Why are my roofing quotes thousands of dollars apart?
Almost every homeowner who gets three roofing quotes ends up staring at three numbers that do not look like they describe the same house. Usually they do not, and the reason is findable.
In most cases the quotes are not pricing the same job. The usual culprits are a different square count, tear-off versus a re-cover, what happens to bad decking, whether flashing and ventilation are replaced or reused, and which shingle line is specified. Put all three quotes side by side on those five points and the gap almost always explains itself before you have to think about anyone being dishonest.
01 /The five places the money hides
- Square count. If two quotes state different roof sizes, one of them measured wrong or measured differently. This alone can be thousands of dollars, and it is the first thing to reconcile.
- Tear-off versus re-cover. Going over the old shingles is cheaper today and shortens the new roof's life. Michigan also does not permit a re-cover when two or more layers are already up there.
- Decking. Nobody can see rotten sheathing before tear-off. An honest quote names a per-sheet rate up front. A quote that is silent on it is not cheaper, it is unfinished.
- Flashing and ventilation. Reusing old chimney flashing, pipe boots, and vents saves real money and is where a surprising number of future leaks come from.
- Shingle line and accessories. A basic three-tab job and a premium architectural system with matched ridge, starter, and underlayment are different products with different warranties.
A quote that is dramatically below the others with no scope explanation is worth a second look at the contractor rather than the roof. Verify the license through Michigan LARA's Verify a License lookup and ask to see their certificate of insurance. Both are reasonable asks and neither should cause friction.
02 /How to force an apples-to-apples comparison
Go back to each contractor with the same short list and ask them to put it in writing: the measured square count, tear-off or re-cover, the per-sheet decking rate, which flashing and vents are new versus reused, the exact shingle line and accessory package, and what warranty comes with it.
Two things happen. The quotes become comparable, and you learn something about each contractor from how easily they answer. Our roofing contract checklist is the longer version of that list.
03 /Where the honest range actually sits
For context while you compare: our published Macomb County asphalt replacement range is $9,000 to $18,000, with most homes between $12,000 and $16,000. Repairs run $350 to $3,200, and larger or complex repairs can run higher. Those numbers are on our pricing sheet before anyone visits, which is the whole point of publishing them.
The long version, with the full anatomy of an honest estimate, is in why roofing estimates vary.
The follow-up questions
Not automatically. The middle number is only meaningful if all three quotes describe the same scope, and they usually do not until you make them. Reconcile square count, tear-off, decking, flashing, ventilation, and shingle line first. Once the scopes match, the middle quote becomes a real data point instead of a guess.
Sometimes, and not reliably. Price alone does not prove scope. What proves scope is a written quote that names the square count, what is included, what is reused, and what happens when decking is found bad. A high number with a vague scope tells you no more than a low one.
Legitimately, yes, in one main situation: decking or structural damage that could not be seen until the old roof came off. That is why the per-sheet rate belongs in the contract before day one. Change orders for anything that was visible from the ground during the estimate are a different conversation, and the contract should say how they are handled.
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), residential builder licensing and the public Verify a License lookup. michigan.gov/lara
- Michigan Residential Code 2015, section R908.3.1 Roof Re-cover: a re-cover is not permitted where the existing roof already has two or more applications of any type of roof covering. up.codes: MRC chapter 9
- Macomb Roofing Pros published price table: the county-wide ranges this site commits to in writing. macombroofingpros.com/roofing/