The Roofing Quote Checklist: Eighteen Things That Must Be on the Paper, and How to Put Three Quotes on One Page

Roofing

What Has to Be on a Roofing Quote, and the Grid That Makes Three of Them Compare

A roofing quote that says “supply and install 30-year shingles, remove old, $11,400” is not a quote. It is a price for something undefined. The reason three quotes for one house come in $6,000 apart is almost always that one of them defined the job and the others did not. Here is the list of what must be on the paper, and the one-page grid that shows you which quote left what out.

Print the list. Hand it to each roofer with the scope from the calculator. The quotes that come back on it are the ones you can compare.

The eighteen lines

  1. The roof, measured. Squares of roof surface, with the measurement report attached if they used one. Not the house square footage, not the material order.
  2. The shingle, named. Manufacturer, product line, colour, wind rating. Matching starter strip and hip-and-ridge cap, named.
  3. Tear-off. How many layers are coming off, that disposal is included, and the price per square foot if a second layer is found.
  4. Decking. An allowance (two sheets is typical) and the unit price per 4×8 sheet beyond it, with your approval and photos before more is done. Full re-sheet price per square foot if the deck is boards.
  5. Underlayment. Synthetic, named, over the whole deck.
  6. Ice and water shield. Where: eaves to code (900 mm up and 300 mm past the wall line), valleys, around penetrations, along walls. Full coverage if you asked for it.
  7. Drip edge. New, at eaves and rakes, colour.
  8. Flashings. Each chimney (and whether a cricket is included), each skylight, each wall or dormer junction: new, counted, metal type.
  9. Pipe boots and vent caps. New, counted.
  10. Ventilation. Ridge vent length or roof vents count, soffit intake checked or added, gable vents closed if ridge vent is added, bathroom fans ducted through the roof.
  11. Valleys. Open metal (type) or closed-cut, over membrane.
  12. Nailing. Four or six nails per shingle; hand-sealing at rakes if exposed; nail length for the deck thickness.
  13. Site protection and cleanup. Tarps on landscaping and the driveway, a dumpster placed where you agreed, magnetic sweep of the lawn and driveway, eavestroughs cleared of debris.
  14. What is excluded. Fascia, soffit, eavestroughs, chimney masonry, skylight replacement, structural repair, permits if needed. Listed, so nothing is implied.
  15. Dates. Start window, duration, what happens in rain, and that the roof is never left open overnight.
  16. Price and payment. Total before HST, HST shown, deposit (10 to 15%), balance on completion after a walk-through.
  17. Warranties. Workmanship, in years, from the company; manufacturer’s material warranty named, and whether the enhanced version is included and registered.
  18. Paperwork. WSIB clearance certificate and liability insurance certificate attached to the quote, in the company’s name on the quote.

The grid

Draw eighteen rows and three columns. Fill it in from the quotes. Where a quote is silent, write “not stated” in that cell, and treat not stated as not included. The quotes will look like this more often than not:

LineRoofer A, $11,400Roofer B, $14,900Roofer C, $17,600
Squaresnot stated19.5, report attached22 (“plus waste”)
Shingle“30-year architectural”IKO Dynasty, 130 mphGAF Timberline HDZ
Tear-off“remove old”; disposal not statedone layer, disposal included, second layer $1.00/sq ftincluded
Deckingnot stated2 sheets included, $120/sheet after, photos$150/sheet, no allowance
Ice and water“as required”eaves 6 ft, valleys, penetrationsfull coverage
Chimney flashingnot statednew step and counter, cricket includednew, cricket extra $600
Ventilationnot stated40 ft ridge vent, soffits checkedridge vent, gable vents closed
Workmanship warranty“lifetime”10 years, in contract10 years
WSIB and insurancenot attachedattachedattached

Roofer A is the cheap one until you add the second layer they will find, the decking at whatever price they name on the day, the chimney flashing they were going to reuse, and the venting they were not going to do. Roofer C has priced the same roof as B with full ice-and-water and 2.5 squares of waste at the installed rate; ask about the squares and the price drops $1,500. Roofer B wrote a quote. That is usually how it goes, and the per-square page shows the arithmetic for checking each total against its squares.

How to get quotes that fill the grid

Give each roofer the same scope in writing before they quote. The calculator writes one: the roof as you measured it, the system, what is on the roof now, the decking allowance and unit price you expect, where the membrane goes, the flashing count, the venting, and the paperwork you want attached. A roofer who gets that and still sends back one line has told you something. Three who fill it in have given you three quotes for the same roof, and the grid takes twenty minutes.

If the grid still does not settle it

Two filled-in quotes $4,000 apart for what looks like the same roof usually means a difference in something you cannot see from the paper: the crew, the way the flashings are made, the roofer’s margin, or a measurement. That is what the $99 quote review is for: the quotes, your roof photos, and a builder’s reading of which one is the roof you want and what to ask the others.

Questions people ask

What should a roofing quote include?

The roof measured in squares, the shingle by name, tear-off and disposal, decking allowance and unit price, underlayment, ice and water coverage, drip edge, every flashing and boot counted, ventilation, valleys, nailing, cleanup, exclusions, dates, price with HST and payment terms, both warranties, and the WSIB and insurance certificates.

Why is one roofing quote so much cheaper?

Usually because it leaves out tear-off, flashings, venting or a decking price and will add them during the job, or it is an overlay, or it is not insured. Put it on the grid; the blanks are the answer.

Should a roofing quote include the measurement?

Yes. The squares of roof surface, and the satellite or aerial report if one was used. Without it you cannot check the per-square rate or compare to the other quotes.

How long is a roofing quote valid?

Thirty days is typical and fair; shingle prices change a few times a year. “Today only” is a sales line, not a shingle price.

Do I need the roofer’s insurance certificate before signing?

Yes, and the WSIB clearance. Both in the business name on the quote, both current for the job dates. A roofer who will not attach them has a reason.

Eighteen rows, three columns

Twenty minutes with a pencil and the cheapest quote becomes the most expensive one, or does not. Either way you know before the deposit.

Write the scope they all priceHave the quotes read

Sources and further reading