How to compare roofing estimates

What should you compare first?

Start with the same job description. A repair proposal and a replacement proposal answer different questions. Ask each company to describe the problem it found, the work it proposes and what remains outside that work. Keep that explanation with the estimate.

The FTC recommends getting three written estimates before home repairs. NRCA, the roofing contractors’ trade group, recommends detailed proposals that identify the materials, scope, schedule, payment and warranty. Our new roof cost guide helps with an initial budget; this checklist is for comparing the proposals for your property.

What belongs in a roofing estimate comparison?

Make a column for each company and copy its written answer into each row. A blank is a question to resolve, not an item to assume is included.

How do you compare an allowance with a fixed price?

Write down the allowance and the unit price for additional work. An allowance does not by itself make a proposal better or worse. An undefined allowance makes the final price harder to compare.

For illustration: one quote is $12,000 and includes five decking sheets. Another is $11,500 and lists decking at $125 per sheet, with none included. If five sheets are needed, the second quote becomes $12,125 before any other differences.

Those are invented numbers to show the arithmetic, not market prices or a prediction for your roof. Ask each contractor how additional decking will be documented, priced and approved before work begins.

Should you choose the cheapest estimate?

A lower total is useful only after you understand what it buys. NRCA advises homeowners to consider more than price, check references and read the written proposal and warranty. Ask each contractor to explain differences in the scope before you choose.

If the proposals recommend different solutions, ask what evidence supports each one. Our repair-or-replacement guide helps prepare that discussion. You can compare companies that list roof repair and roof replacement without assuming both jobs are interchangeable.

Price per square foot can be a cross-check when the measurements and scope match. It does not replace the complete comparison. A total such as $30,000 cannot tell you whether a bid fits your roof without the area, system, access, removal and repair details.

What should you ask about warranties?

Ask for the manufacturer’s material or system warranty and the contractor’s workmanship terms. Record who provides each warranty, what it covers, its exclusions and how to request service. Read the documents instead of treating “lifetime” as a complete description.

NRCA’s warranty guidance warns that a long warranty is not an all-inclusive insurance policy. Ask whether registration, maintenance or other conditions apply to the products in your proposal, and keep the actual terms with the estimate.

What is the next step?

1. Send each roofer the same short list of missing details.
2. Keep the revised proposals together, with the agreed assumptions and exclusions.
3. Check credentials and references, then discuss the schedule and written contract with the company you choose.

Find roof replacement contractors by city and confirm that each company handles your roof type and serves your address. Use the license and insurance checklist before hiring.

The contractor provides the job proposal. The Roofing List is a directory at theroofinglist.com; it checks contact details, not workmanship, licensing or insurance. Its directory and planning tools do not replace an inspection or a written bid.