Roofing BidTemplate (2026)
Download a free roofing bid template covering tear-off, deck repair, underlayment, roofing material, flashing, ventilation, and gutters with material and labor breakdowns. Submit clear roofing bids that win work and protect margin.
What Is a Roofing Bid Template?
A roofing bid template is the structured form a roofing contractor uses to submit a competitive price for a defined roofing scope. It organizes the bid into the categories a homeowner, property manager, or general contractor expects to see: tear-off and disposal, deck inspection and repair, underlayment and ice barrier, roofing material, flashing and penetrations, ventilation, gutters, warranty, permits, and cleanup. A complete roofing bid translates the on-site inspection or aerial measurement into a price that is defensible, traceable, and easy to evaluate against competing bids.
Most roofing contractors lose margin not by miscounting squares but by missing scope. Decking repair is left without an allowance, flashing is overlooked, ventilation is forgotten, exclusions are not written down, or shingle pricing is stale by the time the bid is approved. A bid template that walks through every category in order, captures deck-repair allowance and warranty terms explicitly, and ties the price back to a current takeoff is a bid template that wins work without leaving margin on the table.
On well-run roofing jobs the bid is tightly aligned with the roofing takeoff and the bill of quantities. Modern roofing estimators are moving away from manual measurement and toward drone imagery and AI-driven takeoff so they can bid more projects, refresh material pricing more often, and protect their hit rate without burning out the estimating team.
What to Include in a Roofing Bid
Every roofing bid should cover these scope categories
Tear-off and disposal
Removal of existing roofing layers, dumpster rental, dump fees, and any required permits for hauling and disposal
Deck inspection and repair
Allowance or unit price for replacing rotted, soft, or damaged decking discovered after tear-off
Underlayment and ice barrier
Synthetic or felt underlayment, ice and water shield at eaves and valleys per code, and starter strips at all eaves
Roofing material
Shingles, metal panels, single-ply membrane, modified bitumen, or built-up roofing per spec, with manufacturer and model documented
Flashing and penetrations
Step flashing, valley flashing, drip edge, pipe boots, chimney flashing, and any wall transitions or skylights
Ventilation
Ridge vents, soffit vents, off-ridge vents, or powered vents calculated per code intake and exhaust ratios
Gutters and downspouts
New or refurbished gutters, downspouts, splash blocks, and any leaf guards or accessories where in scope
Warranty, permits, and cleanup
Manufacturer warranty registration, contractor workmanship warranty, roofing permit, magnetic nail sweep, and final cleanup
Roofing Bid Template Preview
A realistic roofing bid for a 30-square residential reroof
| Scope Category | Material | Labor | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project: 1842 Maple Drive — Residential Reroof, 30 Squares, 6/12 Pitch — Bid Date 03/22/2026 | |||
| Tear-Off & Disposal (1 layer + dumpster) | $520 | $1,800 | $2,320 |
| Deck Repair Allowance ($85/sheet, up to 8 sheets) | $680 | — | $680 |
| Underlayment (synthetic) & Ice/Water Shield (eaves, valleys) | $640 | $520 | $1,160 |
| Architectural Shingles (30 sq, manufacturer A class 4) | $3,300 | $3,150 | $6,450 |
| Starter Strip & Hip/Ridge Cap | $280 | $220 | $500 |
| Drip Edge, Step Flashing, Valley Flashing | $420 | $580 | $1,000 |
| Pipe Boots & Penetration Flashing (4 ea) | $120 | $240 | $360 |
| Ridge Vent (continuous) | $240 | $200 | $440 |
| Permits, Magnetic Sweep & Cleanup | $240 | $320 | $560 |
| Subtotal Direct Cost | $6,440 | $7,030 | $13,470 |
| Equipment Rental & Small Tools | $420 | ||
| Supervision & Project Management | $680 | ||
| Overhead (10%) & Profit (12%) | $3,201 | ||
| Total Lump-Sum Bid | $17,771 | ||
| Schedule | 2 working days; weather permitting; tarp on-site for partial completion | ||
| Warranty | Manufacturer limited lifetime on shingles (50-year prorated); 10-year contractor workmanship warranty | ||
| Exclusions | Fascia/soffit replacement, gutter replacement, satellite dish removal/reinstall, structural framing repair, additional decking beyond allowance, painting, electrical or HVAC penetration repair | ||
| Bid Validity | 30 days from bid date; shingle color subject to manufacturer availability | ||
Material and labor priced separately · Deck-repair allowance documented · Warranty stated in writing
How to Build a Roofing Bid
Inspect the roof and document the existing conditions
Walk the roof or fly the property with a drone before pricing the work. Measure each plane, note the pitch, count layers of existing roofing, and identify visible damage to decking, fascia, soffit, flashings, and penetrations. Photograph everything. The on-site inspection is the difference between a bid that wins money and a bid that loses money. Anything you cannot see from the ground belongs in your assumptions or your unit price schedule.
