A Shingle Color Can Change Before Your Roof Date: What Each Bid Should Say

The shingle color you pick in spring is not always the color on the truck in late summer. Shingle makers stock some colors for a season and drop others, and a color that was on the sample board when you signed can be out of production by the time your roof date arrives. A bid that names a color as if it will always be available has not answered the question that matters. The useful question is what the roofer does when the named color is gone.

This page is for a homeowner who is comparing two or three roofers and has one practical worry: whether the roof that gets installed will match the roof they chose. The answer depends less on the brochure and more on what each roofer writes down before the order goes in. Keys Roofing installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles, and the same comparison applies no matter which of those lines a roofer names in the bid.

Why the named color can move

A color name on a bid is a request to a supplier, not a guarantee. Manufacturers can rename a color, change its blend, or stop making it. Distributors may carry a color only in certain regions or certain bundle counts. A roofer may have ordered from a branch that is out of the color when your date comes up. None of these events is unusual, and none of them means the roofer did something wrong. What matters is whether the bid says what happens next.

Timing makes this more likely. If you sign in the cold months and the roof is not scheduled until the weather opens, the gap between the price and the shipment can be long. If you sign in the middle of a busy season, the crew may be booked weeks ahead and the shingles may be ordered only after the date is set. Each roofer has a different order habit, and the bid should show which one applies to your job.

What to ask each roofer

Ask each roofer the same three questions, in writing, and keep the answers next to the bid they describe. Use the exact color name printed on the bid, not a nickname from the sales call.

• If the named color is discontinued or unavailable on my roof date, what is the first substitute you would offer, and what would it cost me?
• Who decides whether a substitute is acceptable, and how many days do I have to say yes or no?
• If I decline every substitute, what happens to my roof date and my deposit?

A roofer who answers all three without hesitation has probably handled this before. A roofer who says the color will not be a problem but cannot say what they would do if it were is giving you a reassurance, not an answer. Write the reassurance down too, so that you can compare it with what the contract says later.

What the bid should say in writing

A complete answer belongs in the bid or the contract, not only in a text message or a phone call. Look for these items on each roofer's paper:

1. The exact color name and product line, matching the sample you chose.
2. A rule for what happens if that color cannot be supplied, including who makes the call and when.
3. Whether the price of a substitute is the same, higher, or lower, and whether the difference is billed to you or absorbed by the roofer.
4. A deadline by which you must approve or reject a substitute, so that the roof date does not slip while the decision sits.
5. A statement of whether the roofer will hold the price if the shingle line itself changes between signing and shipping.

That last item is the one most bids leave out. A roofer may hold the price for the materials they quoted, or may reserve the right to reprice when the shingle costs change. Both can be legitimate business terms. You need to know which one applies before you sign, because the difference shows up in the final invoice.

How to read the answers side by side

Put the three answers from each roofer into one table with one row per roofer. Do not read the bids one at a time, because the wording on each page is different and it is easy to assume two roofers agree when they do not. Mark any roofer who gives a vague answer, and call that roofer back with the same question. A vague answer on the first call often becomes a clear answer on the second, and a roofer who still will not commit to a rule has told you something about how the substitution will be handled.

Compare the substitute rules against the rest of your decision. If one roofer has the clearest rule but the highest total, that does not settle the choice by itself. If the cheaper roofer's rule lets them change the color without your written approval, that is a difference you should weigh before you pick a price. The roofers should be judged on the answers, not just the numbers printed on the page.

What a St. Louis roof date does to the wait

In St. Louis the roof date often depends on weather, and the weather is not reliable enough to be a fixed calendar. A stretch of rain, a freeze, or a hot week can move the start, and the shingle order may need to be placed before the crew knows the exact day. If your roofer orders early to protect the date, ask where the order will be stored and who is responsible for it if the date moves. Ask also whether a shingle order placed early can be changed or returned, and what that costs you.

Hail season and the storm calendar can add to the wait. After a large storm many homeowners call at the same time, and suppliers can run short of popular colors. A roofer who has a clear rule for substitution is less likely to be caught without an option when that happens. Ask each roofer how many weeks ahead they usually order for a job like yours, and compare the answer with the date you have in mind.

Keeping the answer in your folder

Once you have the written rule, keep it with the bid, the contract, and the color sample you approved. If the color changes before the roof is installed, the rule you saved is the document that tells you what to expect. Do not rely on memory of a sales call. Ask the roofer to confirm any substitution in writing before the crew loads the truck, and do not approve it by a text that only says okay.

If you have questions about how a roofer will handle the color, or want to compare the answers you have already received, you can call the Keys Roofing office at (314) 220-2333. Bring the bid, the sample, and your list of three questions, and ask the office to show you where the answer is written in the paperwork. A clear rule on the page is worth more than a promise on the phone.