Writing a re-roof scope of work
A price and a product name is not a quote. The scope is the half that decides what happens when something unexpected comes off the roof with the old iron.
A re-roof scope says four things: what you are removing, what you are installing, what you are leaving, and what you are not touching. The exclusions are the part that protects you — rotten framing found once the roof is off, asbestos or lead, anything needing a consent, and painting. Write both halves before the price, because the price only means something once the scope is fixed.
Why the exclusions are the important half
Everything in a re-roof that turns into an argument is something nobody could see when the quote was written. Purlins are under the roof. Framing is under the purlins. Whatever the last person did is under all of it.
A scope that lists only what is included leaves every one of those as an open question, and the customer's honest reading of an open question is that it was covered. Naming them as exclusions is not defensive paperwork — it is the sentence that lets you price the variation calmly instead of arguing about whether there is one.
What goes in the inclusions
| Line | What to actually write |
|---|---|
| Strip and disposal | Remove the existing roof and cart it away — or leave it on site if that is what was agreed. Say which. |
| Underlay | New underlay by type. Self-supporting or netted where the pitch or purlin spacing calls for it. |
| The new roof | Profile, brand and tier, gauge and colour. All four, not "new Colorsteel". |
| Flashings | All new flashings, listed by type — ridge, hip, valley, barge, apron, change-of-pitch. |
| Penetrations | Every penetration reflashed, with a dektite and back-tray each, and the five-piece set for anything boxed. |
| Gutter and downpipes | New, or explicitly not. This is the single most common assumption gap in a roofing quote. |
| Access | Scaffolding or edge protection, as its own line with its own price. |
| Make-good | Site clean, magnet sweep, and what the property looks like when you leave. |
Two of those are worth a note.
Scaffolding belongs on its own line. It is a real cost the homeowner did not expect, and burying it in the rate makes the whole quote look expensive rather than making the access look expensive. Shown separately, it is a fact about their house.
Gutter is the assumption gap. If the quote does not say, the customer assumes new gutter and you assumed not — or the reverse. Say it either way, in one line.
What goes in the exclusions
- Rotten or damaged purlins, battens and framing discovered once the roof is off. Say how it will be handled: assessed, quoted, and agreed before it is done.
- Asbestos and lead. On anything pre-1990, check before you price it. Asbestos-cement roofing and lead flashings both change the strip cost and the disposal, and neither is something to discover on the day. If you have not tested, exclude it explicitly.
- Building consent. A like-for-like re-roof often does not need one, but changes — structural work, new penetrations, altering the pitch — can. Note whose job it is to find out and what happens if one is required.
- Painting, of anything: fascia, soffit, barge boards, the inside.
- Internal damage from pre-existing leaks, including ceilings, insulation and linings.
- Anything not on the roof — electrical, plumbing relocation, aerials, solar removal and refit — unless it is written into the inclusions.
Repair or re-roof
Before any of the above, be clear which job you are quoting, and put the assessment in writing:
- Re-roof when the coating has chalked through, the fixings are corroded, or there is perforation at the laps. That roof is at the end of its life and a repair buys a season.
- Repair when a sound roof has taken specific damage — a storm-damaged sheet, a failed penetration, a run of fixings.
A homeowner who understands why it needs doing argues about the price far less. The condition assessment is the cheapest part of the quote to write and the part that does the most work.
Things worth naming that people leave out
- Tile-to-steel conversion. Over-purlining is its own line, and it changes the fixing detail and the eave.
- Ventilation. Ridge vents or eave intake, if the roof needs it, is a scope line and often a flashing line as well.
- Fascia and soffit. Not roof, not flashing, not included unless said.
- Solar, aerials, satellite dishes. Removing and refitting them, or explicitly not, and who is responsible if a panel is damaged.
- Access and parking, on a tight site. Whether the truck can get to the eave is a real cost and a real risk.
- How long the roof is open. What happens if it rains mid-strip, and what the customer should expect.
The quote around the scope
Two more things belong on the document itself: how long the price is valid — thirty days is a normal default, and re-issuing at current prices after that is fair on both sides — and the payment terms, including any deposit.
The full method that produces the numbers the scope wraps around is in how to quote a re-roof.
What comes up most.
What should be in a re-roof scope of work?
What you are removing, what you are installing, what you are leaving, and what you are not touching. Specifically: the strip and disposal, underlay, the new roof by profile, brand, gauge and colour, all flashings by type, every penetration reflashed, guttering and downpipes or explicitly not, scaffolding or edge protection, and the make-good.
Then the exclusions, which are the half that protects you.
What should I exclude from a roofing quote?
Rotten purlins or framing found once the roof is off, asbestos or lead discovered in the strip, anything requiring a building consent, painting, internal damage from pre-existing leaks, and anything that is not on the roof.
Say how each will be handled if it appears — assessed, quoted, and agreed before it is done — rather than only that it is excluded.
Should scaffolding be a separate line?
Yes. It is a real cost the homeowner did not expect, and burying it in the rate makes the whole quote look expensive rather than making the access look expensive.
Shown separately, it reads as a fact about their house rather than as your margin.
Do I need to allow for asbestos on an old roof?
On anything pre-1990, check before you price it. Asbestos-cement roofing and lead flashings both change the strip cost and the disposal, and neither is something to discover on the day.
If you have not tested, exclude it explicitly in the scope and say what happens if it is found.
Does a re-roof need a building consent?
A like-for-like re-roof often does not, but changes can — structural work, adding penetrations, altering the pitch, or changing the roof mass on a tile-to-steel conversion.
Check with the council for the specific job, and note in the scope whose responsibility it is and what happens if a consent turns out to be required.
How long should a re-roof quote stay valid?
Thirty days is a normal default. Supplier prices move, and re-issuing at current pricing after the window is fair on both sides.
Put the validity period on the document rather than leaving it open, so a quote accepted six months later is a conversation rather than an argument.
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