Take off the roof in squares and accessories
Roofing is priced in squares (one hundred square feet of roof area). Calculate squares by plane and total. Take off the linear feet of eaves, rakes, valleys, ridges, and hips because each drives accessory costs. Count penetrations, skylights, and chimneys. Categorize as you go: roof area, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, gutters, accessories. Tracking by category gives the customer a clear bid and gives you a way to spot missing scope.
Price material at current pricing and lock in shingle availability
Asphalt shingles, single-ply membrane, and metal panels move with commodity cycles. A bid built on stale pricing wins the job and immediately loses margin. For long-lead specialty colors or low-stock products, confirm availability with your distributor and lock in pricing in writing for the bid validity period. Build escalation into the bid for items you cannot lock down.
Calculate labor with crew productivity
Roofing labor is best calculated by crew-hour productivity for tear-off, install, and detailing, multiplied by your loaded crew rate. Pitch, height, deck condition, and access drive productivity more than total square footage does. A 12/12 pitch is dramatically slower than a 4/12. Steep slope premiums, fall protection requirements, and tight site access all affect labor and need to be priced into the bid.
Add overhead, profit, contingency, and warranty
On top of material and labor, add small tools and consumables, equipment rental for lifts and dumpsters, supervision, fringe benefits, overhead, and profit. Include a deck-repair allowance or unit price because once tear-off begins you may discover unanticipated rot. Include warranty registration costs and any premium-warranty fees if the customer wants enhanced coverage. Use a fixed checklist on every bid.
Document exclusions, assumptions, and warranty terms
List what is not included: structural framing repairs, fascia and soffit replacement beyond an allowance, electrical or HVAC penetrations, gutter cleaning prior to start, and any work beyond the roof itself. List your assumptions: working hours, deck condition acceptable for re-roof, owner removes satellite dishes, and access is unobstructed. State the warranty terms in writing: manufacturer warranty by product line, contractor workmanship warranty for the period stated, and what voids each. Clean exclusions and warranty language protect both sides.
Roofing bids stand or fall on the takeoff. See how AI-powered construction takeoffs and construction bidding software let roofing contractors bid more projects without expanding the estimating team.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
No deck-repair allowance
Once the existing roof is torn off, decking damage that was not visible suddenly is. Bids that price a clean re-deck to the original square footage end up arguing with the homeowner over a thousand dollars of plywood. Always include either a deck-repair allowance with a unit price for additional sheets or a clear written assumption that decking replacement is by change order.
Missed pitch or access premiums
Steep slopes, complex valleys, restricted access, and second- or third-story heights are not the same job as a single-story 4/12 ranch. Bids that price every project with the same crew productivity lose money on the hard ones and fail to compete on the easy ones. Adjust labor for project conditions.
Stale shingle and material pricing
Asphalt shingle pricing moves with oil markets and freight costs. Single-ply membrane and metal panel pricing is even more volatile. A bid built on three-month-old pricing is a bid that loses margin on the day it is awarded. Refresh material pricing for every active bid period and lock in long-lead items in writing.
Missing flashing and ventilation scope
A re-roof that does not replace flashing in kind is a re-roof that leaks. Bids that price the field but not the flashings often end up replacing the flashing on the contractor’s dime to honor the workmanship warranty. Same with ventilation: code requires a balanced intake and exhaust system, and bids that miss vent scope generate change orders the moment the inspector shows up.
No clear warranty language
Customers expect warranties. Bids that vaguely say "fully warrantied" are bids that turn into disputes the first time a shingle blows off. State the manufacturer warranty by product line, the contractor workmanship warranty for the period stated, and what voids each. Specifics earn trust at bid time and protect the contractor when the warranty is called on.
