You’ve heard us talk about free roof inspections to help make sure your roof is ready to protect. But there’s so much more to the inspection than a professional roofer going up on your roof to take a look. One of the most important parts of the roof inspection is the estimate that comes in the report after. If there are any issues or problems with your roof, a professional roofer will give you an estimate with a budget and timeline. But what exactly goes into a roofing estimates?
The first step in the roofing estimates is the inspection. A professional roofer will go up on your roof and document everything he sees in as much detail as possible. If your roofer doesn’t have a camera or drone to take pictures, you’re going to want to find someone else, because these pictures are incredibly important to the inspection process. They are your documentation to any roof damage and can be used during the insurance process, so make sure your roofer is taking plenty of pictures!
Once the inspection is over, it is time for your trusted roofer to prepare their quote and estimate. If you do not have one specific roofer, this is a good time to be able to compare a few different ones by getting a few different estimates. They’ll help you choose the one that’s right for you, and should provide options regarding the scope of the work and the materials that are used.
Now, what all goes into an estimate? Every roofer will have their own way of doing their estimate, but there are a few things that every estimate should have. At the bare minimum, your roofing estimate should have a materials list, cleanup plan, permits, licensing, insurance, and other project details like a timeline, budget, payment terms, and who will be responsible for each task.
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But what should be included in each of those categories? For the materials list, the roofing estimates should mention the brand and types of roofing materials that will be used for your project. This includes the roofing shingles, underlayment, flashing, and any ventilation materials that your roof will need. Obviously, if you are going for metal or TPO, those will be included as well instead of the roofing shingles.
As well as the materials list, there should be a plan for cleanup. This is especially necessary if you’re getting a roof replacement, because that discarded material will need to be removed from your property. You don’t want to be stuck having to clean up your property after the roof work, so make sure this is included in your estimate.
And any professional roofer will include all necessary documents. These documents include any permits that your area will require. You’ll also want to see the roofing contractor’s license if it’s needed in your state and proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation. These documents will help you answer the question of if you are working with a reputable roofer.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, the estimate will include the budget and timeline of your roofing project. The budget should account for everything mentioned above, as well as the labor costs associated with the project. This should give you a pretty good idea of what your roofing job will cost and is an easy way to compare quotes from different roofers.
You’ll also get a rundown of the timeline the roofers expect your project to take. Now, there are outside factors that could affect this, most notably the weather, but any professional roofer should account for those days to give you as good of an idea as possible for your roofing job’s schedule.
While we said that the budget makes it easy to compare different roofers’ quotes, the numbers may not always tell the whole story. There are some things to keep in mind while you’re looking at your roofing quote. One of those is the scope of the work. You should ask questions about why the roofer thinks all of the costs he’s factored in are necessary. There’s also the slope of the roof and transportation costs to be considered.
In the end, any professional roofer will be happy to answer any questions you have about your roofing project. In fact, they should be excited to explain their inspection report, their estimates, and the quote, as well as costs and the timeline. Your roof is one of the most important systems of your property, and any reputable roofer will know just that and be ready to help with every step of the process.
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