A complete estimate names the shingle by manufacturer and line, lists underlayment, ice and water shield, drip edge, ventilation and flashing separately, states how decking replacement is priced, and puts the labor warranty in writing. If any of those are missing, ask. The cheapest estimate is often the one that left the most out.
Most homeowners get two or three estimates for a roof replacement, line them up, and compare the number at the bottom. That is the one line that tells you the least. An estimate is a description of a roof, and two estimates that describe different roofs are not comparable no matter what the totals say. Here is what a complete one looks like.
“Architectural shingles” is not a product. The estimate should name the manufacturer and the line, and ideally the color. Lines within a single manufacturer vary in weight, wind rating and warranty, and the price between them is real. If two estimates name different lines, the price gap may be the shingle and nothing else.
Ask for the impact rating too. Class 4 impact-resistant shingles cost more and some Utah insurers discount the premium for them. Whether that trade is worth it is your call, but you cannot make it if the estimate just says “shingles.”
These three lines are where estimates quietly diverge.
Underlayment goes over the whole deck under the shingles. Synthetic underlayment is standard now; felt is cheaper and still used. The estimate should say which.
Ice and water shield is a self-adhering membrane that goes at the eaves, in valleys and around penetrations, where ice dams and pooled water get under shingles. Building code in northern Utah generally requires it at the eaves, and it is standard on every roof we build here. An estimate that does not mention it either skipped it or bundled it silently; either way, ask.
Drip edge is the metal at the roof’s edge. Current code requires it on asphalt shingle roofs. It is cheap, it is often left off older roofs, and it should be its own line.
A new roof on a poorly vented attic is a shorter-lived roof. The estimate should say what happens to ventilation: existing vents kept, replaced, or added, and what kind. Ridge vent, box vents and turbines are all fine; “same as existing” is fine too if the existing works. Silence is the problem.
Flashing is the metal where the roof meets walls, chimneys and pipes. Reusing old step flashing under a new roof is a common shortcut. The estimate should say whether flashing is replaced, and pipe boots, the rubber collars around plumbing vents, should be new.
The roof deck is the plywood or boards under everything. Nobody can see it until the old shingles come off, so no estimate can promise how much of it needs replacing. What a good estimate does is state, in advance, how decking replacement is priced per sheet, so that if the crew finds rot there is no negotiation on the roof. An estimate that does not address decking at all is the one most likely to surprise you.
The estimate should say the existing roof is being torn off (as opposed to layered over, which code allows only in limited cases and which we do not recommend), that disposal is included, and that the site is cleaned with a magnet sweep for nails. These are not extras. If they are listed as extras, that tells you something.
Two warranties apply to a new roof. The manufacturer warrants the shingle against defects. The contractor warrants the installation. The estimate should state the contractor’s labor warranty in years, and it should say whether the roofer registers the manufacturer warranty for you, which some enhanced warranties require.
A roof replacement in the cities we work in needs a permit. The estimate should say who pulls it. It should carry the contractor’s Utah DOPL license number, which you can check in about a minute on the state’s license lookup, and the contractor should provide a certificate of insurance on request. A roofer who will not provide any of those three is a roofer to skip, whatever the number at the bottom says.
Put them side by side and go line by line through the list above. Where one estimate has a line the other does not, ask the second roofer whether it is included. Where both name products, look the products up. Then compare totals.
Very often the two roofs are close once they describe the same thing. When they are not, you will know exactly what the difference is buying, which is the point.
Our estimates carry these lines. If you have one from us and something on it is not clear, call and ask; we would rather explain it than have you guess.
The inspection is free, and we photograph everything we find.
