A roofing estimate should include the contractor's Pennsylvania registration number, a written description of the work and materials, and a price clear enough to compare with another bid. The contract you sign must go further. State law requires it to give the price and any down payment, approximate start and completion dates, the contractor's address and insurance, and a notice of your right to cancel within three business days. If anything is missing, ask for it before you sign.
Most of that list comes from the state's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, which sets out what a home improvement contract has to contain before it can be enforced against a homeowner. Roofs are named in it. The Act applies to work on a private home where the total price is more than $500, so a roof repair or replacement above that price is covered. The construction of a new home is left out, and so is certain emergency work (Act, § 517.2).
Here is what that means for the paperwork a roofer hands you. It is general information to help you read an estimate, and it is no substitute for legal advice. If you are already in a dispute over a contract, talk to an attorney about your own case. The Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection also takes consumer complaints.
Does the estimate show the contractor's registration number?
Any contractor doing at least $5,000 of home improvement work a year in Pennsylvania has to register with the Attorney General (PA Attorney General). The Act then requires that registration number on every contract, estimate and proposal the contractor gives a homeowner, and in its advertising (§ 517.6).
So look for the number on the page first. You can check it yourself on the Attorney General's contractor search, by number or by business name. Keep in mind what registration means. The Attorney General's office says plainly that registration is not an endorsement of a contractor's honesty or quality of work (PA Attorney General). All it tells you is that the contractor is on the state's books.
How detailed should the description of the work be?
The Act says the contract must describe the work to be performed, the materials to be used, and a set of specifications that cannot change without a written change order signed by both the owner and the contractor (§ 517.7(a)(7)). Straying from the plans in any material way without a signed, dated change order that shows the price of each change is listed as a prohibited act (§ 517.9(6)).
On a roof replacement, "replace roof" is too thin to count as a description. A useful estimate tells you:
- whether the old roofing comes off or the new layer goes over it
- the shingle or membrane being installed, by product name
- what goes underneath it, and how flashing at chimneys, walls and valleys will be handled
- what happens to ventilation
- how damaged decking will be dealt with if the crew finds it once the old roof is off, and how that extra work is priced
That last point is easy to leave vague, and it can change the final bill, so get it answered in writing before anything is signed.
What should the estimate say about price and deposit?
The contract has to state the total price. If the work is priced on time and materials instead, the contractor has to give you a written initial cost estimate before work starts. The contract then has to state that the cost cannot rise more than 10% above that estimate without a signed change order (§ 517.7(a)(8)).
Any down payment, and any money for special-order materials, must be listed separately (§ 517.7(a)(9)). A contractor may not demand or take payment before the contract is signed. On a contract of more than $5,000, the deposit may not exceed one-third of the contract price, or one-third plus the cost of special-order materials named in the contract. There is an exception for certain home improvement retailers (§ 517.9(9) and (10)).
If someone asks for cash up front before there is a signed contract, that alone is reason to stop and ask questions.
What else should a roofing estimate include?
A few more lines the Act requires, each easy to check (§ 517.7(a)):
- The date of the transaction, plus an approximate start date and completion date.
- The contractor's name, address and phone number. A post office box on its own does not count as an address.
- The names, addresses and phone numbers of any subcontractors known when you sign.
- The contractor agrees to carry liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and at least $50,000 for property damage caused by the work, and the contract states the amount actually held when you sign.
- The contract is in writing, legible, and signed by you and by the contractor or its salesperson. It has to contain the entire agreement, with copies of all required notices attached.
Can you cancel a roofing contract after you sign it?
You may cancel a home improvement contract without penalty within three business days of signing it, wherever you signed it. The contract has to include a notice telling you so, and you are entitled to a completed copy, with the notices, at the time you sign (§ 517.7(b) and (c)). The Act makes an exception for certain emergency work.
If the contract includes an arbitration clause, the Act requires it in capital letters, in 12-point bold type, on a separate page from the rest of the contract (§ 517.7(d)). Read that page carefully, since it decides how a disagreement would be settled.
How do you compare two roofing estimates?
The Attorney General's office suggests getting more than one bid and checking references (PA Attorney General). When you do, line the estimates up item by item before you compare totals. Two prices can differ because one includes a tear-off and the other goes over the old roof, because one names the underlayment and the other leaves it vague, or because one prices decking repair and the other leaves it for later.
If the work follows storm damage and you are talking to your insurance company, your policy and your insurer decide what is covered. Read the estimate the same way either way, since the contract you sign with the roofer is still the document that sets out the work.
How does In The Light Roofing handle estimates?
At In The Light Roofing, the estimate is the third of five steps in our roof replacement process. It starts with a call about your roof and your timeline. Then comes an on-site appointment, where we meet to understand the project and its scope. The written estimate follows. Once you accept it, pre-production is where we finalize the details and schedule your build day, and then the crew starts roofing.
Our estimates are no-cost, and they put the work in writing before you commit to anything. A price given over the phone, before anyone has looked at the roof, is a guess about the flashing, the ventilation and how many layers are coming off. If you are still deciding between a repair and a full replacement, our post on roof repair or replacement goes through how to choose.
We work on homes across the Lehigh Valley, including Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and Macungie. You can reach us through our contact page.
What should you do once the estimate arrives?
Start with the registration number, and look it up on the Attorney General's search. Then read the estimate against the sections above and ask, in writing, for anything that is missing: the materials by name, how extra decking will be priced, the deposit, the dates and the insurance amount.
When the contract comes, check that it matches the estimate you agreed to. Find the cancellation notice and, if there is one, the arbitration page. Do not pay anything before you sign, and keep your completed copy, with its notices, where you can find it again.