per square will always vary greatly based on the complexity of the job (pitch, storeys, etc).

I wish you a successful season!

3/7/2018 at 10:34:03 AM

Thanks for the quick responses! Reading them, I realized that I should have provided more details on the job.

It is a new structure, a simple garage (low pitch, straight sides), and the house already has cedar shakes on it, so they are definitely allowed in that location.

All the materials are being provided by the builder, and we'll only be responsible for the installation.

They've offered to pay an hourly rate instead, and that's the route I'll take unless the current price per bundle or square can be determined. Which may be the best option, since I'm unable to accurately estimate how long the job will take until we get started on it.

3/8/2018 at 8:35:16 AM

Prices vary depending on roof pitch, height and if the deck is boards or plywood. Underlay also changes the price depending on what type and brand of shakers and underlay your are planning on using. For the most part I would go in at 5 dollars a square foot.

I hope this helps you!!

Thank you,

Mark Laurin