What should a Jacksonville roof estimate include?

Squares And Tear-Off

The first two lines on a real estimate are the ones you can check. Squares should be a measured number, not a guess off the street, and the estimate should say how it was arrived at, whether from a roof plan, a measuring wheel on the deck, or aerial measurement. The tear-off line should say how many layers are coming off, because two layers is twice the labor and roughly twice the disposal weight of one. If either number is missing, the price sitting under them is not a price yet.

Synthetic underlayment should be named by product type, not left as a generic word, and the estimate should say where a leak barrier goes in beyond that base layer. Given how hard afternoon thunderstorms hit through the summer, valleys and eave edges are where wind-driven rain finds a gap first, so that line deserves its own mention rather than a blanket assumption.

Flashing And Ridge Details

Flashing is where estimates diverge most and where homeowners look least. The line should say what is being replaced rather than reused: valley metal, step flashing at every wall, counterflashing at the chimney, and a new rubber collar on each pipe. Reused flashing on a Jacksonville reroof is a leak booked for two summers from now, because the metal has already had years of heat cycling and the sealant has already gone. If the estimate only says flashing as included, ask which pieces and whether they are new.

Starter and ridge cap should be spelled out by name, not assumed, since these edge and peak courses take the brunt of wind uplift in a hurricane-prone region like Duval County. A ridge vent, if the attic setup calls for one, belongs on the same line rather than mentioned in passing. Skipping detail here is how a homeowner in Arlington or Springfield ends up with a mismatched cap job nobody priced correctly.

Decking, Permit, Payment

Three lines close out a good estimate. Decking should carry a per-sheet price and a note on what counts as needing replacement, so nobody negotiates it on a roof half stripped. The permit should be a named line item with a figure, pulled through the city's Building Inspection Division under the contractor's own license rather than left to the homeowner. And payment should be a schedule, not a total: a modest deposit, a draw when material lands, and a final payment held until the permit closes out.

Two things belong here that estimates often leave out. One is disposal: how the debris leaves the property, whether a dumpster is going on the driveway, and who pays if the city has a problem with where it sits. The other is what happens to the yard, including nail sweeping with a magnet and protection over beds and the air conditioning unit. Neither costs much. Both are the difference between a job that ends cleanly and a week of finding roofing nails in the grass with a lawnmower.