The true cost of the cheapest quote
The lowest quote wins on the day and loses over the year. What actually sits behind a price that undercuts everyone else — and what it costs you later.
The assumption we're testing
“Cheapest-quote-wins”
A price is a description of what's included
Three quotes for the same roof job can be thousands apart. It is easy to assume someone is being greedy. Usually they are quoting different work.
The cheap one is often cheaper to do. Fewer tiles lifted. No proper look at the valleys. New mortar smeared over old mortar instead of the old stuff being dug out first. None of that is dishonest if it is written down. It rarely is.
So ask what the price leaves out. If they cannot tell you quickly, it is not a quote. It is a guess with a number on it.
Insurance is the line that matters
The biggest reason a price can be that low is no real insurance. Cover for trade work costs a lot every year. Skip it and your business gets much cheaper to run.
It also moves the risk onto you. If someone uninsured damages your roof, floods your ceiling, or hurts themselves at your place, you are the one left carrying it.
Ask to see the certificate. Not a promise on the phone, the actual document. Anyone real has one ready to send.
The rework tax
The real cost of a cheap job is usually paying twice. Mortar laid over failed mortar comes loose again in a couple of seasons. Now the repair includes stripping out the first one.
We price a lot of work that only exists because someone took the cheapest option a year and a half ago. That second bill is almost always bigger than the gap between the first two quotes.
This is The Roof Brigade territory.
See the brigade