How to Ensure All Your Roofing Bids Are Specified Correctly

How to Ensure All Your Roofing Bids Are Specified Correctly

Before you solicit your first bid, you need to
determine the scope of work. If you don’t do this,
the proposals you get from prospective roofers
may be very different from each other. You will be
trying to compare “apples to oranges”.
The problem is: Most people don’t know enough
about roofing to write good specifications. If you
do… great! If not, here are some other ways you
can come up with a good spec:
• If the scope of the project is large enough to
justify the expense, a roof consultant could
establish the scope of work. He (they’re usually www.macgregorroofing.com                                        Roofing Contractors                                
men, but not always) can also help select bidders,
oversee the project and inspect the work to make
sure you’re getting what you paid for.
• Most roofing manufacturers have specs written
for their products. Of course they specify their own
components wherever possible, but that is not
necessarily a bad thing. Extended warranties are
available from these companies when you use
their “system”.  These specs are often available
right on their websites, which you can find in the
resource section at the back of this guide.
• Another way to get a scope of work is to get
your first bid from the most solid roofer you can
find, and then make a copy of his specs for each of
the other bidders. Be sure to remove the name of
the original company and his price from the specs.
The other bidders may want to use their own spec,
but explain what you’re doing and ask them to use
your spec, so you can compare “apples to apples”.
If they want to present their own spec as an
alternative for your consideration, that’s fine.
Although you might not get the ideal spec with this
method, at least everybody will be bidding the
same way.
To give you an idea of what a good residential
spec looks like, here is one I’ve used a lot. It’s for a
complete reroof down to the bare wood, and
includes both steep-sloped and low-sloped roof
sections. It also includes clauses that are fair and
reasonable to both the homeowner and the
contractor.
======================================
For the “Steep-sloped” areas…
• Remove the old existing roof down to the bare
wood deck.
• Repair any deteriorated wood and re-nail
sheathing as required to meet current building
codes. (See Note # 9)
• Furnish and install Titanium UDL
Underlayment
• Furnish and install new .025 pre-painted
aluminum drip edge.
• Furnish and install new mill finish .025
aluminum valley metal.
• Furnish and install new lead flashings at the
plumbing vent pipes.
• Furnish and install new mill finish aluminum
“goose-neck” vents.
• Furnish and install GAF-ELK “Timberline” 30-
Year, fungus-resistant, fiberglass architectural
shingles with six nails per field shingle and four
nails per cap shingle.
• Furnish and install ___ feet of new pre-painted
aluminum ridge vent
For the “Low-Sloped” areas…
• Remove the old existing roof down to the bare
wood deck.
• Repair any deteriorated wood and re-nail
sheathing as required to meet current building
codes. (See Note # 9)
• Furnish and install tapered system to provide
positive drainage.
• Furnish and install Certainteed Base Sheet.
• Furnish and install Certainteed Self-adhering
Mid-Ply (smooth-surfaced modified bitumen).
• Furnish and install new .025 prepainted
aluminum drip edge.
• Furnish and install Certainteed Self-adhering
Cap Sheet (white granular-surfaced modified
bitumen).
Please note…
1. All material is guaranteed to be exactly as
specified (or equivalent if not available).
2. All work to be completed in a workman-like
manner and meet or exceed all applicable
building codes.
3. All workers to be fully covered by workers
compensation and liability insurance as
required by law.  Roofing contractor to provide
copies of insurance certificates prior to
commencement of work. www.macgregorroofing.com                                      Roofing Contractors                                   50
4. This agreement is contingent on items beyond
our control such as weather, accidents and
material delays.
5. Water intrusion due to leaks within a roofing
system can lead to the proliferation of mold on
exterior and interior surfaces.  In performing
this work, it is understood and agreed that the
roofing contractor and their insurance carrier
disclaim liability for any mold problems and will
not be held responsible for any direct,
incidental or consequential damages, including
health problems attributable to past, present or
future water intrusion and associated mold,
fungus, mildew, or algae growth.
6. Any legal claims relating to this agreement
shall be settled by arbitration in accordance
with the American Arbitration Association.
7. This proposal excludes any interior repairs,
painting, gutters, soffits, fascia, pool cages and
solar removal and replacement.
8. Any alteration or deviation from the above
specifications involving extra costs will be
executed only upon written orders, and will
become an extra charge over and above the
estimate.  
9. Since deck problems are a hidden condition
until the old roofing is removed, any work
needed to repair it is in addition to the price
quoted below. We charge $37 per man-hour,
plus materials (including sales tax and 15%
mark up) for this work.  Roofing contractor to
provide before and after photos of all wood
repairs. Alternately, we would be pleased to
work with any carpenter that you might
provide.
10. This proposal includes clean up and removal of
all roofing debris. It also includes all permits,
inspections and filing of the “Notice of
Commencement” at the county clerk’s office as
required by law.
======================================
The proposal should also specify the warranty, the
price for the work, and when the payments are
due.
Keep in mind though, that roofers in different parts
of the country do things a little differently. In snow
country for example, it is common to run a selfadhering waterproof membrane along the eaves to
help protect the edge of the roof from water
trapped by ice dams in the gutters.
Once you have a scope of work, the next step is
choosing your roofing contractor.  Good luck in your search!
macgregorroofing.com

Where to find the most reputable roofer in town.

Start a file on prospective roofers. Stick with 

professional roofing contractors. In most areas that 

means they are accountable to a local or state 

licensing board. That gives you some leverage if 

you need it. “Roofers from Hell” don’t worry about 

licenses, permits or their responsibilities to you. 

Ask your friends, neighbors, relatives and 

coworkers if they can recommend someone. They 

might also tell you who to avoid! 

