Take this to every roofer
Three quotes only help if they describe the same job. Fill one column per bidder — print this page, or copy the rows into your notes. The gaps are the point: the row a contractor won't fill in is the row worth asking about.
| Ask | Bid 1 | Bid 2 | Bid 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence number and classification | |||
| Tear-off or overlay | |||
| Canales replaced, re-flashed, or left | |||
| Rotten decking price per sheet, agreed now | |||
| Workmanship warranty in years, in writing | |||
| Who pulls the permit | |||
| Own crew or subcontracted |
Nothing on this sheet asks for a price first. Price is the last row that means anything, because it only becomes comparable once the six above it match.
Start with the license, because it's binary
Everything else is judgment. This part isn't.
The one check worth doing before you sign anything. In New Mexico, roofing is its own license classification — GS-21, Roofing — and it "requires two years of foreman level practical or related trade experience" (14.6.6 NMAC). The classification covers installing, altering, or repairing roof systems, plus the flashing, roof coatings, gutters and downspouts that go with them.
Ask for the license number, then check it yourself in the New Mexico RLD license lookup. It takes about a minute. A contractor who won't give you a number is telling you something.
A general building contractor may also be licensed to perform roofing work as part of a broader classification, so a roofer without GS-21 specifically isn't automatically disqualified — but they should be able to tell you exactly which classification they hold and why it covers your job.
The questions that actually separate bids
Any roofer can say they do good work. These are the questions where the answers differ in ways you can evaluate:
- "What are you doing with my canales?" Replacing, re-flashing, or leaving them. On a flat roof this single answer explains most price gaps.
- "What happens if you find rotten decking?" You want a per-sheet price agreed in advance, not a conversation held once your roof is open.
- "Who pulls the permit?" Should be them, without hesitation.
- "What's the workmanship warranty, in years, in writing?" Material warranties come from the manufacturer and are largely the same. The workmanship warranty is the contractor's own promise and varies enormously.
- "Are you doing the work, or subcontracting it?" Not disqualifying — but you should know whose crew is on your roof and who carries the warranty.
Warning signs
- Door-knocking after a hailstorm. Storm-chasing crews follow weather into a market, do fast work, and are gone before problems surface. A local company with a physical history in Santa Fe has to live with its work.
- Large deposit up front. Some deposit for materials is normal. Most of the money before most of the work is not.
- Pressure to decide today. Roofs rarely need a same-day decision.
- Reluctance to give a license number. It's public information.
- A bid with no scope. A number with no description isn't a quote, and it can't be compared to anything.
Why we don't publish a "top 10 roofers" list. We'd have to rank companies we haven't hired, on evidence we don't have. Most lists like that are ordered by who paid. We'd rather give you the questions and the license lookup, and let you do the ranking — then send your request to roofers who handle your kind of job.