A good, better and best roofing proposal fits on one page: a scope of work written once for all three options, then three columns naming the shingle, accessories, warranty and price. Price every column at the same target margin and put an end date on the price. If the homeowner signs at home, attach the federal cancellation notice.
The template below is free to copy. Paste it into Google Docs or Word and save each filled-in copy as a PDF.
Copy the template and fill in the blanks for each job
[Company name] | License no. ______ | Phone ______ | Email ______
- Prepared for: ______
- Property address: ______
- Inspected on ______ by ______
- Roof: ______ squares, ______ pitch, ______ layer(s) to remove
- Proposal date: ______ | Price good until: ______
Scope of work for every option
- Tear off to the deck and haul away the debris.
- Replace damaged decking at the unit price below.
- New drip edge (color ______) and pipe boots.
- Flashing replaced at ______.
- Materials from the option chosen below.
- Permit where required.
- Cleanup and a magnet sweep of the yard and driveway.
Choose one option
| Good | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shingle: brand, line, color | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Underlayment | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Starter strip and ridge cap | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Leak barrier, and where | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Attic ventilation | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Manufacturer warranty, exact name | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Non-prorated years | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Workmanship cover: who gives it, how long | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Wind cover | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Price | $______ | $______ | $______ |
Extra work, priced before we start
- Replace damaged decking: $______ per sheet
- Remove a hidden extra layer of shingles: $______ per square
- : $ per ______
Payment: $______ at signing, balance of $______ due ______.
“Lifetime” in this proposal means: ______ (the manufacturer’s definition, word for word)
Option chosen: ☐ Good ☐ Better ☐ Best
Homeowner signature ______ Date ______
Company representative ______ Date ______
Attached: Notice of Cancellation form. For an insurance job, any deductible notice your state requires.
Price each column from its own cost at the same margin
A new roofing company on r/Roofing posted the three quotes it got on its own 27-square house, “basically a good, better, best type of packages.” It copied that pricing and worked out its profit on each:
| Option and shingle | Price a square | Job price | Profit (share of price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good: Supreme | $460 | $12,420 | $2,150 (17.3%) |
| Better: Oakridge TruDefinition | $480 | $12,960 | $2,488 (19.2%) |
| Best: Duration TruDefinition | $505 | $13,635 | $2,570 (18.8%) |
By its own math, the best option cost the homeowner $675 more than the better one and made the company $82 more. The company set its prices by copying the quotes, so the top option’s extra cost ate most of its extra price.
Under each column, keep a cost line the homeowner never sees: that option’s materials and labor plus its share of overhead. The shingle alone can open a wide gap. In owner reports from different years and markets, GAF’s Timberline UHDZ cost roughly $45 to $55 a square more at the supply house than Timberline HDZ.
How to Price a Roof: Price per Square, Overhead and Target Margin covers overhead and target margin in full. For the three columns, divide each one’s cost by the same number: one minus your target margin. A 30% markup on cost leaves only a 23.1% margin, and dividing cost by 0.7 is what gets you the full margin.
GAF’s warranty tiers can fill three columns if you’re certified
| GAF warranty | Your certification | Install needs | Non-prorated | Workmanship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shingle & Accessory Limited | None | Any GAF purchase | 10 years | None |
| Roofing System Limited | None | Timberline plus at least 3 qualifying accessories | 10 years | None |
| System Plus | Certified, Certified Plus or Master Elite | Timberline plus at least 3 | 50 years | None |
| Silver Pledge | Certified Plus or Master Elite | Any Timberline plus at least 4 | 50 years | 10 years on NS, HDZ and HDZ RS; 15 on AS II and UHDZ |
Qualifying accessories include GAF’s ridge cap, starter strip, leak barrier, roof deck protection and attic ventilation. The two base warranties cover no tear-off, disposal or workmanship, and System Plus adds tear-off and disposal “when necessary.” Golden Pledge is for Master Elite contractors only and needs any Timberline except NS plus at least 5 qualifying accessories. Take its workmanship years from GAF’s warranty document before you print them.
