the stamp every bid deserves
Eight red flags that mark a bid for the shredder, and the line-item anatomy every legitimate written quote contains. General guidance drawn from well-documented contractor-fraud patterns — when in doubt, your state's contractor licensing board is the authority.
Part one
Out-of-area crews follow hail maps and knock doors offering "free inspections." Many are gone before the warranty matters, and some create the damage they then photograph.
✓ Fair instead:A legitimate roofer has a local physical address, local references, and does not need your roof to find work this week.
"This price is only good if you sign now" is a sales tactic, not a materials market. Roofing prices do not expire overnight.
✓ Fair instead:A fair written quote stays valid for a stated period — commonly 30 days — and survives you getting two more bids.
Asking for 100% before work starts is the classic setup for a vanished contractor. Even large deposits beyond materials cost are unusual.
✓ Fair instead:Typical structure: a modest deposit, a progress payment at material delivery or midpoint, and the balance at completed, inspected work.
If a crew member is injured on your roof and the contractor carries no workers’ comp, the claim can land on your homeowner’s policy.
✓ Fair instead:A legitimate contractor volunteers a license number you can verify and sends a certificate of insurance directly from their insurer on request.
"Shingles — installed" hides the spread between builder-grade and premium lines, underlayment type, and ice-and-water shield coverage. Vague lines are where margin hides.
✓ Fair instead:A fair quote names manufacturer, product line, color, underlayment, flashing scope, and ventilation work — line by line.
A handshake number with no document means every dispute later — drip edge, rotten decking, cleanup — defaults to whatever the contractor says it meant.
✓ Fair instead:Everything in writing: scope, materials, decking-replacement unit price, start window, cleanup, and warranty terms for both labor and materials.
When one bid lands 30–40% under the rest, something is missing: insurance, permits, tear-off, code-required underlayment — or the intent to finish the job.
✓ Fair instead:Benchmark every bid against published cost bands (that is what the calculator on this site is for) and make the low bidder explain the gap line by line.
Offering to waive or rebate an insurance deductible is insurance fraud in most states — it is done by inflating the claim, and the homeowner signs the claim. This is the single most documented roofing-scam pattern after major storms.
✓ Fair instead:A legitimate contractor quotes the real scope, documents damage honestly for your adjuster, and never touches the deductible. You pay it; that is how the policy works.
Part two
Line-item anatomy. If a line is missing, ask for it in writing — a contractor who won't write it down is telling you something.
RoofQuoted · Quote Anatomy
The 8 lines that belong on every roofing quote
Contractor identity: name, physical address, license #, insurance
Verifiable identity is the cheapest scam filter that exists.
Measured roof size in squares, with the measurement method
If the squares are not on paper, the price cannot be benchmarked.
Material spec: manufacturer, line, color — not just "shingles"
The builder-grade vs premium spread is hundreds of dollars per square.
Tear-off scope and disposal, priced as its own line
Roof-over vs tear-off changes the job and the warranty.
Underlayment, ice-and-water shield, drip edge, flashing scope
These are where storm damage actually starts — and where cheap bids cut.
Decking replacement unit price (per sheet) for rot found mid-job
Agreed up front it costs $80–$150/sheet; discovered mid-job it costs whatever they say.
Payment schedule tied to milestones
Deposit → delivery → completion. Never 100% up front.
Warranty terms: labor years and material registration
Manufacturer warranties often require registered, certified installation.
Anatomy complete? Now check the bottom line against geometry and published bands — run your roof through the calculator →
Part three
Send us the project and we'll benchmark it against the published bands — and, with your consent, match you with licensed roofing professionals so your next bid comes from someone who expects to be checked.
Three checks. (1) Benchmark the total against published cost bands: squares × material band ($450–$2,500/square depending on material) plus $100–$200/square tear-off — our calculator does this in one step. (2) Verify the quote contains the full written anatomy: measured squares, named manufacturer and product line, tear-off as its own line, underlayment and flashing scope, decking unit price, milestone payments, and warranty terms. (3) Screen the contractor against the eight red flags — license, insurance, local address, no full payment up front, no deductible "deals". A quote that passes all three earns the stamp.
The most documented patterns: door-knocking crews right after a storm, pressure to sign the same day, demands for full payment up front, no verifiable license or insurance certificate, vague one-line scopes ("shingles — installed"), bids far below every competitor, and any offer to waive or "eat" your insurance deductible — that last one is insurance fraud in most states, committed on a claim filed under your name.
Three written bids is the standard advice and it holds: one bid tells you nothing, two give you an argument, three give you a distribution you can benchmark against published bands. Make each bid itemize the same scope so the comparison is line-by-line, not bottom-line.