Often quality (not low cost) roofers will charge for a quote that can be applied to the invoice if chosen. I have had situations where I’ve gone out to look at a project once for free and multiple decision maker clients ask me to come out again. In this case, if I’m now acting as a consultant, I’ll request a fee.
Not sure where you are located but in the Denver area roofers provide free estimates
We are out of Northeast Wisconsin and offer FREE Estimates! It will depend on the area you are in and how many contractors that are available to you!
The majority of residential contractors in the Chicago metropolitan area will not charge for a residential roofing quote along with any other renovation type project…our firm doesn’t. You might expect a charge for a commercial, institutional, or industrial roofing project considering that they are very intrusive and technical along with relevant renovation quotes in that same field.
I always do it for free. and works out great for me!
I am not sure where you are located, but no, estimates should be free. At least, they should be free from a company that is worth hiring!
I would never pay for an estimate. There are too many quality contractors that will give you a free estimate.
As a Texas roofing contractor with an office in Houston and an office in San Antonio we always provide free inspections and consultations to our potential customers. If you do decide to pay for a quote from a roofing company, please be sure to do your research on the contractor you are requesting the quote from. We have heard far too many stories from our customers about how they were scammed (before they found us) by other people pretending to be reputable roofing contractors.
Around Bay Area, you shouldn’t have to.
NO contractor should request a fee UNLESS they are out twice to give a quote that the customer requests. IMHO
In the Bellevue, WA area many roofing contractors will provide free quotes…and solar roofing contractors will do the same including a free design and estimated production values.
Never pay for an estimate. Too many available contractors.
We are located in Northern Virginia and most of the reputable contractors in the area provide free estimates. If a company is charging for an estimate, then I would take that as a sign of an unproven business model.
Most roofers offer free estimates.
To receive an estimate you shouldn’t pay
You shouldn’t. All roofers (in my area at least) will provide a quote for free. Customers should have the chance to compare different service providers to make sure they are getting what they want. Now days, there are many estimating tools out there to make the estimation process time efficient for roofers, allowing them to provide quotes for free.
Most roofing companies will give free quotes. In some instances your insurance company will
ask your Roofing Contractor for a ladder assist. This is usually a charge that the Insurance Company will pay for.
Typically roofing estimates are free of charge. If you live very from from a metropolitan area, some roofers may charge an estimate fee to make sure they are not on a wild goose chase. They should, however, apply the fee to the invoice if work is contracted. For residential roofing, a very close estimate can typically be produced with aerial/satellite estimating software. This should be able to get you a pretty accurate estimate with just a couple verifications needed on site.
Depends on the extent of the job in question.