Without a certification, every Timberline column carries the same 10 non-prorated years, so the shingle and the wind cover have to tell the options apart. GAF’s WindProven warranty gives 15 years of wind cover with no maximum wind speed.
WindProven needs LayerLock-labeled shingles nailed 4 per shingle, starter strip at eaves and rakes, ridge cap, roof deck protection, and either attic ventilation or leak barrier.
Other installs are covered to 130 mph with 6 nails and starter strip, or 110 mph without. Write the exact cover into each column’s wind row.
Print what “lifetime” means, because a proposal that says “lifetime warranty” without the definition overstates the cover. GAF’s lifetime lasts as long as the original individual owner owns a single-family detached home, or a second owner if the warranty is transferred within GAF’s Smart Choice Protection Period. For corporations, HOAs, condos and other buildings it is 40 years.
After the non-prorated period, GAF reduces the remedy by the months the roof has been in use, and from year 41 it pays 20%. GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed and Atlas Certification: What It Takes and Whether It Wins Jobs covers what each certification takes. If you install another brand, fill the rows from that manufacturer’s own warranty document.
Name every material and price the extras before the tear-off
One commenter on r/RoofingSales said their company ran on about five apps, one of them for proposals, and production ended up “trying to figure out what sales promised the homeowner.” Hand production the signed page, because the ticked column is the crew’s material list.
A salesperson on the same forum who always sends a detailed scope with specific materials had a homeowner write back “expecting material and labor to be itemized out.” The template gives one price per column and names every material in it. If a homeowner asks for the split, give material and labor as two totals that add up to that column’s price.
Another owner asked how to word extra work in a proposal, including why it was missed at inspection, so it causes less sticker shock. When decking and a hidden extra layer already carry a unit price on the signed page, the crew that finds rotten decking is working to a price the homeowner has already seen. Fill in those unit prices on every proposal, before the tear-off.
Shingle prices climbed in 2026, so give every price an end date
The federal producer price index for asphalt roofing and siding products, which covers shingles, was up 3.9% in August 2026 on a year earlier and up 7.6% since April, on figures the Bureau of Labor Statistics still marks preliminary.
The index tracks what manufacturers charge. One owner reported a 10% supplier increase in April 2026 that customers felt as 16-18% once labor rose too.
Fill in the “price good until” line on every proposal, and set it no later than the date your supplier will hold your material price.
A proposal signed at home needs the federal cancellation notice
If the homeowner agrees to the sale at home, the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule covers it at $25 or more. They can cancel until midnight of the third business day. Hand over a completed contract with the cancellation statement in at least 10-point bold type, attach a form headed “NOTICE OF CANCELLATION,” and tell the homeowner about the right out loud at signing.
Bona fide emergency repairs are exempt if the homeowner made first contact and signs a separate, dated personal statement giving up the right.
Your state may add a longer cancellation window or a right to cancel when a claim is denied, so check its rules before you print the template.
In Texas, an insurance job of $1,000 or more needs a deductible notice
A Texas contract of $1,000 or more that you expect a property insurance claim to pay, in whole or in part, must carry a notice in at least 12-point bold type. The notice says Texas law requires the insured to pay the deductible and that it is illegal for the seller to knowingly let them skip it.
The seller may not pay, waive, absorb or rebate the deductible without the insurer’s consent, and a violation is a Class B misdemeanor. The clauses the full contract needs are in Roofing Contract Template: The Clauses a Residential Roofing Contract Needs. Keep a separate insurance version of the template with the notice printed in it.
Run these checks before the proposal goes out
- The scope is written once and covers every option.
- Each column is priced from its own cost at the same target margin.
- Each warranty is named exactly, at a tier your certification allows.
- “Lifetime” carries the manufacturer’s definition.
- Decking and other likely extras have a unit price.
- The “price good until” date is filled in.
- The cancellation notice and its form are attached, plus any state notice for insurance work.
Every proposal starts with a homeowner finding your company and booking the inspection. Run the free Google Maps heatmap and pick your profile and a search: in a few minutes you see your rank at 49 points around your office.