How to Bid a Roofing Job Profitably (Tear-Off to Cleanup)
Roofing has the highest bid-to-win ratio of any residential trade. The winners aren't bidding lower. They're bidding cleaner — every line item present, every assumption defensible, every change order explained before it happens.
What a profitable reroof bid actually contains
Walk a typical 2,400 sq ft cape with an existing 25-year three-tab. The bid carries:
- Tear-off: 26 squares × $55/sq labor = $1,430
- Dumpster + dump fees: $475 (30-yarder)
- Decking patches: $1.60/sq ft assumed 10% replacement = $384
- Ice + water shield: 4 squares × $135 = $540
- Synthetic underlayment: 22 squares × $42 = $924
- Architectural shingles (30-year): 26 squares × $260 installed = $6,760
- Ridge cap + starter: $385
- Drip edge + flashing: 180 lf × $4.20 = $756
- Pipe boots + step flashing: $245
- Ridge vent + intake: $620
- Cleanup + magnet sweep: $180
- Permit + dump: $290
- Subtotal direct: $13,989
- Markup at 32%: $4,476
- Bid: $18,465 ($7.10/sq ft, or $710/square)
That bid wins because every line is named. The contractor bidding $14,500 either skipped the underlayment selection (a $924 mistake), left out the dumpster ($475), or is going to ask for a change order on the decking. The homeowner who reads both bids picks the one they can understand.
The three lines that decide profitability
Decking allowance. Every reroof bid should specify a percentage of decking replacement. 10% is the conservative default. The bid should say so in writing — "additional decking beyond 10% billed at $1.60/sq ft." That conversation, in writing, on bid day, is the difference between a profitable change order and a fight.
Underlayment selection. Synthetic at $42/square is the floor. Premium synthetic with high-temp adhesive is $58. Ice + water at the eaves and valleys is non-negotiable in any climate that sees ice damming. Bid the right underlayment up front.
Ventilation. Most reroof bids carry the existing ventilation forward. Most existing ventilation is wrong. A continuous ridge with adequate intake at the soffit fixes the heat-and-moisture problem that just shortened the last roof's life. Add it to the bid. The homeowner will ask why you bid more than the other guy. You'll have a real answer.
How Estimate.Pro handles it
The roofing estimating template carries the line items above as defaults — you change the shingle product, the labor and waste factor change with it. The AR measurement tool walks the roof from the driveway: ridge length, valley length, hip length, total squares with waste. The cost library pulls current pricing for the shingle SKU you bid most often. Eight minutes from "I'll look at your roof" to a defensible bid in the homeowner's inbox.
The bottom line
Roofing bids aren't won on price. They're won on clarity. Build a template that puts every line item in front of the homeowner and you stop losing jobs to contractors who undercount the underlayment.