InstaBidsIs my roofing quote complete?
Check for named roof areas, covering materials, tear-off and disposal, flashing, deck-repair decisions, exclusions, permit duties and payment stages; a complete roofing proposal connects that scope to a completion date and price; FTC guidance supports putting work and materials in the written estimate.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
Key facts
- DBPR includes roof-deck attachments and specified sheathing and fascia work in the roofing scope.
Source: CC/RC roofing and related wood work, read 14 October 2026.
- DBPR describes conditional roof-to-wall connection work alongside roof covering repair or replacement.
Source: CC/RC roofing and related wood work, read 14 October 2026.
- The FTC recommends multiple estimates describing work, materials, completion date and price.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
- Section 489.126(2)(a) states the initial-payment trigger, permit-application and start deadlines, and exceptions.
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
- Section 489.126(1) includes anyone performing, contracting or promising the work described in s. 489.105(3), without regard to licensure.
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
- Palm Beach's contractor checklist includes conditional permit and closeout guidance.
Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.
What should a written roofing quote list?
Ask for the roof areas, covering specification and related deck work in your written scope. DBPR's roofing description includes skylights, roof-deck attachments and certain sheathing or fascia repairs; use those categories to ask what this particular quotation includes.
Source: CC/RC roofing and related wood work, read 14 October 2026.
The FTC recommends written estimates describing work, materials and a completion date. Apply that framework to each roof area rather than accepting a single replace-the-roof line as the whole description.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
| Quote line | Ask the roofer to identify |
|---|---|
| Covering | Material, product line and roof areas included |
| Removal | Existing covering to be removed and disposal duties |
| Deck | Attachment work and the procedure for additional sheathing repairs |
| Roof edges | Included fascia work and the boundary around adjacent components |
| Openings | Treatment of skylights and other penetrations |
| Handover | Inspection responsibility, cleanup and completion documents |
Ask the bidder to label an attached patio roof or detached structure as included or excluded. Keep material choices separate from the procedure for work discovered during removal, so an unknown deck condition does not leave the whole proposal undefined.
InstaBids gets you competitive written quotes without calls or home visits to bid; contractors never buy leads, and there is no fee during our pilot.
Post your requestFor a covering replacement, prepare a roof-area schedule with the contractor. Give each area an ordinary name, such as the main building or detached garage, and ask the bidder to mark the extent of its proposed work. A material description should be tied to those areas rather than left as a general reference to the property.
Ask how the proposal handles a transition between roof sections. Have the roofer identify the existing material to be removed, the covering to be installed and the proposed treatment at openings and edges. Keep questions about installation details with the professional preparing the specification instead of trying to infer an assembly from a product brochure.
For a discovered wood condition, request a decision process you can follow during removal. Ask what photographs or description you will receive, how the affected location will be identified and how a revised scope will reach you. Ask who can authorise additional work if you are unavailable, and record only the authority you intend to give.
| Location or event | Written answer to obtain |
|---|---|
| Junction between roof areas | Extent of the work on each adjoining section |
| Existing skylight | Whether the unit and surrounding roofing are retained or changed |
| Exposed decking | Description and decision process for proposed additional repair |
| Roof perimeter | Included fascia sections and handling of adjacent components |
| End of installation | Cleanup boundary and documents for the agreed completion |
Keep aesthetic choices separate from repair boundaries. A change in the selected covering should prompt a clear revision identifying what changes in the proposal. Ask whether the roofer is also changing the installation description or timing, and retain the revised answers with the agreed roof-area schedule.
Which items are often left out?
Check the sheathing, fascia and roof-opening exclusions before assuming a covering quote includes related repairs. Treat this as a set of questions, not a measured omission rate: ask what can be described now and what requires a documented change order after removal.
Source: CC/RC roofing and related wood work, read 14 October 2026.
DBPR's scope includes evaluation and enhancement of roof-to-wall connections in described circumstances involving wood decking and covering work. Ask the bidder whether that work appears in your proposal, and request an explanation of the boundary instead of assuming it accompanies every replacement.
Source: CC/RC roofing and related wood work, read 14 October 2026.
For the covering itself, ask what underlayment and flashing work the roofer proposes and where existing components remain. Request a location-specific answer around chimneys, skylights and roof edges. These are questions for the roofer's specification, not instructions for you to design the assembly.
Ask who moves or reinstalls items that obstruct the agreed work and who removes debris. If wood repair cannot be fully described before tear-off, request the documentation and approval process in advance. Keep any extra-work decision tied to the observed location and revised written scope.
What should the payment terms say?
Read the roof payment schedule beside material delivery, removal, covering installation and completion. Ask which event makes each payment due and how a documented deck repair changes the agreement, including who records your decision before the extra work proceeds.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
A roofing material order does not by itself identify the tear-off start date. Under F.S. 489.126(2)(a), receiving, “as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price” triggers two duties for residential work within the provision’s definition: “Apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made” and “Start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued”. The statute allows “just cause” and a payer who “agreed, in writing, to a longer period”. Put the order and start dates on separate lines.
