Send Each Roofer One Written Question and Time the Reply

Most roofing comparisons start with the numbers on the page. This one starts with a plain test you can run in one week without any special knowledge: send each roofer the same written question, then time how long the answer takes and read whether it says anything. A roofer who answers a specific question in writing within a working day is giving you a preview of how the job will be communicated. A roofer who takes a week, answers a different question, or calls you back to talk around the text is giving you a preview too.

Pick one question that every bid can answer

The question has to be specific enough that a careful roofer can answer it in a sentence or two, and general enough that every company on your list has an answer. Good choices are about your own roof, not about the company. For example, ask which shingle line and color the bid quotes, how many squares the bid assumes, and whether the quote includes drip edge and ice and water membrane at the eaves. Write the question once, copy it word for word into each email or message, and keep the same wording for every roofer. Changing the wording gives you two different tests.

Send it in writing, by email or through a text you can keep. A phone call does not leave a record you can compare later, and a verbal answer is exactly the kind of thing that is hard to check after you sign.

Time the reply, and write down the time

Note the time and date you sent each question, then note when the answer arrived. A simple two-column sheet is enough. Count working hours, not calendar hours, because a Friday evening message is not the same as a Monday morning one. Give each roofer a fair window, such as one working day for a single question. If nothing comes back in that window, send one short follow-up that repeats the question exactly, then record that too.

The timing matters for a practical reason. Between a signed contract and the first nail, you will have questions about scheduling, material delivery and when the crew arrives. A company that is slow before it has your money is unlikely to speed up after it does. This is not a rule, and some good crews are bad at email. It is a signal you can measure, and it is worth weighing next to the price.

Read the answer, not just the arrival

A fast reply that says nothing is not a good reply. Read each answer against the question and mark three things. Did it answer the specific question you asked? Did it name the material, the count or the scope item in plain terms? Does it agree with the other roofers' answers where the facts should be the same? If one roofer quotes a different square count from the others on the same roof, that is a finding in itself, and it belongs next to the bid comparison rather than being explained away.

Watch for answers that move the question somewhere else. "Our standard system covers that" does not say what the system is. "We will discuss it at the walk" is a promise to talk later, which you cannot compare. A good written answer can be short. It should name the thing, state whether it is included, and say what it costs if it is not.

What a slow or vague answer tells you

A slow answer is information about the company's capacity and attention. Roof work in the St. Louis area moves with the season. Spring hail season and the late fall rush both fill calendars quickly, and a company that cannot answer a single question during a quiet week may have a harder time keeping up during a busy one. Keep that in mind when two bids are otherwise close.

A vague answer is information about the bid itself. If a roofer cannot say in writing whether the quoted material includes the starter strip or the valley system, the bid may not include it either, or it may be added later as a change. You can check this against the written scope. Ask for the scope to be sent with the bid, and compare its line items to the answer you received.

Sort the answers before you rank the bids

Once every roofer has answered, lay the answers side by side before you open the bids. Group them into three piles: answered in full, answered in part, and not answered. The first pile is what you can trust in the price comparison. The second pile needs a follow-up with a narrower question, such as asking only for the count of valleys. The third pile is the one to bring to the walk, because a roof you have not measured is a roof you cannot yet price.

Keep the sorting honest. A roofer who answers in full but charges more is not automatically the one to drop. A roofer who answers quickly and vaguely may still be the right crew, but the bid should show it. The point of the exercise is to give each bid the same chance to be understood before you decide what it is worth.

Where the question fits in your decision

This test does not replace reading the bid, comparing the totals or checking a company's public record. It fills a gap those steps leave open. A bid tells you what a roofer intends to do. A written answer to a specific question shows how that roofer handles a request from you, in writing, on a timeline you can count. Both matter before you sign.

If you want to put a question to Keys Roofing directly, the office number is (314) 220-2333. Whatever channel you use, keep the question and the reply together in one thread, so the record exists when you need it.

Keep one record for every roofer

Use one folder or one saved thread for each company. Put the original question, the time it was sent, the answer, the time of the answer and any follow-up in that folder. Add the written bid and the scope when they arrive. When you sit down to choose, every roofer will have the same record, which makes the comparison fair.

Do not sign a contract with a roofer whose answer to your question you cannot find in writing. If a roofer says the answer will come later, ask for the date in writing. If that date passes, you have learned how the company handles a deadline it set itself, and that is a useful fact to have before the roof comes off.