How Many Roofing Quotes Should You Get?

In Greater Victoria the number of quotes you can realistically collect depends on the season and the roof. In June and July many established crews are booked out and some stop quoting small jobs; a homeowner on a Langford two-storey may get one visit in a week, not three. In February the same homeowner can have four estimators through in a fortnight. That is one practical reason to quote in winter for a spring or fall install, and to accept that a January leak repair will get one or two quotes, not a full comparison.

Roof type sets the spread. Simple gable roofs in Sidney, Westhills and Royal Bay produce quotes that cluster within 15–20% of each other, so three is plenty. Fairfield and Oak Bay character roofs with dormers, valleys and brick chimneys produce quotes that can differ by half, because each estimator makes different assumptions about decking, chimney work and flashing; that is where a fourth or fifth quote pays for itself.

Three quotes let you see a cluster and an outlier. If two land within 15% of each other and a third is 40% lower, the low one is usually missing scope: no decking allowance, re-used flashing, thinner underlayment or a subcontracted crew. If one is 40% higher, it may be a premium product, a very full order book or a contractor who does not want the job. Two quotes cannot show you which is the outlier; three usually can.

Above about $15,000, or with metal and cedar, product choice becomes a bigger share of the price than labour and the range widens. Four or five quotes let you separate 'more expensive because better' from 'more expensive because busy'. The same is true of heritage roofs where every estimator guesses differently about what is under the shingles.

Write a one-page scope and hand it to every estimator: the material and product tier you want, the number of layers to remove, whether you want a decking allowance stated per sheet, new flashing at every wall and chimney, ice-and-water membrane at eaves and valleys, ventilation changes, disposal, and the warranty length you expect. Ask each to state the roof area in squares. Then use the quote comparison tool to line the items up. Without a shared scope, a $9,000 quote and a $13,000 quote may describe different roofs entirely.

• Same material and product tier
• Same tear-off and disposal scope
• Decking allowance per sheet, on every quote
• Flashing: new metal, not sealant
• Roof area in squares
• Warranty length and who backs it

Check each against our pricing model for your home; a quote inside the range is a scope conversation, a quote outside it needs an explanation. Read the low quote for what it leaves out and the high quote for what it adds. Ask the middle quote's contractor about references, WorkSafeBC coverage and liability insurance. Then choose on scope, warranty and the estimator's answers rather than on the total alone. The cheapest complete quote is the target, not the cheapest quote.

A small repair from a roofer who did your last job, an emergency cover during a storm, or a warranty call on a roof under ten years old does not need a bidding process. Price it against our repair menu ($250–$2,500 for most single repairs), make sure the work is described in writing, and move on. Save the three-quote effort for the replacement.