We Will See Once We Are Up There: Get the Trigger in Writing

Some roofers answer a hard question with a version of "we will know once we are up there." That is an honest thing to say on many St. Louis roofs. A deck can be soft in one corner, a chimney flashing can hide water behind old counterflashing, and a three-tab roof that looks tired from the street may have a different story under the first course of shingles. The trouble comes after that sentence. If the answer stays in the air, the number you are comparing is a guess with a signature on it. This page is about turning that kind of answer into something you can compare side by side with the other bids.

Roofer comparison

Put every roofer's "we will see" answer in one column of your sheet, next to the question it answers. Then ask three follow-ups of each one, and write the replies in the same words you used. The three follow-ups are: what would change the number, who makes that call on the roof, and what document shows the change. A roofer who can name a trigger, a person and a document has given you something to compare. A roofer who says "it depends" and stops has given you a blank cell, and a blank cell should count against them the same way a skipped line does.

Take a common example. Two roofers walk the same house with a 1990s layered roof on the north slope. One says the tear-off may find rotten decking and the price will be adjusted if it does. The other says there will be a per-sheet rate for replaced plywood, that the rate is written into the bid at a set figure, and that the foreman will photograph each sheet and send the photos the same day. Both answers involve the unknown. Only the second one lets you compare two numbers, because it turns an open question into a rate and a record.

Pay attention to who the person is. A salesperson who says the foreman will decide has not yet told you whether the foreman can say yes on the spot or must call the office. Ask each roofer which person can approve a change while the crew is on the roof, and whether that person has authority to sign a change order or only to note it. This is the same question as who can say yes after the signature, and it belongs in the comparison because a change that waits a day can stop a crew.

Watch the calendar too. In St. Louis a roof left open at the wrong time becomes a weather question. A soft deck found on a Friday in October, with rain forecast for Saturday, has a different timeline than the same finding in May. Ask each roofer how long a finding can sit open before the crew must cover, dry in, or stop. Write the answer down with the day count. A roofer who gives you a clear window has told you something that a roofer who says "soon" has not.

What it costs

The price of the unknown is not usually a single line. It shows up as a rate, a contingency, an allowance, or a time-and-materials clause. Each one is a different promise. A contingency line is money set aside, and it can go unspent. An allowance is a stand-in number for a material or repair that has not been chosen, and the real figure can come in above or below it. A per-sheet or per-foot rate is a unit price that you multiply by a count that is not yet known. Ask each roofer which of these they are using for the unknown, and why.

Do not compare the headline total while the unknown sits outside it. If one roofer prices the deck repair at a set rate and another leaves it out entirely with a note that it will be discussed on the roof, the first bid is higher on the page but more complete. The second bid is lower only until the first sheet of plywood comes up. Put both roofers' unknowns in the same row, and read the unit rate beside each one. If a roofer will not state the rate, that absence is information.

Ask for the rate in writing before the start date, not on the morning of tear-off. A rate quoted by phone and then appearing as a footnote on the final invoice is hard to check. A rate that appears in the signed scope, with its unit, is something you can read against the photos and the invoice later. The same goes for a charge for a foreman's extra visit. If a roofer charges to come back and look at a finding, ask them to put that charge in the proposal.

Some roofers will tell you the unknown will be covered by a contingency. That is a fair thing to plan for, but the reserve you hold is a number you set, not a number the roofer sets. Write your own reserve on your sheet beside the roofer's unknowns, so it stays visible when you decide.

What to ask

Use these questions with each roofer. Ask them in the same order and write the answers under each question, not in a separate email thread.

1. What is the one thing on this roof you cannot see from the ground, and what do you expect to find there?
2. If that thing is what you expect, what changes in the price, and at what unit?
3. If it is worse than you expect, who on your crew can approve the change while the roof is open?
4. What document records the change, and when will I receive it?
5. How long can the open area stay exposed before the crew covers it, and what do you do if rain is forecast?
6. Who photographs the finding, and do I get the photos the same day?

Two of these answers tend to separate roofers quickly. The first is the time limit on an open area. On a St. Louis roof, a few hours of exposure during a thunderstorm can soak the deck below, and an answer that starts with the forecast shows the roofer has thought about the rain. The second is the photo record. A roofer who will send the foreman's photos of each sheet and each rafter tail is leaving you a set of dated pictures that will still exist after the crew has left.

Ask about the age of the roof too, because it changes the odds. On a three-tab roof that has reached the point where repairs no longer hold, a finding under one tab is often a sign of others under the next course. Ask each roofer whether they would repair or replace that roof and what would make them change their answer. A straight answer here is worth more than a long one.

Ask which permit desk will check the work. Across St. Louis County, a city or county desk may want a photo of the decking before the underlayment goes down, or it may only want a final. Ask each roofer which desk they expect to deal with and whether a deck repair found on the roof needs its own inspection before it is covered. A roofer who names the desk and the inspection step has shown the unknown has a path to resolution.

Ask each roofer what happens if your reserve runs short. A roofer who says the job stops and they call you the same day is describing a clear process. A roofer who says they will finish the roof and sort out the money later is describing a risk you are taking on.

If one roofer gives you a clear trigger, a named approver, a written rate and a dated photo record, and another gives you a sentence that sounds reasonable without any of those, the comparison is already made. The first roofer has given you a path to a number. The second has asked you to trust the path. If you are unsure, call the roofer you are weighing, read them the question, and ask for the answer in writing. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333, and the questions above can be asked there before you book.