The short answer
Get three written estimates, then compare the scopes instead of the totals. A roofing quote is only a price for whatever that particular roofer decided to include, so two numbers on two pieces of paper are almost never for the same job.
The cheapest bid is usually the one that left the most out. You find out which parts about a week after the tear-off starts.
Get the scope, not just the price
A number over the phone, or a single line that reads “reroof house,” gives you nothing to compare and nothing to hold anyone to. Ask every roofer for the estimate in writing, itemized, with inclusions and exclusions spelled out.
Exclusions matter more than inclusions. Anyone can list shingles and underlayment. What separates a real estimate from a sales number is whether it says what happens to the parts nobody can see yet: the decking under the old roof, the flashing at the chimney, the rot along the fascia.
What a complete roofing estimate spells out
- Tear-off or overlay. Is the old roof coming off, or is a new layer going over the top? Different jobs, different prices, and they age very differently.
- The exact material. Product line and class, not just “architectural shingles.” Color and profile too, if that matters to you or to an HOA.
- Underlayment. Type and weight. On a tile roof this is the layer that actually keeps water out, and it is where a cheap bid usually economizes.
- Decking. How much replacement is included, and the rate for anything beyond that.
- Flashing, valleys, vents and pipe boots. New, or re-used? Putting tired flashing back on a new roof is one of the most common shortcuts.
- Ventilation. What is being installed, and whether the attic is balanced when the job is finished.
- Permit and inspection. Who pulls it, who meets the city inspector, and whether the fee sits inside the price.
- Cleanup and disposal. Dumpster, daily cleanup, and a magnetic nail sweep before the crew leaves.
- Warranty. Both of them: the manufacturer’s on the material, and the contractor’s on the workmanship.
The lines that decide the real price
Three things move a roofing invoice away from its estimate more than anything else.
Decking. Nobody knows how much of it is soft until the old roof is off. A serious estimate includes an allowance, states the rate above it, and says the work gets photographed and approved before it happens. A quote that says nothing about decking is not cheaper, it is just quiet.
Layers. California allows a structure no more than two roof coverings at once. If you already have two, all of it comes off, and a bid priced as an overlay is wrong before it starts.
Access and pitch. A steep or awkward roof takes longer and costs more to work safely. If one bid on the same house sits far below the others, check whether it assumed an easier roof than yours.
Why the cheapest bid often isn’t
A roof fails at its details, not in the middle of a slope. Valleys, flashing, penetrations and edges are where water gets in, and they are the first things trimmed when a contractor is pricing to win the job rather than pricing to build it.
It is worth knowing who will actually be on your roof, too. Ask whether the crew is in-house or subcontracted, and who your point of contact is once work starts. Check the license number on the CSLB website, and confirm the contractor carries liability insurance and workers’ compensation, because without the second one an injury on your roof can end up against your homeowners policy.
Questions worth asking every roofer
- What is not included in this price?
- What happens, and what does it cost, if you find rot under the old roof?
- Who pulls the permit and meets the city inspector?
- How long is the workmanship warranty, and is it separate from the manufacturer’s?
- Who is my point of contact once the crew is here?
- Will I get photos of the work underneath, before it is covered up?
If a roofer is reluctant to put any of these in writing, that is your answer.
How we quote
We start with a free inspection. We climb up, check every vulnerable point, and send you a full photo report, including when the answer is “your roof is fine.” If it needs work, you get a written scope with inclusions, exclusions and price before anything moves, and anything we find once the old roof is off is photographed and priced before we carry on.
Then put that scope next to the others, line by line. That is what it is for.
More on what’s involved: roof replacement, free roof inspections, and the questions homeowners ask us most.
Not sure you need a new roof at all yet? Start with repair or replace.