  

Call the roofing suppliers in your area or drop by 

for some product literature. Talk to the manager, 

tell him about your project and ask for the names 

of a few good roofers. If nothing else, he knows 

who pays their bills and who doesn’t, which is part 

of being professional. 

Call the building inspector’s office for your 

municipality and speak to a roofing inspector. Ask 

about the permit and inspection requirements for 

your project. While you have him on the phone, 

ask for a few names of roofers in your area who do 

good work. He probably won’t make an official 

endorsement, but he might give you a few names 

to check out. 

I don’t recommend getting bids from everybody in 

the phone book, but your roofer should be listed 

there if they’ve been in business longer than a 

year or so. A phone listing is just part of being 

professional, so prospects and customers can find 

you.  

But don’t be overly impressed by the big ads you 

see in the yellow pages. They’re very expensive 

and may be an indication the company depends 

on them for leads rather than referrals from 

satisfied customers. www.macgregorroofing.com                                        Roofing Contractors                             

Pay attention to roofing work going on in your 

neighborhood. Look for yard signs and company 

names on the vehicles.  

What’s the condition of their trucks? If they don’t 

care about their own equipment, how much do you 

think they will care about your roof?   

What about the roofing crews? Do they go about 

their work in a quiet professional manner… or 

does the jobsite resemble a wild roof party, 

complete with beer and music blasting from a 

boom box?  

Do they keep the jobsite clean… or are there 

shingle wrappers and debris blowing all over the 

neighborhood?  

If you get the chance, talk to the homeowner after 

a hard rain… is he a happy camper? 

Finally, check out your prospective roofers on the 

internet. Google the names of the companies and 

also the owners.  

See what Angies List (www.angieslist.com) and 

the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) have 

on them. Also check their status with your local 

and state licensing boards. 

By now you should have several companies to 

choose from. Select the three with the strongest 

reputation. 

Call each of the three you have selected and 

request an estimate. Make an appointment with 

each of them… at least two hours apart. They 

expect you will get other bids, but they don’t like to 

run into their competition on your roof. It gives the 

impression you are calling everybody in the phone 

book and going with the cheapest price. 

The good guys will go the extra mile for you, but if 

they think all you are interested in is the cheapest 

price, they probably won’t be very interested in you 

or your project. 

When each roofer shows up, make note if he’s on 

time. This is a clue to his character and business 

savvy. If he can’t even be on time when he’s trying 

to get your business, how responsible will he be 

after he gets it? Anybody can be late, but he 

should at least call. 

You should try to establish some rapport with each 

roofer. Keep in mind that while you are sizing him 

up as a potential contractor, he is sizing you up as 

a potential client. He’s trying to separate the 

“prospects” from the “suspects”. 

He wants a client who is friendly, decisive, 

reasonable, non-obtrusive, and one who will allow 

him a fair profit. The good guys usually have plenty 

of work. They can afford to pass on people and 

projects that are problematic. 

The impression you want to give this guy is that 

you are friendly, but also an informed consumer 

who is serious about getting a good job. 

Give the estimator your spec sheet and ask him to 

bid it this way. If he wants to do it different, get his 

reasoning and ask him to bid his way as an 

alternative. 

Some roofing contractors estimate their own jobs; 

some have a salesman do it. Some do it in one 

trip, some measure the roof up and come back 

with a presentation. Any of these methods is 

acceptable. 

Once the roofing proposal is prepared, it would be 

good to sit down with the roofer to discuss it. You 

might offer him a soda or coffee. Ask questions 

and listen carefully to the answers.  

One important question to ask is: “Exactly why you 

should hire HIM rather than his competitor”. If he 

doesn’t have a good reason for that, maybe there 

isn’t one.   

If you have a salesman pushing you to sign, just 

tell him you are getting two other bids and you 

can’t possibly make a decision until you have all 

the information. 

At this point, you should have a bid from each of 

three roofers for identical scopes of work. Review 

the information you have on each roofer. Call them 

back if you need a clarification. Compare the 

prices, terms and warranties.  

As you make a decision, pay close attention to 

your “gut feeling”. This is really just your 

subconscious picking up little clues that you 

weren’t consciously aware of. It might be his body 

language, his handshake or something in the way 

he makes eye contact.  

It doesn’t really matter what it is. But something is 

telling you that you can trust this guy or you better 

not trust that one. Listen to these feelings as they 

are surprisingly accurate.  

If you are leaning towards a particular roofer and 

he is the lowest price of your three candidates you 

have an easy choice. 

If your first choice is higher than the others, you 

have a decision to make. You could try to get him 

to lower his price. Just call him and say that you 

really want him to do the job, but his price was “X” 

dollars higher than his competitor. He may be 

willing to match that price, or come down some to 

get the job. 

On the other hand, you may want to give him his 

price. Some roofers get offended when you try to 

beat them down and any rapport you’ve built with 

them will be shot.  

If this is the guy you will probably hire anyway, you 

want his best efforts… rather than something less 

because you’re paying him something less than 

his price. 

If you decide to pay his price even though he is a 

little higher than the others, be sure to mention it. 

He will appreciate your trust and possibly try extra 

hard not to disappoint you. 

Once you’ve decided who you want, you are in a 

good position to encourage the roofer to “sweeten 

the deal” a little. 

For example, say you want to get the work done 

fast.  Call the roofer and ask him if he could start 

right away if you gave him the job. He might be 

willing to juggle his schedule a little to get the 

work. 

If getting the best job is your hot button, call the 

roofer and ask if you could get his best crew if you 

gave him the job. Again he might be willing to 

juggle things around so you get his best guys and 

it didn’t cost you an extra dime to get them. 

My point is: If there is something else you want, try 

to award the job contingent on you getting it. 

That’s when you have the most leverage. 

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