How to Price Roofing Jobs?

One square = 100 square feet of roof surface (not floor area). Measure each plane, account for pitch, and add 10 to 15 percent for waste on cuts, hips, and valleys. Satellite measurement tools or a drone speed this up and reduce climb risk.

Installed per square: asphalt $350 to $550, flat membrane (TPO/EPDM) $400 to $800, standing-seam metal $900 to $1,600. This is labor plus materials for a straightforward roof.

Layer in tear-off and disposal, a steep or cut-up premium, permit, and any decking or flashing repairs. Then add your markup. Quote one job number with the scope written out so there's no argument later.

Charge $100 to $200 per square to remove and dispose of one existing layer. Multiple layers, slate, or tile cost more. Price this separately so a hidden second layer doesn't eat your margin.

Forgetting tear-off is the most common roofing bid mistake. See Pricing mistakes.

• Steep pitch (8/12 and up): add 20 to 40 percent for safety, staging, and slower work
• Cut-up rooflines (many hips, valleys, dormers): more waste and more labor per square
• Two-story and limited access: staging and material-handling premium

• Replace rotten decking: $60 to $120 per sheet, billed as found
• New flashing, drip edge, ice-and-water: bundle into the scope, don't absorb it
• Code-required upgrades (ventilation, underlayment): line-item and explain them

Most replacements require a permit and inspection. Bill the permit cost plus a 15 percent handling fee, and build inspection scheduling into the timeline.

On storm work, pin down the date before you price. The free hail report lookup lists every NOAA hail report near the address with its size and distance, which is the first thing the homeowner and the adjuster will ask about. Price the repair from what you find on the roof, not from the size of the hail in the report.

• Price at market per square, not below it. Undercutting on a safety-critical, warranty-backed install signals corner-cutting.
• Always bid tear-off and decking separately. Surprises under the old roof are where small operators lose money.
• Subcontract overflow at a known per-square rate so a busy week turns into margin, not chaos.
• Document everything with photos. It wins jobs and protects you on warranty claims.

• Full markup on materials and a real overhead load in every per-square price.
• Standard scope template so every estimator bids the same way.
• Storm and insurance division if you're in a hail corridor - it's a different pricing and paperwork game.
• Minimum job size so mobilizing a crew and a dumpster always clears its floor cost.

A second hidden layer and a dumpster can swing a job by thousands. Always price removal and disposal separately and inspect for layers first.

Cuts, hips, and valleys eat material. Add 10 to 15 percent waste to your square count before you price, or you'll run short and eat the difference.

A steep roof is slower and riskier. Charge the 20 to 40 percent complexity premium instead of bidding it like a walkable roof.

Quote rotten decking and new flashing as "billed as found" so you're covered when tear-off reveals problems, instead of absorbing them to keep the customer happy.

A handshake quote disappears the moment a customer changes their mind. Send the scope and price in writing, with photos, before a single shingle comes off. When rotten decking turns up mid-job, put the extra in writing too: a change order template records the added sheets, the price change, and both signatures before you replace them.