How much does ridge capping repair cost?
Short answer. Ridge cap repair is usually priced as a small job, often a few hundred dollars for resealing or replacing a handful of cap shingles, and more when a whole ridge or ridge vent has to be replaced or the roof is steep and tall. On tile roofs, rebedding and repointing ridge tiles is priced by the length of ridge and the amount of mortar work.
What you are paying for
- Access and setup: ladders, harnesses and anchors on steep or tall roofs. On a small repair this is often the biggest part of the price.
- Scope: resealing a few lifted caps versus replacing caps along the entire ridge.
- Ridge vent: if the vent under the caps is cracked or crushed, it is replaced too.
- Matching: caps must match the field shingles, and a discontinued color can push you to redo the whole ridge.
- Hidden damage: rotted decking along the ridge vent slot.
Ways to keep it reasonable
- Bundle it with other small items such as pipe boots.
- Ask for photos that show what is actually damaged.
- If caps blew off in a storm, check for other wind damage first; it may be an insurance claim rather than an out of pocket repair.
Why ridge caps fail
Cap shingles are bent over the peak, so they crack sooner than field shingles, especially if installed in cold weather, and they take the most wind. Cutting caps from 3-tab shingles instead of using purpose-made hip and ridge shingles is a common shortcut that cracks early. The nails on the final cap must be sealed or covered.