What Each Roofer Owes You When the Job Runs Late

A roofing bid tells you when the crew expects to start and roughly when the job should end. It rarely tells you what happens when either date slips. In the St. Louis area that gap matters. A wet April, a crew pulled to a storm call, a shingle color the supplier has to order in, or a cold snap that stops installation in late fall can each push a job back by days or weeks. Before you pick a week, read what each bid says about delay, because the wording decides who carries the cost of waiting.

Roofer comparison

Put the bids next to each other and look for four things: a stated finish window, a rule for weather days, a rule for materials that arrive late, and a rule for crew problems such as a sick worker, a truck breakdown, or a subcontractor who cannot make the date. Some bids cover all four. Many cover none. A bid that says the job will take about two weeks, with nothing further, has not committed to a finish date at all, and you have no way to measure it against the next bid.

Weather is the most frequent cause of delay here, and it is also the easiest to write loosely. Look for a stated count of weather days, a definition of what counts as one (rain, wind above a set speed, or temperatures too low for shingle sealing), and a line saying whether the finish date moves day for day. A bid that says weather will be handled as needed leaves the decision to whoever is on the phone that morning.

Materials are the second cause. A bid should name the shingle line and color, and it should say when those materials are expected on site. Keys Roofing installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only, so if you are comparing that line against another bid, ask each roofer to put the lead time in writing and to say what happens if the order comes up short or the color is discontinued.

Crew problems get the least written attention. Ask whether the roofer can swap crew members mid-job, what notice you receive, and whether the replacement works from the same scope. A crew that changes halfway through a tear-off can slow the job while new hands learn the layout.

Hail season adds a specific risk. After a storm, a roofer may be booked solid for weeks, so a start date that looked firm in May can move in June. Ask what happens to your place on the schedule if the crew is pulled to a storm job, and whether you get a new date in writing.

What it costs

Delay terms seldom carry a dollar figure, but they move cost in two directions. A roofer whose crew has to stand down still pays for trucks, dumpster rental and labor already scheduled, so some bids add a standby or re-mobilization charge. If that charge exists, find out whether it sits inside the bid total or appears later as a separate line. A standby charge that shows up only at the end of the job works like an unpriced change.

Pricing structure matters too. A fixed-price bid puts most of the delay risk on the roofer, who has to finish for the agreed number whether the job takes a week or three. A time-and-materials bid puts that risk on you, because the meter keeps running while the crew waits for a delivery. Some bids mix the two, with a fixed price for the roof and an hourly charge for anything added later. Ask which structure applies to the delay itself, not just to the shingles.

Check the bid's expiration date as well. If the price holds only for a set start window, a late start can bring a new number. Compare that expiration date against the week you realistically expect to begin. A bid that expires before your target week is not necessarily the number you will pay.

Your part of the schedule

Some delays come from the homeowner's side of the fence. A locked gate, a driveway too narrow for the delivery truck, a dog that has to be moved, or a car that blocks the dumpster spot can each cost the crew a morning. Ask each roofer which of these they expect you to handle, and whether a missed access point is billed. A bid that is silent on this puts the cost of your own delays on the roofer by default, and that usually shows up later as a charge you did not expect.

What to ask

1. What is the finish window in writing, and on what date does the bid price start to move?

2. Which events count as weather days, and how many does the schedule already assume?

3. If a shingle order is short or delayed, does the finish date move, and who tells me first?

4. Is there a standby or re-mobilization charge, and is it inside the total or added later?

5. If the crew changes partway through, what notice do I get, and does the scope stay the same?

6. Which delays fall on my side, such as access, parking or pets, and what do those cost me?

7. Is the bid price valid through my target week, and if not, what is the new number?

Write the answer to each of these in the same place you keep the scope and the materials order, so that when the schedule shifts you are checking against paper and not against memory. A written scope with photos and measurements is the right place for the schedule and the delay terms. If a bid you are reading leaves any of these points unanswered, call the Keys Roofing office at (314) 220-2333 and ask for the answer in writing before you sign.