Roofing estimate template for a reroof
Lay a roofing estimate out so the homeowner can see how the roof was measured, what comes off, what goes on, and which costs depend on what you find under the old shingles. The figures further down are examples of that layout.
Practical notes for a US roofing contractor writing an estimate. Not legal or tax advice.
This page is about the lines on a roofing estimate. The contractor estimate template is the document around them: your business, the homeowner, the dates, sales tax, and signatures. Fill it in online, or use the Word or Excel file. This page does not have its own file. Type the sections below into those lines.
What the price is based on
Say how and when you measured the roof: on the roof with a tape, from a measurement report, or from drone images. Give the date. Write the pitch, the number of shingle layers coming off, and anything about access that changes the cost, such as a steep driveway, a pool under the eaves, or nowhere to put a dumpster.
If the homeowner has not picked the shingle line or color yet, say which one you priced and that a different choice changes the covering line.
How many squares is the roof?
A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof, an area 10 by 10 feet. Roofers measure each plane, multiply its length by its width, add the planes together, and divide the total by 100 to get the squares, as GAF explains. A 2,400 square foot roof is 24 squares.
Dormers, hips, valleys and steep pitch mean more cutting, so contractors add a waste factor to the material. Write the measured squares and the waste as two separate figures. The homeowner then sees the roof size and the extra material, and can compare your estimate with another roofer's on the same measurement.
Lines a roofing estimate needs
Group the lines in the order the work happens. Each line needs a quantity, a unit, and a price. Roofing uses a few units: squares for area, linear feet for edges and ridges, sheets for decking, and each for items like a chimney flashing or a vent.
- Tear-off: the number of layers coming off, haul-away, and the dumpster
- Decking: an allowance for sheets you cannot inspect until the shingles are off
- Underlayment: what covers the deck, and the ice and water barrier with where it goes
- Edges and flashing: drip edge, step flashing at walls, chimney flashing, valley metal
- Covering: the shingle line and color, in squares, with the waste included
- Ridge and ventilation: ridge cap, ridge vent, and any vents you add or replace
- Permit: the fee if you pull the permit, or a line saying the homeowner does
- Cleanup: nail sweep and site cleanup, if you list it separately
"Replace roof" on one line gives the homeowner nothing to compare and nothing to query.
Decking you cannot see yet
Rotten or soft decking usually shows only after tear-off. Price it as a named allowance: a number of sheets included and a price per sheet. Write the same per-sheet price for any sheets beyond that number, so the homeowner knows the cost before you find them.
Work this estimate does not include
Write exclusions as jobs, so nothing is left to assumption.
- Gutters and downspouts, unless a section above prices them
- Skylight replacement
- Removing and reinstalling solar panels, satellite dishes, or other roof equipment
- Rafter or structural repairs below the deck
- Interior repairs, such as ceiling stains from earlier leaks
A worked example: asphalt shingle reroof
Example figures for layout only. The job is a single-family house with a 2,400 square foot roof, one layer of asphalt shingles coming off, one chimney, and architectural shingles going on. Each example line total is the quantity times the example unit price: 24 squares at $65 is $1,560, and 26 squares at $210 is $5,460. On a real estimate, do the same check with your own prices.
| Section | Line | Qty | Unit | Example unit price | Example line total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tear-off | Remove one layer of asphalt shingles and haul away | 24 | square | $65 | $1,560 |
| Tear-off | Dumpster, 20-yard, one haul | 1 | each | $450 | $450 |
| Decking | Allowance: replace damaged decking, priced per sheet, 5 sheets included | 5 | sheet | $95 | $475 |
| Underlayment | Synthetic underlayment over the full deck | 24 | square | $40 | $960 |
| Underlayment | Ice and water barrier at eaves and valleys | 6 | square | $120 | $720 |
| Edges and flashing | Drip edge at eaves and rakes | 220 | linear ft | $3 | $660 |
| Edges and flashing | Step and counter flashing at the chimney | 1 | item | $650 | $650 |
| Covering | Architectural shingles installed, 24 squares measured plus 2 squares waste | 26 | square | $210 | $5,460 |
| Ridge and vents | Ridge cap and ridge vent | 45 | linear ft | $14 | $630 |
| Permit | Allowance: building permit fee, at cost | 1 | allowance | $250 | $250 |
| Example net total, layout only | $11,815 | ||||
Example total, layout only: $11,815. This table does not add sales tax. The decking and permit lines are allowances, so the number of sheets replaced and the actual permit fee can change those two lines. The other lines stay as measured.
Exclusions in this example: gutters, the skylight, and anything inside the house.
Checklist before you send a roofing estimate
- How and when the roof was measured, the pitch, and the layers coming off
- Measured squares and the waste added, as two figures
- Tear-off, disposal, and the dumpster
- Decking as an allowance, with the price per extra sheet
- Underlayment, ice and water barrier, drip edge, and flashing, each with a quantity
- The shingle line and color, or which one you priced
- Ridge and ventilation
- Who pulls the permit
- Exclusions written as work you are not doing
Write the estimate in Quotebefore
In Quotebefore, the US PDF says Estimate. The currency follows the shop country, so a US shop is in USD. A US document prints the note "Prices exclude applicable sales tax" and does not calculate a rate. The estimate is valid for 30 days by default, and that date can be edited. Speech recognition runs on the device. No account is needed. The first 3 estimates are free, with no watermark. The app reminds you on working days 3, 7 and 12 after the quote is sent, then stops.
The lines on this page fit the contractor estimate template. For choosing an app to produce the estimate, use the best quoting app for tradespeople guide.