Check Every Line of a Roof Quote Before You Compare Prices

Job for today: lay your roof quotes side by side and tick off each line below. Allow about 20 minutes per quote.

1. Scope. Does the quote say what is being removed and what is staying? Look for whether the old covering comes off, and down to what. Two minutes.
2. The roof covering. Is the product named, with its profile, thickness, coating and colour? “Metal roofing” isn’t a specification. Three minutes.
3. Underlay and insulation. Are sarking or an underlay included, and is any insulation part of the price? Two minutes.
4. Timber. Is there a provision for rotten battens or rafters, and what is the rate if more is found once the old roof is off? Three minutes.
5. Flashings, valleys, ridge capping and penetrations. These are where roofs leak. Are they itemised, or lumped in? Three minutes.
6. Gutters, downpipes and fascia. Included, excluded or priced as an option? Two minutes.
7. Waste and site protection. Who removes the old material, and what protects the garden and edges? Two minutes.
8. Asbestos. If the house is older, ask whether the quote deals with the possibility of asbestos-containing sheeting. Two minutes.
9. Approvals and standards. Does the quote say whether a permit is needed, and whether the site has a bushfire rating that changes what can be used? Three minutes.
10. Warranties, licence and insurance. Who stands behind the product, who stands behind the workmanship, and for how long? Is the licence number on the quote? Three minutes.
11. Payment and timing. What is paid when, and how are changes to the price handled? Two minutes.

A short quote isn’t automatically a cheap one. The items it leaves out tend to reappear later as variations, and the comparison only means something when each quote covers the same list.

Why this order of checks

Roof quotes differ in what they include far more often than they differ in the headline number. One lists battens, flashings and gutters; another says “supply and install roof” and nothing else. The second looks cheaper until the missing items are billed. Going line by line turns the comparison into like for like, and it gives you specific questions to put to each roofer instead of a general “can you do it cheaper”.

Replace or restore?

Not every tired roof needs replacing. The question to settle first is whether the structure underneath is sound.

Restoration usually means cleaning, repairing damaged sections, resealing or re-coating, and re-bedding and re-pointing ridge capping where it has loosened. It can extend a roof’s life when the battens and frame are in good order and the covering is worn rather than failing.

Replacement is more likely to suit when leaks are widespread, the timber is deteriorating, the material is near the end of its life, or repair would cost a large share of a new roof. An independent inspection and written report is a reasonable step before choosing either, because it gives you an assessment that doesn’t depend on which job someone is hoping to win. A good restoration quote also says what it won’t fix.

The three checks that matter most for safety

Asbestos. Older homes may have asbestos-containing sheeting or other materials. If there is any chance of it, don’t let anyone cut, drill, scrub or high-pressure clean the roof until it has been properly assessed. The rules about who may handle and remove it differ by state and territory, so your state regulator and the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency are the places to start.

Bushfire rating. If your site is in a bushfire-prone area, the construction requirements for the roof may be affected. AS 3959:2018, Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas, is the Australian Standard used to assess this, and the National Construction Code refers to it. Whether it applies to your block is a question for your local council or a building surveyor, not something to read off a materials brochure. Ask the roofer to state in writing what rating they have assumed.

Permits. Whether a replacement needs a building permit or other approval depends on where you live and what is being done. Ask who is responsible for applying, and get the answer on the quote.

Materials, briefly

The common choices are coated steel sheeting, concrete or terracotta tiles, other metal sheeting, and less commonly in Australia, asphalt shingles. Each has trade-offs in weight, appearance, maintenance and how the roof frame needs to be built to carry it, and the right choice depends on your home’s structure, your site and your budget. Rather than ranking them here, use the checklist above to make sure each material is quoted fully, then compare. If heat inside the house is a main concern, there is more on how reflective roofs behave in our look at cool roof technology.

Check the people as well as the paper

A quote is only as good as the contractor behind it. Check that the licence is current with your state regulator, ask for proof of insurance, and keep every change to the scope in writing. Our piece on the signs of a reliable contractor has questions worth borrowing, even though it’s about a different trade.

Before you sign

Put the quotes down and make a list of every line that’s missing from any of them. Next job: email each roofer asking them to re-issue the quote with the missing lines filled in, in writing. Compare once all of them answer the same list.

Sources: Standards Australia, AS 3959:2018 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas (https://www.standards.org.au/); Australian Building Codes Board, National Construction Code (https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions/ncc-2025/adopted/housing-provisions/2-referenced-documents/referenced-documents); Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, asbestos in the home (https://www.asbestossafety.gov.au/about-asbestos/understanding-asbestos/dangers-asbestos-cement-roofs)