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
Section 489.126(1) says “contractor” “includes all definitions as set forth in s. 489.105(3), and any person performing or contracting or promising to perform work described therein, without regard to the licensure of the person.”
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
Ask the contractor to distinguish an intended start date from a material-order date. Keep any agreed change to permit or start timing in the document you will sign. Review the final milestone against the cleanup and completion documents listed in the roofing scope.
Does the quote say who pulls the permit?
Check that the roof quote assigns permit application, inspections and closeout to a named business or person. Ask which roof areas the application will cover, and request an explanation if the written scope includes an attached patio roof or detached structure that the permit discussion omits.
Palm Beach's contractor page advises a permit where applicable and closeout before final payment. Ask your roofer how that completion step is handled for the project's actual building department, whether the address is in Broward or Palm Beach.
Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.
Keep the permit responsibility with the roof specification. If removal reveals proposed work beyond the original description, ask the contractor whether the permit documents must change and who handles that update. Request the answer in the revised scope rather than relying on a conversation at the job.
Florida's owner-builder disclosure in s. 489.103(7) says: “I may protect myself from potential financial risk by hiring a licensed contractor and having the permit filed in his or her name instead of my own name.” Ask for the permit to name the contracting business.
Source: Florida owner-builder disclosure, section 489.103(7), read 14 October 2026.
How does InstaBids work, in one paragraph?
Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contractors who take part estimate from your photos and a written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Source: How InstaBids works, read 14 October 2026.
Contractors in your trade see the scope card, your photos and your 5-digit ZIP code.
Source: How InstaBids works, read 14 October 2026.
Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.
How can I compare it with other written quotes?
Compare covering specifications and roof-area boundaries before treating roofing proposals as equivalent. Ask each bidder to state what happens at the deck, edges and openings, and keep additional wood-repair decisions separate from work already included in the written scope.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
Source: CC/RC roofing and related wood work, read 14 October 2026.
Build a side-by-side list of the material, removal, deck work, related repairs, permit, disposal and handover. Mark a missing answer unresolved instead of filling it with another bidder's description. Ask the roofer to explain a different assembly or repair approach before deciding which project you want.
Retain the same marked roof photographs with every request. If you decide to add a detached roof or replace a skylight, update the marked scope. Compare each response to the current version so an older boundary cannot quietly remain in your decision.
Compare the treatment of discoveries as well as the listed covering. Ask each roofer how it would show you deck damage uncovered during removal and obtain your decision about the proposed repair. A quote with an undefined wood-work allowance and one with a documented change procedure leave different questions unanswered; request the procedure and boundary before assuming the allowance covers every exposed surface.
Keep product substitutions tied to roof areas. If a contractor proposes a different covering for an attached low roof, ask it to identify the area and the reason for the alternative. Decide which configuration you want the other proposals to address. Do the same for retained skylights and detached structures: a matching product name on the main roof does not establish that the smaller roof areas or openings have matching treatment.
For a covering replacement, reconcile each bidder's roof schedule at the junctions where a short quotation can leave responsibility unclear. These are questions about the offers, not findings about the condition of your roof.
| Roofing comparison point | Detail to settle with each roofer |
|---|---|
| Main slopes and attached low roof | Identify the covering proposed for each surface and the treatment where the two areas meet. |
| Retained skylight and surrounding roof | State whether the unit stays, whether surrounding roofing work is included and whether another contractor has a separate role. |
| Decking exposed during tear-off | Describe how the roofer documents a newly discovered condition and obtains your decision on the proposed repair. |
| Fascia and perimeter work | Mark the included sections so a general fascia reference does not stand for the entire roof edge. |
| Disposal and final site condition | Identify removal of the old covering, the intended debris route and the cleanup included in the completion description. |
| Changes after material selection | Explain how a substituted covering or added roof area is reflected in the specification and any revised agreement. |
Resolve those boundaries before treating matching material names as equivalent roof proposals. Keep a separately excluded structure visible in the comparison instead of assuming it follows the main house specification.
Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.
Home jobs in Broward and Palm Beach counties. InstaBids is new in your area, so finding contractors can take longer, and a request may get no bids.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.
Sources for the facts on this page
Use DBPR's roofing scope to distinguish covering work from related deck and wood repairs, and the FTC guidance to frame the written estimate; read the full deposit statute and Palm Beach's permit reminder alongside the contractor's proposed schedule.
Sources checked: 14 October 2026.
- CC/RC roofing and related wood work.
- FTC estimate and insurance checklist.
- Pilot FAQ, checked 14 October 2026.
- Florida Statutes section 489.126.
- Palm Beach contractor directory.
- How InstaBids works, checked 14 October 2026.
- Florida owner-builder disclosure, section 489.103(7).
Parent: InstaBids home.