For Roofing Contractors
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Roofing Contractors

What's Under That
Membrane Isn't
Your Problem. Until It Is.

The most expensive words in commercial roofing are "we didn't know." Pre-existing conditions, unknown deck condition, moisture infiltration discovered at tear-off — none of these should be surprises that come out of your margin. Vernier builds your contingency assumptions into the bid and your contract before the first sheet comes off.

#1
Roofing and waterproofing disputes are the most common construction defect litigation category
Mode B
ROM estimates for building envelope budget conversations before drawings or surveys exist
$8–22/SF
Range between known-condition and unknown-condition commercial roofing bids on re-roof projects
Your Pre-Existing
Conditions Are
Your Risk Profile
Submit a bid where discovered conditions changed your cost. Randy reviews what you should have priced in.
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What We See in Roofing Businesses

Four Risks That
Define Roofing Bids.

Commercial roofing has more hidden risk at bid time than almost any other trade — because the thing you're installing on top of is determined by what's underneath, and that's often unknown until tear-off.

🏗️
Unknown deck condition discovered at tear-off
Deteriorated steel deck, wet insulation, previous unauthorized repairs, or structural issues found when the old membrane comes off. If your contract doesn't explicitly address deck condition remediation as a change order event, you own it. Most roofing contracts don't address it.
🌧️
Weather contingency not priced into the schedule
Washington state has roughly 160 rain days per year west of the Cascades. A roofing schedule that doesn't account for weather restrictions on hot-applied systems, cold weather adhesive limitations, or wet deck requirements is a schedule that will be wrong within two weeks of mobilization.
📋
Warranty scope boundaries left ambiguous
Is the 20-year manufacturer warranty voided if the existing parapet flashing isn't replaced? If the owner's mechanical equipment causes a puncture? If the HVAC contractor penetrates the field after your installation? Warranty scope disputes are the most common source of roofing litigation — and they start in the bid language, not on the roof.
💧
Moisture survey required but not commissioned
Nuclear or infrared surveys are standard practice before a recover project. If the owner hasn't commissioned one, you're pricing to an unknown moisture content that could force a full tear-off when a recover was planned. Document this assumption explicitly or price the contingency.
Vernier for Roofing Contractors

Modes for How
Roofing Projects Work.

Roofing bids have more contingency variables than most trades. Vernier handles them systematically rather than through gut-feel markup.

A
Primary Mode · Full Bid Package
Tiered proposals with explicit pre-existing condition assumptions
Platinum/Gold/Silver proposals with specific documented assumptions about deck condition, moisture content, existing insulation R-value, and weather contingency. Each exclusion is priced into the tier differential — the owner sees what they're buying at each price point.
C
Primary Mode · Scope Development
Scope letter for re-roof when condition surveys aren't complete
When a moisture survey or core sample hasn't been done, Mode C generates a Scope Development Letter that prices your base assumption and documents every condition that would trigger a scope change. This is the difference between a re-roof bid and a litigation waiting to happen.
B
Budget / ROM
Building envelope budgets before drawings or surveys exist
Owner asks what a new roof costs before hiring a designer or commissioning a survey. Mode B returns a defensible ROM range with the specific conditions that would push the number in either direction — turns an unanswerable question into a documented starting point.
D
Plan Review
Code compliance and coordination review on new construction
For new construction roofing, Mode D reviews drawings for IBC and NRCA compliance, drainage design requirements, edge metal scope coordination, and penetration details that are commonly missed in the roofing-vs.-structural handoff.
Pre-existing condition cost range
$8–$22/SF swing
The difference between a known-condition re-roof and an unknown-condition re-roof on commercial work is $8–$22 per square foot on the same building. That's the exposure range you're accepting when you bid without a documented condition survey and explicit contingency language.

Vernier Mode C documents the base condition assumption and prices the contingency band so the owner understands what they're buying — and you're protected when reality doesn't match the drawing.
From the Knowledge Base · Bidding
"The next time you lose a bid, before you assume your pricing is too high, ask yourself: Were my scope assumptions documented? Did the owner know what I included and excluded?"
Randy Hanson · From: "The 3 Reasons Your Bids Come In Over Budget"
Read the article →
Benchmarks · Roofing

Roofing Bid Benchmarks.

Gross margin — re-roof without survey
12–15%
Typical margin on unknown-condition re-roof bids
With condition documentation
18–22%
When pre-existing condition scope is documented and priced
Weather contingency included in bids
40%
Less than half of commercial roofing bids include explicit weather contingency
With Vernier contingency framework
100%
Every Mode A and C output includes weather and condition contingency

Unknown Conditions Aren't Bad Luck. They're Unpriced Scope.

The deck you uncover, the moisture you find, the structural issue you didn't expect — none of these are surprises if you've documented your base assumptions in writing and priced the contingency. Vernier does that for every bid.

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