How to Judge a Roof Quote

Because roofs are priced by area and difficulty, and two houses that look the same from the street can differ a lot in both. A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface, the unit the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association and every shingle maker use. A steeper roof has more squares over the same house, and a cut-up roof with valleys, dormers and skylights takes more labor and more material per square.

So the same total can be fair for one roof and too much for another. What tells you which is not the total but three questions:

• How many squares were measured, and does every bid agree on that number?
• What does the price include, line by line?
• What would the same scope cost from another contractor?

The sections below take each in turn. The roof cost guide explains every part of a replacement price in detail.

A steeper roof has more surface over the same footprint, and the increase is plain geometry: multiply the area seen from above by the square root of 1 plus (rise divided by 12) squared. The table runs that math for a roof covering 2,000 square feet from above, eaves included.

A steep 12/12 roof over that house has about a third more squares than a low 4/12 roof over the same footprint, before anything else differs. And steep roofs take more per square to install, because they are slower and need more safety equipment, so pitch pushes the price two ways at once.

The squares a contractor orders are more than the squares measured: GAF says contractors usually add a 10 to 15 percent waste factor for cuts at hips, valleys and edges. Ask each bid for the measured squares and the waste it added, and compare like with like.

A complete bid prices the whole roof system, not just the shingles. In Omaha, a roof replacement follows the city's roof rules under the 2018 International Residential Code, so each of these belongs in the scope:

• Tear-off of every existing layer down to the sheathing, with disposal
• Decking: how much replacement is included, and the price per sheet for more
• Underlayment and an ice barrier at the eaves, which Omaha requires
• Drip edge at the eaves and rakes
• Flashing at walls, chimneys, skylights and valleys, and new pipe boots
• Ventilation: Owens Corning warns that improper ventilation can damage shingles and invalidate the manufacturer's warranty
• The permit for work over 2 squares, and the city's final inspection
• Cleanup, including a magnetic nail sweep
• Warranties: the manufacturer's, by name, and the contractor's workmanship warranty, in writing

A lower bid that leaves items out is not cheaper; it is a different job. A bid that lays new shingles over old ones is not allowed under Omaha's rules, and the code forbids a recover outright on a roof that already has two layers.

Because roofers price differently, and the spread is wider than most people expect. When Consumers' Checkbook collected quotes for essentially the same work on the same house, the highest was more than three and a half times the lowest, and it found highly rated companies just as likely to quote low prices as poorly rated ones.

That means two things for any quote:

• One quote is not a market. Get at least two written estimates for the same scope and materials.
• A high price does not prove quality, and a low one does not prove a cut corner. Compare the scope and the warranty, then the reputation, then the price.

Put the bids side by side on squares, material line, tear-off, decking terms, ventilation and warranty. The difference in total usually traces to one of those lines, and that line is the question to ask.

On an insurance claim, the useful question is whether the quote and the insurer's estimate describe the same roof. Most insurers price claims with estimating software; Verisk, which makes Xactimate, says its tools are used by 80 percent of the top property insurers. That estimate lists the same kinds of lines a contractor's quote does, so the two can be compared line by line.

What the Nebraska Department of Insurance says to expect:

• The adjuster calculates the roof's actual cash value just before the storm, and your deductible comes off that amount
• With replacement cost coverage, the insurer may pay the difference after the repairs are made, usually within a deadline such as 180 days
• If the adjuster's estimate is lower than the roofers' estimates, tell your adjuster: there may be differences in materials or damage they can explain or resolve

Your deductible is yours to pay. Nebraska's Insured Homeowners Protection Act bars a residential contractor from rebating any part of it. This is general information, not legal advice or a promise of coverage; the Nebraska roof insurance claims guide covers the whole claim.

When the extra buys something you can name. In Omaha, the usual ones are:

• Impact-resistant shingles: Class 4 shingles hold up better to hail, and some insurers price them differently, so ask your agent for a quote on both
• Metal roofing, which costs more up front than asphalt; the hail guide covers how it holds up here
• A complex roof, where valleys, dormers and skylights add flashing and labor
• A longer warranty that covers labor as well as materials, offered through a certified contractor

The hail-resistant roof guide compares the materials. If a price is higher and nobody can say what the difference buys, that is the moment to get another bid. If you are not sure the roof needs replacing at all, the repair or replace guide walks through that decision first. Rocket Roofing General Contractor gives a free inspection and a written estimate that lists every line, so a quote from anyone can be checked against it. Ask for one.