Roofing Estimate vs. Final Price: What’s the Difference?

Whenever you’re in the market to replace your old roof, speaking to a couple of reputable roofing contractors is just part of the process. One thing you’re sure to experience is a contractor giving you a roofing estimate. This is pretty standard for most contractors as it allows them to assure their potential customers of how much the cost of their roofing service could possibly go. While a reputable contractor should provide you with an estimate that’s as close as possible to the final price, they aren’t exactly the same.

This post aims to explain the difference between a roofing cost estimate from the final pricing to clear up some confusion.

Estimating the Cost of a New Roof

Most roofing professionals give out cost estimates of their service as a form of written guide to how much you are likely to pay for a roof replacement. This is often presented in a range of bids from individual contractors. An estimate could include a whole lot of things like labor, materials, building permits, dump fees, and taxes. All this is taken into consideration when estimating the cost.

As part of your due diligence, it’s considered a great practice to request multiple estimates from different contractors so you have an even better idea of what the cost of your replacement could be. Remember, different local roofing contractors could provide varying estimates. This gives you a couple of options to choose from, so you can select whichever service best fits your needs and your budget.

Factors That Can Drive Up Your Roof’s Final Cost

A typical installation estimate varies depending on the size of your roof and the materials you choose. This is in no way an indication of the final pricing, but it gives customers a good idea of how much it would cost. In simpler terms, it’s a ballpark estimate. It could go up or down as the project progresses and as new things are added. 

While a contractor will do their best to calculate how much your roof replacement will cost, it’s not uncommon for there to be some discrepancies between the roofing cost estimate and the final bill. This usually happens to older roofs with some underlying problems that were not discovered during the initial inspection. 

Yes, the condition of your roof will definitely add costs to your project. If you happen to have rotten roof decks, rafters, or trusses, these could easily add more cost as the roofers will have to deal with more problems than they initially thought. Damaged gutters, fascia, and soffits can also impact the project’s cost. All these elements will affect the final outcome of your project, so they need to be repaired first. This is usually why homeowners end up with a higher final bill compared to the initial estimate given to them.