A roof replacement price is made of materials, labor and the cost of running the contracting business. The main line items are tear-off, decking repair, underlayment, shingles, flashing, ventilation, disposal, permits, labor, and overhead and profit. What moves each one is the size and shape of the roof, how steep it is, how tall the house is, and what the crew finds when the old roof comes off.
What are the line items in a roof replacement bid?
A roof replacement bid can cover removing the old roof, checking and repairing the deck, new underlayment, drip edge, flashing, shingles with starter and ridge pieces, ventilation, cleanup and disposal, and permits, plus the crew’s labor and the contractor’s overhead and profit. A bid may show some of these on separate lines or show only one total, so ask.
Two manufacturer documents list the same kinds of parts. GAF, a shingle manufacturer, lists complete tear-off, new shingles, ridge cap shingles, underlayment, drip edges, flashings and final cleanup in its article on what is included in a roof replacement. Owens Corning’s guide specification for asphalt shingles lists shingles, hip and ridge shingles, starter shingles, self-adhering ice and water barrier, shingle underlayment, attic ventilation, fasteners, and metal flashing and trim.
What can move each line item?
Each line has its own drivers. The table gives each item in plain words, what can change it, and a question to put to every contractor. A blank answer is information: it means the bid is silent on that item.
| Line item | What it is and what can move it | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Tear-off and disposal | Removing the old roofing and hauling it away. Owens Corning’s guide specification for its asphalt shingles tells the installer: “Remove all existing roofing down to the roof deck.” The size of the roof and the number of layers on it change how much there is to remove. | How many layers does the bid remove? Who supplies the dumpster and hauls the debris away? |
| Decking repair | The boards or panels under the shingles. GAF describes the order of work this way: “Once the old materials are removed, the contractor will perform a roof deck inspection, looking for signs of damage or soft spots where the plywood has been compromised by moisture.” Because the deck is inspected after the old roof is off, the bid cannot show exactly how much repair the roof needs. | Does the bid price deck repair per sheet, carry a set allowance, or leave it out? What happens to the total if more is found? |
| Underlayment and ice and water barrier | The water-resistant layers between the deck and the shingles. Owens Corning lists a self-adhering ice and water barrier and a shingle underlayment as separate products in its specification. The product chosen and the parts of the roof it covers change the line. | Which underlayment is quoted, and which areas get ice and water barrier? |
| Drip edge | Metal trim along the roof edges. Owens Corning’s specification calls for drip edge on all roof edges, so the length of the roof’s edges matters. | Is drip edge included at the eaves, the rakes, or both? |
| Flashing | Metal that directs water at joints and openings. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association’s Residential Asphalt Roofing Manual says: “Wherever there is an intersection of the roof plane or a penetration through the roof surface, flashing is essential for leak-free roof performance.” More walls, chimneys, valleys and roof openings mean more flashing to replace or reuse. | Which flashing is replaced and which is reused? |
| Shingles, starter and ridge pieces | The roof covering itself. Manufacturers sell several product lines, and Owens Corning’s specification lists some hip and ridge products as impact resistant. The line and the size of the roof set the material cost. | Which manufacturer, product line and impact rating, if any, are written on the bid? Many insurers offer a discount when you install impact-resistant roofing, and the amount varies by company and state. Ask yours what it offers. |
| Ventilation | Intake and exhaust vents for the attic. Owens Corning lists attic ventilation with its shingle products and says: “Ventilation under the roof deck must meet local code requirements.” What is already on the roof and what the work adds changes this line. | Does the bid add, replace or reuse vents, and who decides what the local code requires? |
| Pitch and stories | How steep the roof is and how high the eaves sit. Federal rules (29 CFR 1926.500) define a steep roof as follows: “Steep roof means a roof having a slope greater than 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).” The rule at 29 CFR 1926.501 requires workers on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above a lower level to be protected by guardrails with toeboards, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems. | How will the crew work safely on this roof, and does the number of stories or the pitch change the bid? |
| Permits | Whether a roof replacement needs a permit, and what the permit costs, depends on where the home is. Your local building department can tell you what applies to your address. | Who applies for the permit, and is the fee in the bid? |
| Labor | The crew’s time for everything above, and the cost of having the right people on the job. A roof with many valleys, walls and openings takes more handling than a plain one. Some bids come from a contractor’s own crew, and some from a subcontractor. | Is the work done by the contractor’s own crew or a subcontractor, and how many days does the bid allow? |
| Overhead and profit | Overhead is the cost of running the contracting business that is not one job’s materials or crew: insurance, trucks and fuel, an office, marketing and sales commissions. Profit is what the contractor keeps after everything else. Every bid carries some of both, whether or not it shows them. | Does the bid show overhead and profit, or fold them into the total? |
Why can two bids for the same roof have different totals?
Two bids can total different amounts because they price different jobs. One may reuse flashing that another replaces, remove one layer where another removes two, carry a deck allowance where another carries none, or quote a different shingle line. Match the line items first, then compare the totals.
Our How to Compare Roofing Bids: A Side-by-Side Worksheet turns these lines into a table you can fill in for each bid, and Why Two Roofers Quote Different Prices for the Same Job goes deeper on the reasons.
What does overhead and profit mean, and can it change?
Overhead and profit is the part of a price that is not materials or crew time. Overhead covers the cost of running the business, and profit is what the contractor keeps. Some overhead is the cost of finding customers, such as marketing and sales commissions, so how a contractor wins work can affect it.
Otter Quotes is built around that idea. Contractors bid online on one written scope of work, with no salesperson visiting your home, which can reduce sales and marketing cost. We cannot say what any contractor’s bid will contain.
Where Otter Quotes fits
Otter Quotes creates a written scope of work for your project and sends it to multiple contractors. Every contractor bids on the same scope and the same measurements. You compare the bids online, next to reviews and licensing information, and sign online without a salesperson in your home. Subcontractors bid too, so you may be able to work directly with the crew that does the work. We are not a contractor, we do not sell upgrades, and we do not offer inspections. Contractors pay Otter Quotes a fee on the accepted bid.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into the cost of a roof replacement?
A roof replacement price covers tear-off and disposal, decking repair, underlayment, drip edge, flashing, shingles, ventilation, permits, labor, and the contractor’s overhead and profit. The size, shape and pitch of the roof, the height of the house and what the crew finds under the old roof can each move the price.
Does roof pitch change a roofing bid?
It can, so ask. Federal fall-protection rules define a steep roof as one with a slope greater than 4 in 12 and set requirements for protecting workers on one. Ask each contractor how the crew will work safely on your roof and whether the pitch or the number of stories changes the bid.
Does a roof replacement bid include decking repair?
Not necessarily, so ask. A manufacturer’s article describes the deck inspection as happening once the old materials are removed, so a bid may price deck repair per sheet, carry an allowance, or leave it out. Ask each contractor which approach the bid takes and what happens to the total if damage is found.
What are overhead and profit in a roof bid?
Overhead is the cost of running the contracting business that is not one job’s materials or crew, such as insurance, trucks, an office, marketing and sales commissions. Profit is what the contractor keeps after all costs. Every bid carries some of both, whether or not the bid shows them separately.
Why does this page not list a price per square foot?
A price depends on your roof, the products chosen and the contractors bidding, none of which a general page can see. This page names the line items and what moves them. A written bid for your own roof is the number to compare.