How Do You Price A Roofing Job?
For roofers who want a number they can stand behind before they leave the driveway.
Updated · Written for Canadian trades
The Short Answer
Price a roofing job by measuring the roof in squares, then costing shingles, underlay, flashing, disposal and labour for each square. Add access and pitch difficulty, then your overhead and margin. Quote the total, not an hourly rate.
Measure The Roof First
Roofing is priced by the square — 100 square feet of roof surface. Take the footprint, apply the pitch multiplier, then add waste for hips, valleys and starter courses. Every number after this one depends on getting the square count right.
Walk the roof or measure it from aerial imagery, then confirm the layer count. A tear-off of two layers is a different job from a tear-off of one, and it is the single biggest surprise on a roofing invoice.
- Squares of roof surface, after the pitch multiplier
- Number of existing layers coming off
- Linear feet of ridge, hip, valley and eave
- Penetrations: stacks, vents, skylights, chimneys
- Access: driveway, drop zone, and where the bin goes
Build The Price Per Square
Cost each square from your own supplier pricing: shingles, underlay, ice and water shield, drip edge, ridge cap, fasteners and disposal. Then add your crew cost per square at the production rate your crew actually hits, not the rate you hope for.
Overhead and margin go on top of that total, as a percentage. Folding them into your labour rate hides them, and the first time you discount a job you give away the margin without noticing.
Quote A Total, With The Exclusions Written Down
Give the homeowner one number for the finished job, then list what is not in it — deck repair beyond a stated allowance, structural work, and anything hidden under the old roof. Write the unit price for extra sheathing on the quote so the conversation on tear-off day is a signature, not an argument.
Follow-Ups
What People Ask Next
How Many Squares Is An Average House Roof?+
Most detached houses land somewhere between 20 and 35 squares of roof surface once pitch and waste are counted. Measure it — the footprint of the house is never the area of the roof.
Should A Roofing Quote Be Priced Per Square Or As A Total?+
Build it per square so your costing is honest, then present it as one total for the finished job. Homeowners compare totals; your estimating has to run on units.
What Should A Roofing Quote Exclude?+
Anything you cannot see until the old roof is off: rotten sheathing beyond your stated allowance, structural repair, and chimney or masonry work. Name them and put a unit price beside each.
Put This On A Real Quote
Describe the job in plain language and QuotingAI drafts the priced, itemized quote — deposit terms and all — ready to send, e-sign and collect on. Fourteen days, cancel any time.
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