Compare commercial roofing quotes side by side

What the sense-check tells you, and what it does not

The read is worked out from your own numbers. It divides each quote's total, excluding VAT, by the roof area you enter, adds VAT at the 20% standard rate and shows how far apart your highest and lowest quotes are, in pounds per square metre and as a percentage. It then counts the six scope lines that make quotes comparable and lists the ones still missing. It does not price your roof, it does not use a rate card, and it cannot tell you which quote is right. What it does is show you where the questions are.

Two notes may appear under the result. If the work renews more than half of the roof, the note reminds you that the Part L insulation upgrade for a renovated thermal element normally applies (Approved Document L). If the building went up before 2000, the note reminds you that HSE expects a refurbishment survey before work that disturbs materials that may contain asbestos (HSE asbestos guidance).

The six lines every quote should state

Commercial roofing quotes differ far more on scope than on price. These six lines are the minimum that makes two quotes describe the same job:

1. The roof system and why it suits the deck. Single-ply, built-up felt, liquid-applied, profiled-metal over-sheet, slate or tile, a coating. Each is right for a particular deck, pitch, load and use. A quote should say which system and why.
2. Falls and drainage. How the finished roof sheds water, where the outlets are and whether tapered insulation or new outlets are included. A flat roof that ponds needs the falls corrected.
3. Insulation build-up and target U-value. What insulation goes in, how thick, and what U-value the design aims at. On a job that renews most of the roof, this is a Building Regulations matter.
4. Guarantee type, term and backer. A manufacturer's guarantee, an insurance-backed guarantee and a contractor's workmanship promise are three different things. Ask for the term in years and who pays out if the contractor stops trading.
5. Access, edge protection and fragile-roof plan. Scaffold, edge protection, covers or netting for rooflights and fibre-cement sheets, and how the work is phased over an occupied building.
6. Exclusions. Asbestos, deck repairs, gutters, rooflights, making good inside, waste, out-of-hours working. The cheapest quote is often cheapest because of what it leaves out.

Putting quotes on the same basis

Before you enter the totals, check that each quote covers the same area and the same items. Plan area and slope area differ on pitched and curved roofs. Gutters, verges and cappings are often priced per linear metre. Provisional sums for deck repairs or asbestos are placeholders, not prices. Preliminaries such as scaffold, welfare and skips may be one line or spread through the rates. Add everything back to a whole-job figure for each quote, then enter it. Our commercial roofing cost guide sets this out step by step.

Reading the gap between quotes

A wide gap between the highest and lowest quote is common, and on its own it says nothing about who is overcharging. Work through the six lines. When one quote overlays a roof another strips, or one leaves out access the others include, you have found a difference in the job, not the price. Ask the low bidder to price the missing lines and the high bidder to explain what its extra lines buy you. When the scopes match and a gap remains, it is a real price difference, and it is the point at which comparing price makes sense.

What to ask before you sign

• Has the roofer been on the roof, taken core samples or opened the build-up, or is the quote from drawings and photographs?
• If asbestos is found, what happens to the price and the programme?
• Is the work notifiable under the Building Regulations, and who handles it? A firm registered with a competent person scheme such as CompetentRoofer can self-certify qualifying re-roofing work.
• Who is the principal contractor under the CDM Regulations 2015, and what does the firm need from you as the client?
• What does the guarantee cover, what voids it, and what maintenance does it require?
• How will the building keep operating while the work is done?

Who receives this form

Commercial Roofing Quotes is an independent publisher run by SEO Dons Ltd. We do not survey, price or install roofs, we hold no roofing trade accreditations, and we do not pass your details to a roofing contractor. When you send the form, your answers come to us and we reply by email. If you prefer, use the sense-check without sending anything: the read appears on the page as you type and nothing is submitted until you press the button.

The fields that help most are the roof area, the quote totals, the six scope ticks, the building type and what prompted the quotes. Your phone number is optional. The postcode helps us read local planning and exposure points, such as a conservation area or a coastal site.

Common questions about comparing quotes

Sources: Approved Document L (gov.uk), HSE guidance on asbestos and roof work, CDM Regulations 2015 (HSE), CompetentRoofer scheme. Last checked 25 October 2026.