Last updated October 28, 2026

How to bid roofing jobs

What a roof bid has to say, a worked tear-off and reroof price, the decking and insurance lines that protect you, and how roofers structure deposits on a big check.

A roof is the biggest check most homeowners write all year, and they are scared of it. They are not choosing the cheapest roofer. They are choosing the one whose bid makes them feel like nothing will go wrong. A bid with the squares, the layers coming off, the underlayment, the per-sheet decking price, and the cleanup written down does that. A price on a business card does not.

What a roofing bid has to answer

How many squares, and how many layers come off. "24 squares, two layers" is the whole job in six words.
The underlayment, the shingle line and warranty, flashing, drip edge, ridge vent, and pipe boots, each named.
A per-sheet price for decking replaced after tear-off. You cannot see rot from the ground, so the bid says what it costs when you find it.
Cleanup: dumpster, magnet sweep, gutters cleared, and that the schedule depends on weather.

How to price it

Example numbers for a 24-square tear-off and reroof, two layers, architectural shingles, in a typical market. Yours will differ.

Tear-off and disposal: $75 to $125 a square for two layers, including the dumpster. At $100, $2,400.
Materials: shingles, synthetic underlayment, ice and water at eaves and valleys, drip edge, ridge vent, boots, nails. Say $5,200 at cost.
Markup on materials: 20 to 30 percent. At 25 percent, $1,300.
Labor to install: $150 to $250 a square depending on pitch and cut-up. At $200, $4,800.
Decking: $85 to $120 per sheet, replaced as found, priced as a line, not in the total.
Total before decking: about $13,700. $14,800 is where a bid like this often lands once overhead and the risk of a steep or cut-up roof are in it.

Repairs price by the day or the half day plus materials, and the bid should say that the repair is for the area inspected, not the whole roof.

Where roofing bids go wrong

No decking line. You find twelve bad sheets, and the customer feels ambushed by a thousand-dollar add.
The bid does not say two layers. The customer compared it to a one-layer price and thought you were high.
On an insurance job, the claim number and how supplements work were left off, and the adjuster and the homeowner both assumed something different.
The schedule was given as a date instead of "weather permitting," and the first rain day became an argument.

A finished roofing bid, line by line

Four sample roofing estimates: full roof replacement, storm damage repair, chimney flashing, and gutter replacement. The roofing proposal template is the blank version with the decking line already on it.

Deposit and payment terms

Roofing is big money, so most roofers split it three ways: a small deposit at signing to hold the date, a larger payment when the material is delivered or the crew starts, and the balance on completion. Ten percent, forty percent, fifty percent is a common shape. On insurance jobs the schedule follows the insurer's payments, and the bid should say that the homeowner is responsible for the deductible and any amount the insurer does not pay. Keep that in plain words; it is terms, not a legal document.

Getting more roofing jobs

Photos win roof bids. Put the photos of the damage on the bid, and the homeowner stops wondering whether the roof really needs it. Offer a good and better shingle option on the same bid so they decide between two of yours instead of between you and someone else. Send it the same day. Follow up at three days and a week. Ask for the review when the magnet sweep is done and the yard looks better than when you arrived.

BidWriter Pro puts the photos, the two shingle options, and a card deposit on one bid the homeowner signs from their phone. $29 a month, 30 days free.

Questions contractors ask

How do I price a roof per square?

Price tear-off, materials, and install labor separately per square, then add them. Tear-off and disposal, materials at cost plus markup, and install labor each have their own per-square rate in your market. Decking is a separate per-sheet line.

How much deposit should a roofer ask for?

Enough to hold the date and cover the material order. Ten to thirty percent at signing is common, with a second payment at delivery or start and the balance on completion.

What do I put on an insurance roofing bid?

The claim number, the scope the adjuster approved, how supplements are handled, and that the homeowner owes the deductible and anything the insurer declines. Keep it in plain words.

Write a roofing bid from your notes

Type the job the way you would text it. It comes back as a finished estimate in about five seconds, in your words. No account.

Type a job the way you would text it

Only what you type goes on the estimate. Nothing gets added.

No account needed to try it.

30 days free, then $29 a month. No card to start.

Free, no account: estimate checker, job price calculator, markup vs margin, hourly rate, and 84 sample estimates.