Question answered
Roof survey or roof quote: what is the difference?
The short answer
A roof survey records what is wrong with the roof, where the fault starts and why it happened. A roof quote puts a total price on the work needed to put it right. The survey has to come first, because a price written before the cause is found is a guess. A good survey leaves you with findings and photographs; the quote follows from them and refers back to them.
People often use the two words as if they meant one visit. They are two separate pieces of work, and knowing which one is on offer says something about the firm making it.
A survey answers what and why
A survey is a piece of investigation. Someone looks at the roof covering, the ridge and verges, the flashings, the valleys, the gutters and, where they can reach it, the roof space underneath. They record what they find and work out how each fault arose.
That second step matters more than it sounds. The mark on a bedroom ceiling seldom sits beneath the opening. Water travels along rafters and underlay, sometimes a long way, before it finds a place to fall, so the stain only says water arrived somewhere higher up. The surveyor's job is to follow it back to the source: a lifted flashing, a cracked valley liner, a slipped tile, a blocked outlet or condensation in the loft rather than a leak at all.
The finished product is a set of findings. They say what is wrong, how serious it is and what would happen if it were left. They do not yet say what it costs.
A quote answers how much
A quote is a commercial document. It states the work the roofer proposes to do, the materials, and one total price, usually with a note on what is and is not included. It should be written, dated and detailed enough for another roofer to price the identical work from it.
Look for VAT and scaffolding in the total, since leaving either out changes what you finally pay. Access drives cost on any roof. A bungalow served by a ladder and a terrace needing a tower over the pavement are priced very differently, and the tower brings a highway licence, which the scaffold firm arranges.
The price is only as sound as the inspection that fed it. If the roofer has not been up, or has not looked in the loft, the price rests on what they could see from the road, and the scope may change once the work starts.
Why the order matters
Pricing first and investigating later reverses the logic. It tends to produce one of two outcomes. Either the quote is padded to cover unknowns, or it is thin and grows with extras once the roof is open.
Doing the survey first lets the recommendation follow the evidence. Sometimes the evidence says a repair is enough: a few tiles re-fixed, a section of flashing renewed, a valley cleared and relined. Sometimes it says the covering has simply run out of service and patching will cost more than it saves. Either answer is only worth trusting when it comes with the proof behind it.
On the Sussex coast there is a further reason. Roofs here take gales and driving rain off the Channel, and the way ridges, verges and flashings are fixed decides whether a repair holds. That is something to look at on the roof itself, not to assume from the road.
What you should have in your hands
After a survey you should be able to point to the problem. Photographs of your own roof, taken close enough to show the fault, are the most useful evidence you can ask for. Generic pictures of somebody else's roof prove nothing. Our page on asking a roofer for photos explains what good ones look like.
After a quote you should hold a written document naming the work, the covering or components to be used and the total price. If the price arrives without findings, ask for them. If findings arrive with no price, you have a survey and can decide who to ask for the quote.
You can also separate the two on purpose. Some owners commission an independent report first, then take it to roofers for prices. The comparison of a building surveyor and a roofer covers when that makes sense, and what a roofer checks lists the points a proper visit covers.
Reading a quote that skipped the survey
Some quotes arrive after a ten-minute look from the pavement, or by photograph alone. They are not worthless, but treat the number as provisional. Ask what the roofer has assumed about the roof space, the timbers and the flashings, and what happens to the price if those assumptions are wrong.
Be wary of any quote that names a dramatic fault without showing it. Phrases like "the whole roof is finished" need evidence, and a roofer who has been up should be able to show you in a photograph. If you can go into the loft yourself, the guidance on checking the loft shows what to look for, and checking the roof from the ground is covered in inspecting a roof from the ground.
When the survey and the quote come from the same firm, the cleanest arrangement is that the quote cites the findings. Our own approach is covered on the roof inspections and surveys page.
Survey and quote: two further questions
Can I use one roofer's survey to get a second roofer's price?
Yes, if the survey is a written document with photographs. Share the findings and ask the second roofer to say whether they agree with them. Their own visit may add detail, and a good roofer will want to see the roof and the loft before committing to a total price.
Is a quote binding once it has been given?
A written quote sets out the work and the price you have agreed to pay. Should work uncover something no inspection could have shown, the roofer should explain it and agree any change with you in writing before carrying on. Ask how variations are handled before you accept.
Tell us about your roof
Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.
- Photographs of what we find
- A written quote with one total price
- Or call 01903 299063
10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.