Contractors8 min read
How to negotiate a roofing bid (storm season edition)
The short answer
Roofing bids routinely come down 10–20% when you get three quotes on identical written scope and negotiate the specific lines: tear-off layers, underlayment spec, decking-replacement allowance, and warranty terms. Never sign with a storm-chaser at the door, never let a contractor "handle the insurance" in exchange for the claim, and negotiate after the insurance scope lands — not before.
The scope lines that hide the money
Roofing quotes look simple — squares, shingles, total — and hide everything. Force every bidder to price the same written scope: tear-off vs overlay (tear-off is right, always), number of layers, shingle brand and line (a "30-year architectural shingle" has a $40/square spread by brand), synthetic underlayment vs felt, ice-and-water shield at eaves and valleys, drip edge, flashing replacement, ventilation, and decking replacement at a stated per-sheet price. The per-sheet decking allowance is where bids ambush you later — lock it now.
Storm-chaser radar
After a hail event, the door-knockers arrive: "We work with your insurance — free roof, just sign here." What you sign is often an Assignment of Benefits, handing your claim (and its money) to them. Legitimate roofers do not need your claim to bid your roof. Red flags: pressure to sign today, offers to "cover" or rebate your deductible (insurance fraud in most states), no local address, out-of-state plates. Get their license, insurance certificate, and two local references you actually call.
Negotiate after the insurance scope
If insurance is involved, the sequence matters: file the claim, get the adjuster's scope and number, THEN collect bids against that scope. Contractors negotiate differently when they know the carrier's line items — legitimate ones help you get missed items supplemented (code upgrades, drip edge, overhead and profit), which is the right kind of insurance negotiation. Overhead-and-profit (O&P, ~20%) is legitimately owed on complex jobs and carriers omit it by default — ask for it.
The warranty is the deal
A roof is a 20–30 year asset and the warranty is half the value: manufacturer material warranty (register it — many require registration within 60 days to reach full term) and the contractor's WORKMANSHIP warranty (5–15 years from real companies; storm-chasers offer "lifetime" from a mailbox). The workmanship warranty is only as good as the company's likelihood of existing in year 7 — which is another argument for the local bidder over the itinerant one. Payment terms to lock: small deposit, no payment ahead of materials on-site, final payment after your walkthrough.
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Start freeQuestions people actually ask
- How many roofing bids should I get?
- Three, priced on identical written scope — the spread routinely runs 20–40%. More than three wastes everyone's time, including yours; fewer and you cannot tell the market from the markup. Include one large established local company and one smaller owner-operator: they price differently and each keeps the other honest.
- Should the roofer meet my insurance adjuster?
- Yes — a good contractor at the adjuster meeting catches missed damage in real time (soft metals, vents, gutters, screens that prove hail). It is legitimate and valuable. The line: they advocate for the DAMAGE to be documented, they do not take over your claim. Assignment of Benefits is where advocacy becomes ownership — do not sign it.
- Is the cheapest roofing bid ever the right one?
- Roofs punish cheap like almost nothing else in home maintenance: shortcuts on underlayment, flashing, and ventilation cost you the deck in year 8. On identical scope with licensed, insured, referenced bidders, the low number is fine. Below-scope cheap — overlay over two layers, felt instead of synthetic, no flashing replacement — is a leak with a warranty from a company that will not answer in five years.
- Can I negotiate the deductible on an insurance roof?
- You owe the deductible — contractors who offer to absorb, rebate, or "eat" it are describing insurance fraud, and the workaround (inflated invoices) makes you party to it. The legal version of the same money: negotiate the bid itself down, supplement the carrier for legitimately missed scope, and use the tax-free claim proceeds correctly.