What a roof-replacement quote should settle before tear-off

Settle the roof map, exact assembly, flashing, ventilation, deck-repair prices, protection, warranties, and approval rules before tear-off.

A roof-replacement quote should settle the known roof before tear-off and set rules for the roof nobody can see yet. Require a roof map, exact assembly, detail decisions, deck-repair prices, ventilation plan, property protection, warranty path, and a written stop-and-approve process for concealed conditions. Otherwise, the lowest bid can become the least predictable contract as soon as the first layer comes off.

Give every bidder the same roof map

Number each plane, edge, valley, wall intersection, chimney, skylight, vent, pipe, satellite or solar attachment, gutter interface, low-slope transition, and known leak area. Record layers and deck type where reasonably known, plus attic moisture, prior repairs, ventilation openings, permits, warranties, and storm history. Observations should come from safe ground, accessible records, and qualified inspection. Homeowners should not climb the roof or enter an unsafe attic to complete the map.

Decide whether the contract removes all existing roof covering or adds a recover layer only where local rules, the manufacturer, and the existing assembly allow it. GAF's roof-replacement breakdown lists tear-off, underlayment, shingles, flashings, ridge caps, disposal, and cleanup as typical work, while noting that damaged decking is often charged separately after the old covering is removed. Your quote should make each of those assumptions explicit rather than relying on what is “typical.”

Name the complete assembly

List the exact manufacturer and product line for field covering, starter, hip and ridge, underlayment, leak barrier, fasteners, drip edge, vents, pipe flashings, and other accessories. State coverage locations and attachment requirements, including eaves, rakes, valleys, penetrations, walls, and low-slope areas. “Lifetime architectural shingle” is not a product specification.

Put reuse or replacement beside every flashing and penetration. Chimney counterflashing, step flashing at walls, kickouts, skylight kits, pipe boots, valley metal or membrane, and transitions deserve separate decisions because they are common places for water to change direction. If masonry, siding, solar, gutters, or skylights require another trade, name who coordinates it and when the roof can be left weather-tight.

Write the tear-off decision rule now

The contract should define damaged decking in observable terms, state the included quantity if any, and give unit prices for additional sheets, boards, thicknesses, fasteners, structural repairs, and disposal. Require mapped photographs after tear-off and before covering. Set who can approve additional work, how an urgent weather-tight condition is handled, and when an engineer or other design professional is called for structural damage rather than letting an open-ended allowance decide the structure.

My view: a zero-dollar deck allowance is acceptable only when the unit prices and approval pause are unusually clear. Pretending concealed damage will not exist does not make a quote firm; it merely moves the negotiation onto an exposed roof.

Make ventilation and warranty one conversation

Ask for intake and exhaust type, net free area or other design basis, blocked or changed paths, and the effect of adding or removing vents. A row that says “ridge vent” does not show whether intake air can reach it. GAF notes that a major ventilation redesign may be outside a standard estimate and that local code and climate affect underlayment choices. Price the required changes before installation, not as a surprise once the old vents are gone.

Get the actual manufacturer warranty and workmanship warranty. Identify product eligibility, required accessory combination, installer credential, registration, transfer, exclusions, remedy, and who pays tear-off and disposal during a covered claim. Owens Corning's warranty page, for example, distinguishes coverage that excludes tear-off and disposal from coverage that includes those costs, and says some extended warranties require specific components and an authorized contractor. “Lifetime” alone does not settle either point.

Protect the house below the work

The proposal should cover delivery locations, driveway and landscaping protection, attic and interior dust, falling-debris zones, daily weatherproofing, magnetic nail cleanup, gutter protection, pets, vehicles, neighbors, dumpsters, permits, inspections, and the response to forecast wind or rain. The FTC recommends multiple written estimates that include the work, materials, completion date, and price, and says not to pay the full project amount up front in its home-improvement guidance.

Closeout needs inspection records, final roof and ground photographs, product labels or batch records where provided, ventilation and flashing documentation, warranty registration, paid invoices, lien releases where appropriate, cleanup confirmation, and unresolved exceptions. Use the roof repair-or-replace guide to confirm that replacement is the right job, then the change-order checklist for anything discovered after tear-off. Settle the rules while the roof is still closed.