How to read your estimate
The bottom of your range assumes a straightforward roof: easy access, sound timbers, standard materials. The top allows for the things we can't see from the street — perished battens, rotten fascia backing, awkward scaffolding. Most real jobs land somewhere in the middle, and a proper inspection turns the range into a single fixed number.
Why roofers' quotes vary so much
Get three quotes for the same roof and they might span thousands. Usually the difference isn't greed — it's scope. One quote strips and re-felts, another lays over the old battens; one includes dry-fix ridges, another re-beds in mortar that'll crack in five winters. When you compare quotes, compare the itemised scope line by line, not just the total. Ours are written so you can do exactly that.
And if a quote is dramatically cheaper than everyone else's — there's a reason, and you'll meet it in about three years.