Bid More Roofing Work
Generate the takeoff and structured bid directly from imagery with BuildVision AI
Manual Measurement
- ✕Hours measuring on-site or from PDFs
- ✕Stale shingle and material pricing
- ✕Hard to bid more than a few jobs a week
- ✕Missed flashing and ventilation scope
BuildVision AI
- AI takeoff for squares, eaves, valleys, and ridges
- Structured bid with material and labor splits
- Bid more projects per estimator per week
- Penetrations and accessories surfaced from imagery
See pricing on BuildVision AI or compare against the best construction estimating software for 2026.
Roofing Bid Template FAQs
Q:What is a roofing bid?
A: A roofing bid is the formal price submission a roofing contractor sends to a homeowner, property manager, or general contractor for a defined roofing scope. It typically includes the lump-sum price for the work, a breakdown by category (tear-off, deck repair, underlayment, roofing material, flashing, ventilation, gutters), the warranty terms, the project schedule, and the qualifications and assumptions that the price is based on. The bid is the document the customer reads to compare offers and the document the project relies on after acceptance.
Q:How do I estimate a roofing project?
A: Roofing estimating starts with a site inspection and measurement, either in person or with drone-based aerial measurement. Calculate roof area in squares, take off linear feet of eaves, rakes, valleys, and ridges, and count penetrations, skylights, and chimneys. Apply current material pricing. Calculate labor with your crew productivity, adjusted for pitch, access, and conditions. Add small tools, equipment, dumpster, supervision, overhead, profit, and a deck-repair allowance. The most common errors are missing pitch and access premiums, stale material pricing, and forgetting flashing or ventilation scope.
Q:What is included in a roofing bid?
A: A complete roofing bid covers tear-off and disposal, deck inspection and repair allowance, underlayment and ice barrier, roofing material with manufacturer and model documented, flashing at all penetrations and transitions, ventilation per code, gutters and downspouts where in scope, warranty registration, the roofing permit, magnetic nail sweep, and final cleanup. Each category should be priced and listed so the customer can see what their dollars are buying. The bid should state the schedule, exclusions, warranty terms, and the assumptions the price is based on.
Q:How long does a roofing bid take to prepare?
A: For a standard residential reroof a complete roofing bid can be prepared in an hour or two by an experienced estimator after the site inspection. For a commercial reroof or a complex residential project with multiple penetrations, dormers, or specialty materials, the bid can take a full day. Drone-based aerial measurement and AI-powered takeoff cut measurement time substantially because the squares, eaves, ridges, and valleys come from the imagery rather than from manual measurement on the roof.
Q:What is the difference between a roofing bid and a roofing estimate?
A: In residential roofing the terms are often used interchangeably, but technically an estimate is the internal cost calculation the contractor builds (material, labor, equipment, overhead, profit) and a bid is the external document the contractor presents to the customer. The estimate is the basis of the bid. Keep the two documents reconciled so what was estimated is what was bid is what gets installed. Many disputes during construction trace back to a bid that did not faithfully reflect the estimate.
Q:Should a roofing bid include a deck-repair allowance?
A: Yes, almost always on a reroof. Once the existing roof is torn off, decking damage that was not visible from above suddenly is. A bid that prices a clean re-deck to the original square footage and offers no allowance for damaged sheathing puts the contractor in a tough conversation with the customer when rotted deck appears. Include either an allowance with a unit price for additional sheets or a clear written assumption that decking replacement is priced separately by change order.
Q:What warranty should a roofing bid include?
A: A roofing bid should state two warranties separately: the manufacturer warranty on the roofing product (often 25 to 50 years prorated, with limited workmanship coverage if the manufacturer is involved in installation) and the contractor workmanship warranty (typically 5 to 10 years, covering installation defects). The bid should also state what voids each warranty: improper repairs by others, lack of ventilation, ice damming, or storm damage. Specifics earn trust at bid time and protect the contractor when the warranty is called on.
Q:Can BuildVision AI generate a roofing bid from drawings or imagery?
A: Yes. BuildVision AI reads project drawings or satellite and drone imagery, performs the takeoff for roof area, eaves, valleys, ridges, hips, and penetrations, builds the bill of quantities, and produces a structured bid that breaks scope down by category. Your team applies current material pricing, your crew productivity, and your overhead and profit assumptions. The result is more bids submitted in a week without expanding the estimating team and tighter margin protection on the work you take.
Bid More. Win More. Protect Margin.
BuildVision AI turns imagery and drawings into a takeoff, BOQ, and structured roofing bid your team can finalize in minutes.
14-day free trial · No commitment required