Job costing for roofing contractors
Roofing jobs move fast, often a day or two per roof, so there’s no time to sort out costs later. And the biggest surprise usually shows up at tear-off: rotten timber nobody could see at the estimate. JobFigure keeps each roof’s costs and changes straight while the crew is still on it.
What roofing contractors track in JobFigure
- Bids by the square metre. Price tiles or slates by the square metre (m²), ridge and eaves trim by the metre, and vents and flashings by each.
- Tear-off and disposal as its own cost. Skip swaps and extra layers show up here first.
- Rotten timber and hidden damage. Log replacement boarding as a variation the day you find it, while the homeowner or adjuster can still see the damage.
- Crew hours per roof. Crews clock in to each roof, so fast multi-roof weeks still cost out correctly.
Set up for roofing from the first day
When you pick Roofing as your trade, JobFigure loads these cost categories for budgets, receipts, and job costs. You can rename or add your own at any time.
- Roofing Materials
- Labour
- Tear-Off & Disposal
- Underlayment & Flashing
- Equipment Rental
- Fuel
- Permits
- Subcontractor
- Other
Bid line items use the units roofing actually bid in: square metres (m²), metres (m), each (EA), and lump sum (LS).
Example: what a roofing job looks like mid-way
New tiles over new breathable membrane. Tear-off is done and the roof is about 75% dried in. Eighteen sheets of rotten roof boarding were replaced.
| Cost category | Budget | Spent so far |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing Materials | £7,840 | £7,720 |
| Labour | £6,080 | £4,720 |
| Tear-Off & Disposal | £1,760 | £1,960 |
| Underlayment & Flashing | £1,680 | £1,640 |
| Equipment Rental | £480 | £320 |
| Permits | £280 | £280 |
| Other | £400 | £940 |
| Total | £18,520 | £17,580 |
The boarding replacement (£940 in Other) and an extra skip pushed two categories over budget. If your contract prices replacement boarding per sheet, that’s a variation to write today, not after the roof is closed up.
Invoices the UK way
Set your company to the United Kingdom and every quote and invoice carries VAT, with the domestic reverse charge when you work for a main contractor. Subcontractors can switch on CIS: enter the labour figure and the deduction comes off the labour only, alongside any retention. Prices are in pounds. More in our guide: CIS and the VAT reverse charge on subcontractor invoices.
Guides and tools for roofing contractors
CIS and the VAT reverse charge on subcontractor invoices
UK: what a subcontractor's invoice should show under CIS and the domestic reverse charge, with a worked example.
GuideJob costing for contractors: a step-by-step guide
What counts as a job cost, and a six-step system to know what every job made before it’s over.
Free toolProfit margin and markup calculator
Margin and markup from cost and price, or the price to charge for a target margin.