What Your Roofing Contractor's Estimate Really Says (Hollywood, FL)

Three roofing contractors walk your Hollywood, Florida home and hand you three numbers. One is $18,400. One is $24,900. One is $31,200. Same roof, same week, same neighborhood. Most homeowners assume the middle one is "fair" and move on. That assumption is how people end up with change orders in week two and a roof that fails its final inspection.

The price spread almost never comes from greed. It comes from three different scopes of work written in three different levels of detail. Once you know how to read the document, the right choice usually becomes obvious in about fifteen minutes.

Start With the Measurement, Not the Total

Every legitimate roofing estimate opens with a measured quantity, expressed in squares (one square = 100 square feet). A 2,400-square-foot single-story ranch in Driftwood might measure 28 squares once you account for pitch, overhangs, and waste. A steeper two-story in Emerald Hills with hips, valleys, and dormers can measure 34 squares on the same footprint.

If an estimate does not state the square count, the pitch, and the number of layers being removed, you are not looking at an estimate. You are looking at a guess with a signature line. Ask for the measurement report — most contractors pull aerial measurements and can email the PDF the same day.

Two contractors quoting the same roof should land within roughly 5 percent of each other on squares. When one says 26 and another says 33, one of them is wrong, and that alone can explain thousands of dollars.

The Line Items That Actually Move the Price

Tear-off and disposal

South Florida code work almost always requires a full tear-off to bare deck. Disposal is priced by weight, and tile weighs far more than shingle. A tile tear-off in Hollywood Lakes can carry two to three times the dump cost of an equivalent shingle job. If disposal is missing from the estimate, ask where it lives — it is never free.

Underlayment system

This is the single biggest quality variable in a South Florida roof, and the easiest place to shave a bid. A self-adhered, polymer-modified secondary water barrier applied directly to the deck costs meaningfully more than a mechanically fastened felt system — and performs in a completely different league when a covering blows off during a tropical system. The estimate should name the exact product and its Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance number.

Decking replacement allowance

Nobody knows what the plywood looks like until the old roof comes off. Honest estimates handle this one of two ways: a stated allowance (for example, 4 sheets included, additional at a fixed per-sheet price) or a clear unit price with no included quantity. What you never want is silence, because silence becomes a verbal number quoted from a ladder on day two.

Ask for the per-sheet price up front, including labor and fasteners. On older homes near Beverly Park and Hollywood Hills built with 5/8-inch or tongue-and-groove decking, replacement rates run higher than on newer construction, and a good contractor will tell you that before the contract, not after.

Metals, flashings, and accessories

Drip edge gauge, valley metal, pipe boots, wall and counter flashing, and vent replacements are separate lines on a serious estimate. Reusing old pipe boots is a common cost-cutting move that produces a leak in year four. Specify new.

Permit, inspections, and NOA submittals

Broward County permitting is a real cost and a real timeline. Whether it is a flat fee or a percentage, it belongs on the document. If a contractor offers to skip the permit to "save you money," you have learned everything you need to know about how they work. The permit is also what triggers the inspection sequence covered in our guide to roofing permits and inspections in Hollywood, FL.

Exclusions: The Section Most Homeowners Skip

The exclusions paragraph is where change orders are born. Read it carefully and ask about anything that could plausibly apply to your home:

• Rotted fascia, soffit, or truss repair
• Chimney or skylight replacement (as opposed to reflashing)
• Satellite dish and solar panel detach and reset
• Second-layer discovery on older homes
• Stucco patching where counter flashing is cut in
• Gutter removal, reset, or replacement

That last one matters more than people expect. Roof edges and drainage work as one system, and if the estimate excludes gutters entirely, plan for a separate conversation about gutter installation before the crew rolls off.

A Practical Comparison Table

Why the Cheapest Bid Is Usually the Most Expensive

Low bids in Hollywood typically arrive at their number one of four ways: undermeasuring the roof, downgrading the underlayment, excluding decking and metals, or pricing labor at a rate that only works if the crew is uninsured. The first three show up as change orders. The fourth shows up as your liability.

That is not an argument for the highest number either. It is an argument for comparing the same scope. Take the most detailed estimate you received, hand it to the other contractors, and ask them to price that exact scope. The spread usually collapses to a few percent, and the real differences — crew quality, warranty terms, responsiveness — become the deciding factors.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

• How many squares did you measure, and can I see the measurement report?
• Which underlayment product, and what is its approval number?
• What is your per-sheet decking price installed?
• Are all pipe boots, drip edge, and valley metal new?
• Who pulls the permit, and who meets the inspector?
• What is the workmanship warranty in years, and is it transferable?
• What would trigger a change order on this job?

A contractor who answers these without hesitating has done this a thousand times in Broward County. One who gets defensive has told you something too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should a roofing contractor charge for an estimate?

For a straightforward replacement or a visible leak, no. Detailed forensic investigations, moisture scans, or engineered reports are legitimately billable, and a good contractor will tell you which category you fall into before scheduling.

How long should an estimate stay valid?

Thirty days is typical in this market. Material pricing moves, particularly ahead of hurricane season, so a contractor holding a number for 90 days is either padding it or planning to revise it.

Is a verbal price ever acceptable?

For an emergency tarp at midnight, a phone number and a follow-up written scope is reasonable. For anything else, get it in writing before work starts. Our emergency roofing services team writes a scope even at 2 a.m., because mitigation and permanent repair are billed differently.

What if my roof only needs a section fixed?

Then you want a repair scope, not a replacement scope, and the estimate should identify the specific failure. A contractor who quotes only full replacements on a five-year-old roof is selling, not diagnosing. Compare against a proper roof repair proposal before deciding.

Get an Estimate You Can Actually Compare

PSR Roofing Company of Hollywood writes line-item estimates with measured quantities, named products, and stated allowances — so you can hold every bid you receive to the same standard. Request a written assessment for your roofing contractor project, or reach us through the contact page to schedule an on-site measurement.

Visit or find us here: PSR Roofing Company of Hollywood on Google Maps — 3440 Hollywood Blvd, Suite 415, Hollywood, FL 33021. Call (754) 291-4149.

Next in this series: Permits and Inspections: What Your Roofing Contractor Handles in Broward County