What Moves the Cost of a Roof in Hillsboro

Why can't a roof be priced from a website?

Because the price depends on what cannot be seen from the street: the decking under the covering, the layers, the framing and the moss damage.

Two houses with the same footprint can produce far apart quotes. One may have a single layer on sound decking, and the other a mat of moss over soft boards. Without a look at the roof and the attic, any figure is a guess.

This guide explains what the roofer measures and why, so a written scope can be read line by line. A roofer who gives a firm number before seeing the roof is not describing the job.

• Ask for the roof to be seen before a number is given
• Ask for each line of the quote to be named
• Treat a lump sum with no detail as incomplete

How does moss change the quote?

Moss adds cleaning by hand, the repair of tabs it has lifted, and sometimes decking, because moss holds water against the deck through wet spells.

The cleaning is done by hand, not with a pressure washer, and the time it takes is part of the labour line. Where a treatment is used, the product and its runoff plan are shown on the quote.

The lifted tabs under the moss are a separate repair. Decking damaged by long wet spells is replaced by the sheet, and that line appears only after the tear-off or the attic check shows it.

• Hand cleaning and its time on the quote
• Lifted tabs repaired as their own line
• Decking priced per sheet

What do layers and decking add?

Each layer adds labour and disposal. Decking found damaged is replaced by the sheet and must be priced as a line before the work starts.

A roof with one layer is simpler to strip than one with two or three. The roofer counts the layers at an edge or a vent and writes the number into the scope.

The decking is the largest unknown. A sound quote says damaged sheets are replaced at a stated unit price, agreed before the work begins.

• Count the layers at an edge or a vent
• Ask how damaged decking is priced and approved
• Keep the deck repair as its own line

What about drainage, flashing and the permit?

Drains and flashing are fiddly and often decide whether a roof leaks, and the permit and any claim record are separate lines.

On a flat roof the drains are the line that moves most, because a drain above the low point needs re-setting. Flashing at walls and chimneys is slow, skilled work and should be itemised.

The FACTS sheet does not identify the City of Hillsboro building office, so the roofer confirms the permit steps. A claim record after a windstorm is also a separate line, because it is the evidence a claim depends on.

• Drains and flashing itemised
• The permit line, with who files and who pays
• The claim record as its own line where one is needed

How should two written quotes be compared?

Line by line. A large difference in total usually reflects a difference in scope, so check the layers, decking, moss, flashing and permit lines on each.

Put two quotes side by side and confirm they describe the same roof. A quote that leaves out the flashing or the moss work is cheaper for a reason. A quote that names the layers and a decking allowance is more complete, even when it is larger.

Ask each roofer to show the Oregon CCB number on the quote, and to say which lines are fixed and which depend on the roof.

• Confirm both quotes describe the same roof
• Compare the decking and permit lines, not only the total
• Check each CCB number on the Board's site

How a moss job is priced

A moss job is priced by the area and the time the cleaning takes, plus any repair the cleaning uncovers. The price is not a single figure, because the moss can hide more than it shows.

A clean on a small shaded roof takes a short visit. A clean on a large roof with thick moss, lifted tabs and a cracked ridge takes several visits and several lines. The scope names the cleaning, the repairs found under it and the check date, so the homeowner can see what each part of the work is for.

A roofer who prices a moss clean as a single figure without first looking under the moss is pricing a guess. The repairs under the moss are the lines most likely to change the total, and they should be stated before any work begins.

• The cleaning priced by area and time
• Repairs found under the moss as separate lines
• The check date stated in the scope

How the decking is measured and paid for

Decking is counted sheet by sheet on the roof and in the attic, and each sheet has a stated unit price. The total follows from the count, not from a guess made before the tear-off.

Sheets damaged by long wetting are counted from the attic and from the roof. The roofer marks each one, and the count is shown on the quote as a number of sheets at a unit price. A homeowner who is shown the count can check it on the day the work is done.

Where the deck is found to be soft across a slope, the count rises, and the quote says so before the work continues. That keeps the price tied to what is actually there.

• Count the damaged sheets from the attic and the roof
• State the unit price on the quote
• Confirm any change before the work continues

What a drainage line adds to the total

A drainage line is the cost of making the roof shed its water: clearing, re-setting a drain or forming a sump, and testing the flow afterwards.

On a low-slope roof the drainage line can be the largest single item, because a drain set above the low point must be moved and the membrane cut and sealed around it. The quote shows the drain by position and its height, so the reason for the line is visible.

A test after the work, with water and a measured flow, is part of the line. A quote without a test leaves the homeowner unable to see whether the drain now works.

• Each drain named by position and height
• The test after the work included
• The membrane cut and sealed shown as part of the line

How a homeowner can compare a lower quote fairly

Find what the lower quote leaves out, ask the roofer to add it, and compare again on the same scope.

A lower quote often leaves out the moss cleaning, the flashing or the permit. Ask the roofer to add each missing line and to price it, then compare again. The honest comparison is between two complete scopes, and the difference that remains is the real difference.

• Find what the lower quote leaves out
• Ask for each missing line to be priced
• Compare the two complete scopes

What a quote should look like in writing

Each line named, each unit priced where it is per sheet or per run, the travel and the time shown, and the licence and permit lines filled in.

A complete written quote names each line, states the unit price where a line is counted, shows the travel and the time on site, and fills in the licence and permit lines. Where a line depends on what is found, the quote says how it will be priced and when it will be confirmed.

• Each line named
• Unit prices stated
• Licence and permit lines filled in

What the homeowner can do to reduce surprises

Clear the roof edge and the attic, state any known leak or storm date, and say whether moss, tabs or a deck problem has been noticed.

Most quote surprises come from things the homeowner knew and did not say. Clear the access, state any known leak or storm date, and say whether moss, lifted tabs or a soft spot has been noticed. A roofer who knows these at the start can scope the visit to find them.

• Clear the access
• State any known leak or storm date
• Say what has been noticed on the roof