A roofing estimate in Las Vegas is only worth the detail written on it. Two numbers for the same house can differ by a wide margin and both be honest, because one is replacing broken tiles and the other is replacing the underlayment beneath them. Until the scope is written down, the totals are not comparable in any useful way.
So the work of getting a good estimate happens before the estimates arrive. Settle what is being priced, give every bidder the same information, and read the documents for scope rather than for the figure at the bottom.
What a written estimate should list
- The areas covered. Which roofs on the property, and which slopes or sections of each.
- The layers. Covering only, or the underlayment beneath it, or both.
- The details. Valleys, wall junctions, chimneys, skylights, pipe penetrations, edge metal and any transition to a flat section, named individually.
- Materials by name and specification, not by category. Underlayment in particular.
- What is excluded, and what is covered by an allowance rather than a price.
- Deck repair, whether any is included and at what rate beyond it.
- Disposal, permits and access, each either included or excluded in plain words.
- The warranty, on materials and on workmanship, each with a duration and what voids it.
Anything missing from that list is a place the price can move later. That is not necessarily bad faith, but it is worth knowing which gaps you are carrying.
Why two estimates for one roof differ so much
On a valley tile roof almost all of the variation comes from one line: whether the underlayment is part of the job. The tile is a weather shield and usually survives. The layer beneath it carries the water and is what goes brittle in the heat, so a price that reuses the existing underlayment and a price that replaces it are describing different work with different service lives.
After that, the differences tend to be details, deck allowances and material grade. How to compare roofing companies in Las Vegas covers the checks on the businesses themselves, which is the other half of the decision.
Get the scope settled first
The cleanest way to make three estimates comparable is to have the roof looked at by somebody who is not bidding on the work, and to use that report as the scope every bidder prices. A report with photographs of named defects can be emailed to three contractors, and the prices that come back are prices for one job.
Where that is not practical, write the scope yourself from the list above and send the same page to each. It takes an hour and it changes the exercise completely. A residential roof inspection is the version of this we produce, written so a contractor can quote from it without going up again.
What to have ready before anybody visits
- The address and roughly the age of the roof, and any paperwork from previous work
- What the roof is covered with, and whether there are flat sections or patio covers
- Where water has appeared inside, in what weather, and whether it has happened before
- Photographs of any active leak and of stains, dated if you can
- Access arrangements, including gate codes, parking and anywhere a container cannot go
- Any association or design review rules that govern appearance or working hours
Warning signs in an estimate
A price that arrives without anybody going on the roof. A document with no exclusions listed, which means they are all unwritten. A deposit requested before a scope exists. Pressure to sign today, particularly after a storm. An offer to handle your insurance claim, which is licensed work in Nevada and not a roofing service. And a figure far below the others, which is nearly always a narrower job rather than a better deal.
Where to go next
Get the roof looked at, get the findings in writing with photographs, then take that document out to two or three licensed contractors. Roof repair in Las Vegas covers what usually needs doing on roofs here, which is the context that makes an estimate readable in the first place.
Common questions
Is a roofing estimate the same thing as a quote?
Not usually, and the difference is whether the number can move. An estimate is an informed approximation that may change as the work proceeds. A quote or a fixed price is an offer to do a defined scope for a stated sum, and it changes only by agreement through a written variation.
- An estimate approximates and may be revised
- A quote is an offer at a stated sum
- Either can be fair if it says which it is
- The scope decides how much an estimate can move
- Ask for the word in writing on the document
Roofing uses the words loosely, so do not rely on the heading. Read the terms instead. A document headed estimate that lists a defined scope, names its materials and states its exclusions behaves like a quote in practice. One headed quote that covers unknown decking repair with a vague allowance behaves like an estimate. What you are looking for is a clear statement of what is included at that price and what triggers a change, and that is a question of wording rather than of which word appears at the top.
Should a roofing estimate be free in Las Vegas?
An estimate for work a contractor hopes to carry out is normally free, because it is a sales cost. What is reasonably charged for is an inspection: somebody spending time on the roof to establish condition and produce a report you own and can take elsewhere. Those are different services.
- Estimates for prospective work are usually free
- A paid inspection produces a report you keep
- A free estimate is produced to win the job
- The incentive in a free look runs toward more scope
- A paid report can be sent to several bidders
Both have a place. For a cracked tile or a failed vent flashing, a free look from a roofer is the sensible route. For a decision about whether a roof is finished, a paid inspection from somebody not bidding on the replacement gives you a document three contractors can price against, which is how you get comparable numbers at all. [What a roof inspection costs here](/articles/roof-inspection-cost-las-vegas/) covers what that service involves and what moves its price.
How many roofing estimates should we get?
Three is the usual advice and it works, on one condition: all three have to be pricing the same scope. Three estimates for three different jobs tell you nothing except which contractor assumed the least work, and the lowest number is almost always the narrowest scope rather than the best value.
- Three is enough to show the range
- They must price one defined scope
- Issue the same information to each bidder
- A low outlier usually signals a smaller job
- Compare line against line, not total against total
The practical way to achieve that is to settle the scope before you invite prices. Either have the roof inspected and use the report as the basis, or write down the areas, layers and details yourself and send the same page to each contractor. Then ask every bidder to price that document and to list anything they would add. The additions are often the most informative part of the exercise, because they show you which bidder has actually read the roof.
Can a roofing estimate change after the work starts?
Yes, and on a reroof it often does, because nobody can see the decking until the covering is off. What should not change is the way that is handled. The document should state the rate or the method for additional work and require your written agreement before it is carried out.
- Decking condition is unknown until the roof is open
- Previous repairs are often found during removal
- The document should state the rate for extras
- Variations need your agreement in writing
- Photographs of the found condition are reasonable to ask for
The protection is procedural rather than financial. Ask for three things before you sign: what allowance if any is included for deck repair, what the rate is for work beyond it, and how a variation gets approved. Then ask for a photograph of anything discovered before it is covered up again. A contractor working this way will have answers ready, because it is how they already work. One who resists the question is telling you how the conversation will go in week two.
Should we accept an estimate produced from satellite imagery?
For a rough budget figure, it is reasonable. For a decision, no. Aerial measurement gives an accurate area and pitch and nothing else, and on a valley roof the thing that decides the cost is the condition of the layer under the tile, which no image can show.
- Imagery measures area and pitch accurately
- It cannot show underlayment condition
- Details and flashings are invisible from above
- Previous repairs do not appear in an image
- Useful for budgeting, not for buying
Measured area is the easy part of a roofing price and the part least likely to be wrong. What moves the number is the layer beneath the covering, how many details have to be rebuilt, and what has been done to the roof before. All three need somebody on the roof. Use an aerial estimate to decide whether to start the conversation, and insist on a walk before anybody asks for a deposit or a signature.