6 Ways Roofers Get Bids Down...and How You Can Spot Them.

So, you're a building owner or a property manager and you are repairing or replacing your roof. You've gathered a stack of bids from several roofers, and you're trying to compare them. Why are some so much higher than others? How do you evaluate them? How do you know if you're comparing apples to apples? 

Unfortunately, many clients think of roofing as a commodity. "A roof is a roof." But this is not the case. Roof systems and installers vary dramatically in features and quality, and if you evaluate bids primarily on price, you are likely to have severe problems down the road. In fact, you may shorten the lifespan of your roof by 50%. Imagine paying for a twenty-year roof that lasts a mere thirteen years. Not only can this happen…it frequently does. 

At GIDEON, our team has been in the roofing world for more than twenty years - and we are very familiar with how roofers skimp on quality to lower their bid and secure the job. In this article, we'll show you the 6 most common ways roofers get bid prices down, so you can understand what you're really getting and avoid making a costly mistake.

6 Ways Roofers Get Quote Prices Down

1. "Change Orders"

Unfortunately, the infamous "change order" is a common occurrence in the roofing industry. A change order occurs when your roofing contractor changes the scope of work in the middle of a project. They’ve discovered an unexpected issue that needs to be addressed - and now your bill is going up an extra $15,000. 

Change orders often result from a poor inspection. Your contractor may have neglected to take a core sample or research local building codes. But sometimes change orders occur because the contractor purposely left key components out of the bid to keep the price low. Now that the job is in progress and you're locked in, he can add those back in as "unexpected" additions to the scope of work.

2. Not Building a Taper System

This is the most common reason one contractor's bid is substantially lower than another's. 

A taper system allows proper water drainage on a flat (or low-slope) roof. While the underlying roof deck may have a very moderate slope, it is not enough to allow for adequate water shedding, so the contractor must build a taper system on-site using tapered (or sloped) insulation underneath the waterproof membrane. 

In a taper system, sloped insulation creates multiple shallow channels that direct water flow toward specific drains and scuppers along the roof's edge. It works just like your shower pan at home, but instead of directing water toward a single central drain, your roof system directs it toward multiple drains at the roof's edge. 

Roofers can reduce costs by around 20% by not building a taper system. 

You might think, "But water drainage is critical. Are roofers really leaving this out of the scope?" The surprising and unfortunate answer is: yes, this is extremely common. And the ponding water that results not only wears out the seams, creating leaks; it also magnifies the intensity of the sun's rays, destroying the membrane much faster. This is the reason that, despite typically coming with a 20-year warranty, most TPO roofs only last around 13 years. 

Moreover, if you file a warranty or an insurance claim on a roof without a taper system, it is very likely you will be denied. 

How do you protect yourself from this? If you are replacing your entire roof system (either laying a new one over the existing one or tearing-off and replacing) you should see tapered insulation in the scope of work, unless the building already has a tapered substrate (the deck, usually made of metal, wood, or concrete, that the roof assembly sits on top of). If you don’t see tapered insulation , ask your contractor why.

3. Not Installing Coping Cap

This is another very common way of reducing bid price. 

Coping caps are metal covers that go over the top of the parapet walls on a commercial roof. They're designed to direct water away from the roof and prevent water from seeping under the membrane. They also protect the top of the wall itself from being damaged by the elements.

When installing a single-ply roof membrane, your roofer should run it all the way up the parapet wall and then secure it with a metal strip called a "termination bar." The coping cap should go over the top of the parapet wall and the termination bar, covering the membrane edge and preventing water from seeping underneath and into the roof assembly. 

In many cases, roofers will dispense with coping cap and only run the membrane partially up the wall, perhaps halfway. This saves them on both labor and materials, but it leaves your membrane unprotected. It is not uncommon for water to then run down the wall and eventually seep beneath the membrane, saturating the insulation and causing leaks.

Again, in the majority of cases of roof replacement, coping cap should be included on the bid, and you should ask your roofer how they plan to install the membrane. Are they running it all the way up the wall or just half-way?

4. Not Insulating Properly

Another area where contractors may try to skimp on costs is the insulating material. Either they will not install insulation that is thick enough to meet building code requirements, or they'll skip insulation entirely, simply installing cover board (a thin half-inch piece of rigid decking that is used to protect insulation).  

Even in cases where the insulation installed does meet code requirements, however, you have to consider future cost savings when comparing insulation. The right kind of insulation can save you substantially on energy costs, more than making up for a higher upfront price. Spray foam roofs, for instance, are so energy efficient that they can pay for the entire roof system in just five years.

Always discuss insulation with your contractor. Discuss your options, energy efficiency, R-value vs U-value, and what local building code requires. It may also be a good idea to check on them during installation to ensure they are installing the material quoted on the bid. It is not unheard of for contractors to quote a more expensive insulation material, but use a thinner, less expensive one.

5. Using a Lower Membrane Mil Thickness

Some roofers may reduce their costs by using a thinner membrane material of 45 mil, which is only suitable for houses, not commercial buildings. 60 mil is the standard for most membranes, and you should see at least this thickness on your bid.

6. Offering an Inferior Warranty

It's important to understand your warranty options thoroughly. In order to lower costs, many contractors will simply offer the standard "material warranty" from the manufacturer. Since most systems come with 20-year warranties, this may sound like a good deal, but material warranties only cover manufacturer defects, not installation errors. And in the vast majority of cases, if a roof unexpectedly fails, it is the result of installer error, not a manufacturing defect. 

You may be offered a workmanship warranty (a warranty provided by the contractor that covers installation errors), but it's important to remember that these often last only two years, and roofing contractors may go out of business before then, leaving you with no recourse. 

A system warranty is the gold standard. This all-inclusive warranty is guaranteed by the manufacturer and covers both fabrication defects and installation errors. But system warranties are only valid if:

a) the roof has been installed by a contractor that's been approved by the manufacturer
b) The manufacturer has performed a thorough inspection of the installed roof

Contractors who qualify for system warranties will be of higher quality and more expensive than contractors who do not. 

But even if your contractor installs a roof with a system warranty, you may still lack protection. Why? Because many manufacturers do not inspect underneath the roof assembly for errors. They simply check the top of the roof. If, however, you file a warranty claim later on and they do discover problems with the assembly, they may deny your warranty claim. To learn more about warranties, check out our complete guide.

The Upshot

As the old cliche goes, "You get what you pay for." We've all bought something on the basis of price, only to regret it later - and the last thing you want as a building owner is a $50,000 regret. Now that you've learned more about how to evaluate a roofing bid, give GIDEON a call. In a free, 15-30 minute discussion, one of our experts can assess your situation and give you personalized recommendations for your roof.