Choose the Roof Color Before You Authorize the Order

You have narrowed the job to two roofers. Their prices are close, and both have shown you a small shingle board. One has written a color into the proposal. The other says you can choose later. Before you sign, find out what each contractor considers permission to order materials. A color choice made at the kitchen table should not become an order until you know the exact product and have seen enough of it to make a decision.

This is a separate comparison from roof measurements, installation details and warranty terms. You are comparing how each roofer gets from a sample to the material delivered to your driveway. For a St. Louis house with a large roof visible from the street, that process deserves a few minutes before thousands of dollars of material are assigned to the job.

Roofer comparison: ask for the same kind of sample

A printed brochure, a phone image and a physical shingle are three different ways of showing a color. Do not compare one contractor's physical sample with another contractor's website image and assume you have given both products the same look. Ask each bidder for a physical sample of the specific shingle line and color being proposed.

The name alone is not enough. Two colors with similar names can contain different mixtures of granules. A sample from another product line does not establish how your selected product will look, even if the manufacturer uses a familiar color name. Have the roofer identify the manufacturer, product line and color together.

Keys Roofing installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only. If you are comparing a Keys proposal with another bid, ask to see the actual Atlas or Malarkey product named in that proposal. Do not let a general description such as gray architectural shingle become the final purchasing instruction.

Take the sample outside

Look at the sample beside the parts of the house that will remain: brick, stone, siding, trim and gutters. On a red brick St. Louis house, hold it where you can see both the brick and the mortar. On a house with several exterior materials, walk around to the front and the driveway side. Those views may give you different reasons to favor one color.

Look once in direct daylight and again in shade or under an overcast sky. Keep the sample safely at ground level. You do not need to climb a ladder or place loose shingles on the roof. The point is to see the material in the light around your house, rather than under the lights in a showroom.

A small sample still leaves a question: how will that mixture look repeated across the whole roof? Ask whether the contractor has a larger sample panel or can identify a completed roof using the exact product and color. If you are given an address, view it from a public street without entering the property. Confirm the product before treating that roof as your reference.

A completed roof helps, but it is not your house

A nearby example can show a color blend over a larger area. It cannot reproduce your roof's slope, orientation, tree cover or surrounding materials. A steep front roof exposes more of the shingles to a person standing at the curb than a shallow roof partly hidden behind a gutter. Consider how much roof you actually see from your usual approach to the house.

Ask the roofer what the example is meant to demonstrate. Is it the exact shingle and color, or just a similar general appearance? A contractor who says the example is only approximate has given you useful information. Write that distinction into your own notes so a week later you do not remember an approximate reference as an exact one.

Phone photographs can help you remember the options, but use the physical samples for the decision. Camera settings, screens and lighting can change the appearance of a photograph. If two household members are choosing together, look at the same samples outside at the same time rather than sending screenshots back and forth.

What it costs: separate color choice from product changes

Ask each bidder whether the quoted amount covers every color in the named product line or only the particular selection shown. Do not assume either answer. Request a revised written price if your selection changes the cost. That gives you a number you can compare before materials are ordered.

Keep a color change separate from a product change. If the shade you prefer is available only in another shingle line, ask for a proposal identifying that line and its price. You should be able to tell whether you are paying more for a different product, an ordering expense or another stated reason. A verbal statement that the new color costs more does not explain which part of the purchase changed.

Availability also needs a specific answer. Ask whether the chosen material is available for this job and when the contractor expects to secure it. A color displayed on a sample board is not confirmation that enough material is available for your roof. If your first choice would delay the work, request the timing and price of the alternative before deciding.

Then ask what happens if you change your mind after approval. Does the supplier accept returns? Is there a restocking charge? Who pays for transport? Are special orders treated differently? These are questions for the contractor's actual purchasing arrangement. Have the applicable terms written down instead of relying on a general assurance that a change should be possible.

What to ask before signing the color selection

A useful approval identifies a product clearly enough that someone who never attended your estimate appointment could order it correctly. Ask the roofer to record these details together:

• The shingle manufacturer, full product name and exact color name.
• The manufacturer's color or product code, if one is used.
• The agreed price after the selection.
• Any availability issue that affects the proposed work date.
• The point at which a change could create an additional charge.
• Who must approve a substitution before it is ordered.

Ask one direct question: "Does signing this authorize you to purchase this exact material?" If the answer is yes, complete your sample review first. If the contractor uses a separate selection form, keep a copy with the proposal. Avoid leaving the approved color scattered across a text message, a handwritten note and a brochure with two options circled.

Also ask how the ridge shingles will be identified. You are deciding whether the visible color combination is acceptable, so have the roofer explain what will appear along the peaks. If the proposed ridge material has a different product or color name, record that selection rather than assuming the field shingle name describes every visible piece.

Check the delivery before the packages are opened

Agree in advance on who will check package labels against the approved selection when materials arrive. Ask the contractor to confirm the manufacturer, product and color before installation starts. You can request a photograph of the labels without climbing onto a truck, moving bundles or entering the crew's work area.

If the delivered label does not match your written selection, contact the project lead immediately and ask for the discrepancy to be resolved before that material is installed. A similar name or a statement that the difference will be hard to notice is a new selection decision. It needs your approval.

Compare STL Roofers is operated by Keys Roofing. To discuss a Keys proposal, call (314) 220-2333. Have the proposed Atlas or Malarkey product name and your color shortlist available, and ask what sample you can review before authorizing the material order.