Inspect the roof before you price it
Roofing estimates priced from the driveway lose money. Get eyes on the roof, safely, whether that means a ladder inspection, walking it where it is safe to walk, or using photos and measurements from above. You are looking for the number of existing layers, the condition of flashing and valleys, soft or sagging decking, and anything that changes the scope like skylights, chimneys, or satellite mounts.
Access matters here too. Note how materials get to the roof, where the dumpster goes, whether landscaping or decks need protection, and how many stories the crew is working at. All of that is labor and it belongs in the estimate.
Photograph every slope, penetration, and soft spot. When decking rot shows up at tear-off, the photos from your inspection are what keep the change-order conversation short.
Measure squares and adjust for pitch
Roofing is measured in squares: one square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Measure each slope's length and width, multiply, add the slopes together, and divide by 100. You can measure on the roof, from the ground with the building dimensions plus overhang, or from aerial measurement tools, but verify the number before you price from it.
Pitch changes everything. A steep roof is slower to work, needs more safety setup, and burns more material to waste. Steeper slopes mean you adjust your labor hours upward and plan for staging. Valleys, dormers, and multiple penetrations do the same: complexity is time, and time is the estimate.
Count tear-off, underlayment, and accessories
The shingle count is only part of a roofing takeoff. Tear-off depends on how many layers are coming off, and disposal depends on the weight and the dumpster or dump fees. Underlayment, starter, and ridge are sized from the same square footage and edge measurements. Flashing, drip edge, and vents are linear-foot and per-piece counts you take during the inspection.
- Roof area in squares, slope by slope
- Number of existing layers to tear off
- Underlayment across the full deck, plus ice and water protection where needed
- Shingles with a waste factor for cuts, valleys, and hips
- Drip edge, flashing, and ridge by linear foot
- Vents, pipe boots, and accessories by count
- Dumpster or disposal and site protection
Build the line items
Price labor from your crew's production rate: how many squares your crew tears off and installs per day at this pitch and complexity. Multiply the days by your loaded daily crew cost, which means wages plus the real cost of employment, and do not forget setup, tear-down, and cleanup time.
Materials go in at supplier cost including delivery to the roof or site. Disposal is its own line because it is real money on every roofing job. Overhead (insurance, vehicles, equipment, your estimating time) and profit go on top as your markup, set from your own numbers.
| Line item | How you size it |
|---|---|
| Tear-off labor | Layers and squares against your crew's rate |
| Install labor | Squares, pitch, and complexity against your rate |
| Shingles and underlayment | Squares plus waste factor, at your cost |
| Flashing, vents, accessories | Linear feet and piece counts from inspection |
| Disposal | Layers and weight, dumpster or dump fees |
| Overhead and profit | Your markup on real costs |
Mistakes that lose money
- Pricing from the ground and missing a second layer at tear-off
- Ignoring pitch, so a steep roof gets flat-roof labor hours
- Forgetting the waste factor on cut-up roofs with valleys and dormers
- Leaving flashing, vents, and drip edge out of the material count
- No stated allowance or change process for rotten decking
- Absorbing disposal fees instead of billing them as a line
What the customer should see
The finished estimate should show the scope plainly: tear-off of the existing layers, new underlayment and shingles, flashing and ventilation work, disposal, site protection, and the total. State how hidden decking damage is handled, usually a per-sheet replacement price quoted as a change, and give the price a validity window.
An app like EstimateBook can draft the document on site: describe the job by voice or attach photos of the roof, and it builds itemized line items you can edit for quantities, prices, and markup before sending a PDF. Check every draft against your own measurements before the customer sees it.