Walk Each Roof on the Same Day Before You Compare Bids

Two roofers who walk the same house on different days are often looking at different roofs. The weather changes between visits, the shingle surface dries or stays wet, a neighbor's tree drops more debris one week than the next, and a crew member who came up the ladder on Tuesday may have noticed something the estimator did not write down on Thursday. When you compare two bids, the numbers can disagree for reasons that have nothing to do with price. Setting up the visits so each roofer sees the same conditions is the step that makes the rest of the comparison honest.

This page covers how to schedule the walks, what each one should record, and what to ask before you sign anything. It is written for a St. Louis homeowner who already has at least two names on the list and needs to decide what to do next. Keys Roofing can be one of those names, and the office number is (314) 220-2333.

Why the day of the walk changes the measurement

St. Louis roofs live through a hard cycle. Winter freeze and thaw loosen granules and lift edges, spring rain runs under the eaves, and summer heat softens the sealant strips on the shingle tabs. A roof that was dry and easy to read on a Monday can be damp and hard to read on Wednesday, and a roofer who cannot see a soft spot or a lifted tab will write a scope that leaves it out. Hail season adds its own variable. If a storm passed through between two visits, one roofer may photograph fresh bruising while the other sees nothing because rain has already cleaned the surface.

Shade matters too. A north slope under a mature maple may hold moisture and algae well after the south slope has dried. Two estimators who stand in different spots in the yard will also see different ridges, because the ridge line is only visible from certain angles. A walk that starts at the front door and a walk that starts at the back gate can produce different counts of valleys and vents, and those counts flow straight into the price.

Set the visit order before the first call

Pick one date window, usually a single morning or a single afternoon, and tell each roofer the same window. Ask them to walk the property within that window instead of whenever their schedule opens. If one roofer can only come on a Friday and another can only come the following Tuesday, the comparison is still possible, but you should write down the weather for both days and ask the later roofer whether anything changed.

Give every roofer the same starting point. Show the front, the rear, and each side of the house from the yard, and walk the perimeter together if you can. Mark the locations of the chimney, any skylight, the bath fan outlets, and the dish or antenna mounts. Keep a copy of your own sketch. If a roofer asks to walk alone first, that is a reasonable request, but ask that they leave with the same notes list you would give anyone else.

Keep the list of questions the same for every visit. Use one page per roofer, and write the date, the time, the weather that morning, and the name of the person who walked the roof. A roofer who walks the roof and does not tell you who walked it has left out information you will need later, when the crew arrives.

Roofer comparison: what each walk should record

A useful site visit ends with a written scope and photos, not only a price. Ask each roofer to list the roof area they measured, the number of slopes, the pitch where it was read, the count of valleys, the number of penetrations, and the drip edge and starter course they plan to use. If two roofers agree on the square count but differ on the penetrations, the price gap may be coming from the penetrations rather than the shingles.

Photos should cover each slope, each penetration, each valley, and the eaves and rakes. Ask for close shots of any soft decking, lifted tabs, or exposed nails. Ask the roofer to say what they saw at each spot in plain words. A photo without a sentence beside it leaves room for two readings, and you need one reading you can compare.

Keys documents damage, puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, and attends as the contractor while the homeowner deals with their own insurer. That is the standard to hold every roofer to, whether or not Keys is on your list. If an insurance claim is part of the job, Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating that claim for you, and it also bars the roofer from saying anything about paying, waiving or covering a deductible. Your claim conversations stay with your insurer.

What it costs when the visits drift

Two bids measured on different days can differ by a full line of work. The cost comes from a few places. A roofer who saw a different slope count will price a different number of squares. A roofer who missed a second valley may add it later as a change order, and a roofer who did not photograph a soft spot may not include the decking allowance you expect. None of these show up as a visible error on the proposal, which is why the walk matters more than the first line of the price.

Ask each roofer for the decking rate in writing, the unit price for any extra material, and the rule for who approves extra work before it starts. A quote with a clear rate is easier to compare than one with a lump sum that says "as needed." Write down the walk date next to each number so you can see whether a gap came from the day, the roofer, or the roof.

What to ask at the end of each walk

• What date and time did you walk the roof, and what was the weather that morning?
• Which slopes and penetrations did you count, and how did you count them?
• Can I have the photos and the written scope before you send the price?
• What would change the price after tear-off, and how will I be told before it changes?
• Who will be on the roof, and who will answer my calls on the first day of work?
• When will the crew arrive if the weather holds, and what happens if it does not?

Ask the same six questions of every roofer. Their answers will sound different, and that difference is the comparison. A roofer who answers all six in writing has given you something you can hold them to. A roofer who answers out loud and does not follow up in writing has given you a conversation, which is harder to check later.

After the walks, line up the bids

When the walks are done, put the photos and scopes side by side and check the counts first. Slope count, square count, valleys, penetrations, and the drip edge and starter lines should match before you look at totals. If a count does not match, call the roofer with the lower count and ask them to walk the roof again on a date you both agree to, with you present. That is a short call, and it saves a larger argument after the crew has already started.

If the walks cannot be lined up on the same day, record the weather and the order of visits, and treat the counts as the thing to resolve. The price comes after the counts agree. If you are working out your next step and want to talk through a visit, call Keys Roofing at (314) 220-2333.