Take this to every roofer
Three quotes only help if they describe the same job. This sheet keeps them comparable:
- Describe the job once — one sentence, below — and give every roofer the same description.
- Ask every roofer the same eight rows and write each answer in their column, on your phone or on paper.
- Compare row by row. The row a contractor won't fill in is the row worth asking about.
Three-bid sheet — Santa Fe Roofing Guide · roofingsantafenm.com/roofing-companies-santa-fe/
| Ask | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
| Price only comparable once the rows above match |
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.
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.
Before you pick one
One identifiable leak on a mid-life roof is a different job, and a much smaller one.
Roof repair → Check the licence and the permit yourselfBoth are public, both take about a minute, and the checklist is written out step by step.
Permits & licensing → The parapets are part of the jobOn a flat-roof house the stucco is usually disturbed by roof work. Decide whose scope it lands in first.
Stucco contractors →