What a roofing estimate should include, with an example
A good roofing estimate puts every part of the job on its own line, from the tear-off and underlayment to the flashing, the shingles by name, the labor and a price for any rotten decking found once the old roof is off. That’s what lets you see what you’re paying for and hold one roofer’s quote against another’s.
Below is a sample estimate for a typical replacement with a note on what to check in each line, then a blank template you can print and fill in for every quote you get.
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A sample roofing estimate, line by line
This is a full replacement on a 2,500 sq ft roof (25 squares) with architectural asphalt shingles, written the way a careful roofer would write it. The prices are illustrative. Your quotes will differ with where you live, how steep the roof is and which products you pick, but the structure shouldn’t.
| Line item | Example | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Tear-off and disposal, 1 layer | $2,500 | How many layers are coming off, and whether there’s a dumpster or a trailer |
| Synthetic underlayment | $1,100 | A product name, not just “synthetic” or “felt” |
| Ice and water shield at eaves and valleys | $450 | Where it goes. In cold climates the building code requires it at the eaves |
| Drip edge, 220 linear ft | $440 | New metal along every eave and rake, not the old pieces reused |
| Starter strip and ridge cap | $600 | The shingle maker’s own parts, which some warranties require |
| Architectural shingles, 27 squares | $4,050 | Brand, product line and color. 27 squares on a 25-square roof allows about 8% for waste |
| Flashing: chimney, 4 pipe boots, step flashing | $750 | Every location named, and new rather than reused |
| Ridge vent, 40 linear ft | $480 | Matched to the intake vents at the eaves |
| Labor | $3,150 | Shown on its own line |
| Permit | $150 | Who pulls it, and that it’s in the price |
| Decking replacement, if needed | $85 per sheet | A fixed rate per sheet, not “as needed” |
| Total | $13,670 plus any decking |
$13,670 works out to about $5.47 per square foot of roof, in the middle of the $4.50 to $7.50 range for architectural shingles in our cost guide. For what a roof like yours should cost, see how much a new roof costs by material and size, or roofing quotes by city for local prices.
The two lines most often missing from a cheap quote are the decking rate and new flashing. Leave the decking rate off and eight rotten sheets found at tear-off become an invoice with no agreed price behind it. At $85 a sheet that’s $680, but without a number in writing it’s whatever the roofer says on the day. Write flashing as “reuse existing” and most of the $750 comes off the price, while the place a new roof most often leaks stays as old as it was.
Under the priced lines, a complete estimate also states the workmanship warranty in years, which shingle warranty applies, the deposit and payment schedule and a rough start date. They don’t carry a price, but they belong on the same piece of paper.
The four lines that cause most disputes
Decking. Nobody knows what state the decking is in until the old shingles are off, so a fair estimate doesn’t pretend to. It gives a price per sheet of plywood or OSB and, ideally, the roofer’s guess at how many sheets a house of your age usually needs. Our cost guide puts decking at $70 to $100 per sheet. A roofer who has worked in your area for a few years will have a feel for the number. One who won’t put it on paper is saving it for later, when you can’t walk away.
Underlayment. This is the water-resistant layer under the shingles, and the word covers very different products. Felt is still the minimum in many places, synthetics are tougher and safer to walk on, and each type comes in cheaper and better grades. “Underlayment included” lets the roofer choose on the day. A product name lets you look it up, and it’s often where two quotes with the same total turn out to be quoting different jobs.
Flashing. Flashing is the metal that seals the roof where it meets a chimney, a wall, a vent pipe or a valley, and it’s where most roof leaks start. “Flashing included” can mean new metal everywhere or a bead of sealant on the old pieces. Ask for each location to be named and for the estimate to say new or reused. On an older house, chimney flashing is the one to watch, since it’s the most work to redo properly.
Labor. Some roofers price per square with labor built in, and that isn’t wrong in itself. When labor has its own line, though, you can see how the price splits between product and work. That helps when one quote uses premium shingles and another uses basic ones, and when something changes halfway through the job. If a roofer won’t split it out, ask roughly how much of the price per square is labor.
The other lines are simpler, and the notes in the sample cover them: count the layers in the tear-off, look for new drip edge, and check that the ridge vent is matched to the intake vents at the eaves.
What a roofing estimate usually doesn’t cover
Even a complete estimate leaves some things out, and that’s normal. Rotten rafters, fascia or soffit are carpentry, not roofing, so they get priced once someone can see them. Gutters may come down during the job, but replacing them is usually a separate quote. Reroofing around a skylight and flashing it belong in the estimate, while a leaking skylight unit or new glass doesn’t. A chimney that needs repointing or a new crown needs a mason, even if the roofer handles the flashing around it.
None of this is a warning sign. Ask about the ones that apply to your house before you sign, so the conversation happens while you can still compare prices.
How to compare two roofing estimates
Quotes for the same roof can land thousands of dollars apart, and a lot of the gap is scope rather than margin. One roofer is taking off two layers and the other one. One is replacing every pipe boot and the other is reusing them. One has named a synthetic underlayment and the other hasn’t said. So check the scope first and the price second.
Lay each estimate next to the sample above. Wherever one quote has a line the other doesn’t, ask the second roofer whether it’s included and at what price. Once the scope matches, the prices mean something. If the cheapest quote is cheap because it’s missing lines, choosing it is choosing a smaller job, not a better deal.
A short estimate with a single number on it isn’t proof of a bad roofer, and some good ones write very little. But you can’t compare it with anything, and if the final bill changes there’s nothing on paper to point to. Asking for an itemized version is a normal request, and the answer tells you something. Our questions to ask a roofer before you sign cover the rest, and if you’re still deciding how many quotes to get, three is usually enough to see a pattern. If insurance is paying, the adjuster writes an estimate in the same line-by-line form, and our guide to getting your roof paid by insurance explains how to compare the two.
Roofing estimate template to compare quotes
Print this and take it to each roofer’s visit, or fill it in from the estimates as they arrive. There’s a row for each line in the sample and a column for each roofer. Any box you can’t fill in is a question to ask.
| Line | Roofer A | Roofer B | Roofer C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofer and date of estimate | |||
| Tear-offLayers removed, disposal | |||
| UnderlaymentProduct name | |||
| Ice and water shieldWhere it goes | |||
| Drip edgeNew or reused | |||
| Starter strip and ridge cap | |||
| ShinglesBrand, product line, color | |||
| FlashingLocations, new or reused | |||
| VentilationRidge vent, intake vents | |||
| Labor | |||
| PermitWho pulls it | |||
| DeckingPrice per sheet | |||
| Total price | |||
| Workmanship warrantyYears, in writing | |||
| Shingle warrantyWhich one, registered by whom | |||
| Deposit and payment schedule | |||
| Start date and length of job |
From fairroofquote.com/what-does-a-roofing-estimate-include
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