Quotes for roofers, dictated before you're off the ladder
Speak to Quote works for roofers. Say the job while it's in front of you — the covering, the timbers you can see, the access, the waste — and get back an editable, priced, VAT-aware quote with every part of it as its own line, ready to send before you drive off.
What a roofing quote has to carry
A roofing customer usually has two or three figures in front of them and no way up the ladder to check what any of them cover. The quote that spells out what the money buys is the one that gets believed.
- Access, priced as its own line
Scaffold hire is the single biggest reason two roofing quotes for the same job are hundreds of pounds apart. Put it on its own line — supply, erect, how long — so the customer can see it, and so a quote that assumes ladder-and-board access says so instead of hiding it.
- The materials, named
"Like for like" is not a spec. Name the covering (concrete interlocking, plain clay, natural slate), the membrane and the battens. A customer comparing your named materials against someone else's one-line figure can see why the figures differ.
- Building regulations, when it's more than a repair
Stripping and re-covering a roof normally brings the Building Regulations into play in England and Wales — including the thermal upgrade rules when a large share of the covering is replaced. Say on the quote how that is being handled: through a competent person scheme such as CompetentRoofer, or through building control. It is the line that separates a re-roof from a patch-up.
- What happens if you find rot
You cannot price the battens you have not seen. A provisional line — timber replacement beyond what is quoted, at a stated rate — is honest, protects you, and beats a phone call from the scaffold asking for more money.
- Whether VAT is in the figure
If you are VAT-registered, the VAT line and the rate; if not, a line that says so. On a four-figure job the difference is real money, and silence is what triggers the dispute.
- Validity, payment terms and the waste
Material prices move, so date the offer. Say when the money is due — a deposit for materials and scaffold is normal — and whether the stripped roof goes in your skip or theirs.
A worked example
A rear-extension strip and re-tile, said once, into a phone. The prices are illustrative — yours come from your own price book, or from what you say.
What you said
Strip the rear extension roof, about thirty square metres. New breathable membrane and battens, re-lay with concrete interlocking tiles. Renew the lead flashing at the chimney. Replace two lengths of fascia. Scaffold to the rear, one week, and all the old materials taken away.
Quote · R. T. Roofing · TrustMark 012345
| Description | Qty | Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Strip and re-tile rear extension roof Approx. 30m²; strip existing covering, new breathable membrane and treated battens, concrete interlocking tiles | 1 | £2,950.00 | £2,950.00 |
Lead flashing, chimney Renew stepped flashing and soakers | 1 | £340.00 | £340.00 |
Fascia replacement Two lengths, uPVC, rear elevation | 1 | £260.00 | £260.00 |
Scaffolding, rear elevation Supply and erect, one week's hire | 1 | £520.00 | £520.00 |
Waste removal All stripped materials cleared from site | 1 | £180.00 | £180.00 |
This quotation is valid until 19 October 2026. Timber replacement beyond the fascia lengths described is quoted separately if found. 30% deposit on acceptance, balance on completion. VAT is included at the rate shown.
Prices shown are illustrative, not a price list.
Every line is what you said, in the order you said it. Nothing on it was invented: a line whose price is not in your price book comes back at £0 for you to fill in, never with a made-up figure. Edit any line, take one off, add one, then send.
How Speak to Quote handles it
Set your trade to roofer in Business details and the extraction is worded for it — "strip and re-tile" is one line with the membrane and battens in its description, the scaffold is its own line, and "all the old materials away" comes back as the waste line rather than disappearing into a total.
Your registrations go in the header. Add TrustMark, CompetentRoofer, NFRC membership or any scheme as a label and a number, and it prints under your company name on every quote and estimate — with the scheme badges along the bottom if you upload them.
Your prices are yours. Put "Re-tile, per m² — concrete interlocking" in the price book once and every dictated re-roof comes back priced. Save the whole strip-and-retile package as a job template and it is one tap.
Not sure until you're up there? Build it as an estimate. It is labelled as one, the footer says the final price may vary, and it turns into a firm quote in one tap once you have seen the battens — the provisional timber line keeping you covered either way.
On Pro, a drawing does the measuring. On a new build or an extension, attach the roof plan and the AI reads the areas off the drawing; the rates still come from your book.