Compare How Each Quote Gets the Shingles Up to the Roof

Two roof quotes can list the same shingle, the same square count, and the same tear-off, then differ by a few thousand dollars because one roofer has a plan for getting bundles up and debris down and the other has not written one down. On a St. Louis lot, that gap is often the side yard, the driveway slope, or a tall two-story wall. This page is about the part of the bid that moves material: how shingles reach the roof, and who pays for the equipment or labor that does it.

Why the lift is a separate line

A typical residential reroof brings several thousand pounds of shingles onto the roof. Each bundle has to go up somewhere, and the roofer has three common ways to do it: a material hoist or lift set at the side of the house, a crew carrying bundles up ladders or staging, or a mix of both. Each method has a different cost and a different place it fails. A hoist needs room for a truck or trailer and a clear line to the eave. Hand-carrying needs enough ladders and enough people, and it slows down when the crew is short. A bid that says only "materials included" hides which of these was priced.

The equipment is not always the roofer's to supply. Some quotes carry the hoist rental inside the labor number. Others list it as an allowance or exclude it outright, which leaves the homeowner with a second bill or a second conversation halfway through the job.

Roofer comparison: put the method side by side

Lay the bids out in three columns: how bundles go up, where the equipment sits on your lot, and who pays for it. Then check each bid against the same question. Does the quote name the method, or does it say "crew to handle"? The wording matters, because "crew to handle" can mean anything from one laborer on a ladder to a rented hoist running for a week.

The lot matters more than the brochure. Look at where the truck can park. A driveway that runs straight to the back yard usually makes a hoist easy to place. A side yard with a fence, a window well, or a row of shrubs may force the roofer to carry everything by hand, which costs more in labor and puts more people on the ladder. Tree cover can also decide whether a lift can reach the eave without a limb coming down. If one roofer has walked the lot and another has not, the bids will not compare well, even when the totals look close.

Ask each roofer where the bundles will be staged on the lot before the tear-off starts. The staging spot should not block a neighbor's driveway or sit on a lawn you want to keep. The written scope should show that spot on a sketch, not just the roof.

What it costs

The lift does not have one fixed price in St. Louis. The cost depends on rental length, delivery, how many days the equipment stays on site, and whether the roofer owns it. The number to look for is not an hourly rate. Look for the total the roofer has placed on the method, whether that is a line item, a labor allowance, or a cost rolled into the price. A quote that rolls it in is not necessarily cheaper, and a quote that breaks it out is not necessarily more honest. What matters is that you can see the number and compare it with the others.

Ask whether delivery of the shingles to the property is a separate cost from the lift. Some bids list the shingles at the supplier price and add delivery later. Others fold delivery into the shingle line. If the bundles are dropped at the curb, the roofer still needs a way to get them to the roof, so the delivery line and the lift line should be read together.

Watch the allowance language. "Lift as needed" or "hoist allowance" is not a price. It is a number the roofer may fill in later, often after the tear-off shows how many days the lift will run. Get the allowance amount and the condition that triggers it in writing before you sign.

What to ask

• Which method will move the shingles up: hoist, hand-carry, or both?
• Where will the truck park, and where will the bundles be staged on the lot?
• Is the equipment rental a separate line, a labor allowance, or included in the price?
• Who pays for delivery to the property, and does it sit in the shingle line or the lift line?
• If the lift cannot reach the eave on the planned day, what is the backup method, and what does it cost?
• Will the crew carry bundles over the fence, through a gate, or across the lawn, and who repairs any damage there?
• How many people will be on the ladder during the material move, and is that number in the scope?

Write the answers down next to each bid. A roofer who knows the lot will answer these without pausing. A roofer who says "we will figure that out on the day" has told you the method is still open, and an open method is a price that can change.

When the lift question changes the schedule

The material move is one of the first physical steps after the tear-off plan is set, and it can slow the whole job. If the hoist cannot be placed on the planned day, the crew may start by hand-carrying bundles, which takes longer and can push the tear-off past a good weather window. If the crew is short, bundles may sit on the lawn overnight. This is one reason the method belongs in the written scope next to the start date, not in a conversation at the door.

Missouri does not license roofers, and no state rule sets how bundles reach a roof, so the wording in your own proposal decides it. Read it for the phrases "as needed," "by others," and "owner to provide." Each one moves the lift from the roofer's bid to your yard, and each should be a choice you make on purpose, with the cost written next to it.