How to read a roofing bid

What should be on it

Line by line. If a bid is one number and the word "reroof", ask for the rest.

• The license number, and the classification C-39. Look it up at cslb.ca.gov; the record shows the bond and the workers' compensation policy, and both should be current.
• Tear-off, with how many layers, and disposal.
• Decking: a price per sheet for replacing rot, and whether any is included. Nobody can see the deck before tear-off; a bid with no allowance will come back as a change order.
• Underlayment by type: ice and water membrane where, synthetic underlayment over the field.
• The shingle by manufacturer and product line and colour, its fire rating, and its cool roof rating if the job is in the valley.
• Flashing: new step and counter flashing at walls and chimneys, new pipe boots, new vent flashings. "Reuse existing flashing" is where a cheap bid saves its money.
• Ventilation: what vents, and whether they are ember-resistant in a fire zone.
• Drip edge, starter strip, ridge cap.
• The permit as its own line.
• The warranty: the manufacturer's on the materials and the contractor's on the work, in years, in writing.
• A schedule and a payment schedule. California limits a down payment on a home improvement contract to ten percent or one thousand dollars, whichever is less.

Questions to ask

• Who is on the roof: your own crew, or a sub? Who is the foreman I will see every day?
• What happens if you find rot? What is the price per sheet?
• Will the roof be dried in every night?
• Are the vents ember-resistant? Is the shingle Class A? Does it meet the cool roof rule or do I qualify for an exception?
• Who pulls the permit, and when is the inspection?
• Can I see two roofs you did five years ago?

Common questions