Roofing Quotes Explained: How to Compare Bids Without Getting Played

Residential roofing is the most door-knocked, most upsold, most fraud-adjacent trade in the US. After every major hailstorm, half the trucks in the neighborhood are out-of-state plates with magnetic signs. Here's how to read a roofing quote so you can tell a real bid from a setup.

What a real roofing quote contains

Every legitimate residential roof replacement bid should have these line items. Missing items is how the price comes in artificially low.

1. Tear-off scope — one layer of shingles? Two? All the way to the deck? Specify.
2. Decking inspection and replacement allowance — usually priced as "X dollars per sheet of 4x8 plywood/OSB if rotten decking is found." Without an allowance, you'll be surprised on day two.
3. Underlayment — synthetic vs felt, brand, weight.
4. Ice and water shield — at eaves, valleys, and around penetrations. Code-required width varies by climate; verify against local code.
5. Drip edge — color and gauge.
6. Starter strip — actual starter, not cut-up 3-tabs.
7. Shingle — brand, line, color. Architectural vs designer vs 3-tab. Warranty term.
8. Hip and ridge cap — matched cap, not field shingles cut into thirds.
9. Ridge vent — brand, linear footage. Plus end caps.
10. Pipe boots and flashings — new lead/rubber boots and step flashing, not reused.
11. Valley method — open metal vs closed cut vs woven. Open metal is best in heavy weather areas.
12. Cleanup and magnetic sweep for nails.
13. Warranty — labor warranty (years) AND manufacturer warranty.
14. Permit and who pulls it.
15. Insurance certificates named to you for the project.

If a bid is one line that says "Replace roof — $14,500," it's not a bid. It's a starting position for an argument later.

Why the cheap bid is cheap

The $14k bid and the $22k bid on the same house aren't both buying you the same roof. The $14k bid is usually skipping:

• 3-tab shingles instead of architectural (saves $1,500, costs you 10 years of roof life).

• Reused flashings and pipe boots (saves $300, leaks within 5 years).

• Felt underlayment instead of synthetic (saves $400, less tear resistance during install).

• No ice and water shield (saves $500, you'll find out in the first ice dam).

• Cut field shingles for hip and ridge instead of proper cap (saves $300, looks wrong, voids warranty).

• Stapled instead of nailed, or six nails per shingle instead of the spec eight (saves labor, voids warranty, fails in wind).

• No permit (saves $200 plus inspection time, unpermitted work shows up at sale).

• Cash deal, no insurance (saves the contractor everything, costs you if their helper falls).

Add those back and the $14k bid becomes the $22k bid. Same roof. The expensive bid was just honest about what a roof costs.

Storm-chasers

After a hail or wind event, out-of-state crews appear, offer to "handle your insurance claim for free," ask for the deductible to be waived (insurance fraud — in most states this is a crime that they're asking YOU to commit), and disappear after the check clears. Tells:

• They knocked on your door first; you didn't call them.

• They're not licensed in your state.

• The contract has an assignment-of-benefits clause that lets them deal directly with your insurer (and pocket the check).

• They want you to sign before the adjuster has been out.

• They have no local office, no local phone number, and no reviews older than 60 days.

If a storm-chaser comes to your door, the right move is: thank them, take the card, and call a local roofer who's been in business in your county for at least 10 years.

Material and labor markups

A reasonable roofing bid is about 40–50% labor, 35–45% materials, and the rest overhead, dump fees, and margin. If your bid is 80% materials and 15% labor, somebody is over-priced on shingles. If it's 70% labor and 25% materials, somebody is under-priced on materials and you're about to get builder-grade everything.

What to inspect on the day

• Are they using the brand and line of shingle named in the contract? Look at the wrapper.

• Is the underlayment installed all the way up, lapped correctly?

• Are the pipe boots new?

• Is the ice and water shield installed at eaves and valleys before underlayment goes on?

• Are they using proper hip and ridge cap, not cut field shingles?

• Did they sweep with a magnetic roller? Walk the yard barefoot a week later — that's the real test.

The summary

Three bids, line-by-line scope comparison, local contractor with a five-year minimum business history in your county, a written contract that names the shingle brand and warranty terms, a permit, and a final-payment-on-passed-inspection structure. Anything less and you're betting your roof on hope.