Before you start
- A completed roof measurement report for the property. Reports are $10 CAD each after your 2 free ones; see how to order a roof measurement report.
- Gmail connected, so the proposal is emailed from your own address.
- About 20 minutes once to set your prices. After that, each proposal is mostly review.
How to build a Roofing Proposal in Minutes, step by step
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Step 1: Set your prices once
- How you sell
- A rate per pitch
On the Proposals page, expand Pre-Saved Proposal Templates and choose how you sell. Line Item Proposal Template prices each product: shingles, underlayment, ice and water, ridge cap, drip edge, starter, valley flashing. Price Per Square gives the homeowner one clean total at your rate for the roof’s pitch.
What happens next
Every new proposal reads its prices from here. Changing your prices later does not change proposals you have already sent.
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Step 2: Price per square by pitch (if you sell that way)
In Price Per Square mode you enter a rate for every pitch from 4/12 to 12/12, nine in all, and press Save Pitch Pricing. The panel shows how many of the nine are priced. A roof steeper or flatter than the table uses the nearest rate, and the builder tells you when it has done that.
What happens next
When you build from a report, the report’s pitch picks the rate, so a steep roof is never quoted at your walkable price.
Note
Selling per product instead? Set each item’s price and its coverage per unit (for example 33.33 sq ft per bundle). Without coverage, a product can name a line but not price it. The price list guide covers this step by step.
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Step 3: Start the proposal from the report
Press New Proposal and pick the report under Start a Proposal, or press Create Proposal on the order in Report History.
What happens next
The builder attaches the report, fills the homeowner’s address and imports the measured material quantities, priced from your templates. Lines without a price arrive as set price.
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Step 4: Choose the pricing method for this job
In Materials & Pricing, pick Line Item to work line by line, Per Square for one rate times the roof’s squares, or Bundle Pricing to enter unit prices in one sheet and press Build from Report, which rebuilds every line from the report, including labour, tear-off and disposal when you have priced them. Adjust the waste % and press Recalculate Materials if the roof is cut up.
What happens next
Your cost, the customer price and your profit update as you edit. Use Hide pricing from the customer’s proposal if you want the homeowner to see the scope and total without the unit prices.
Note
Keep the waste factor visible as a line on complex roofs. A homeowner who sees why your number is higher is easier to keep than one who only sees that it is.
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Step 5: Decide what the homeowner sees of the report
In Include in Customer Proposal, choose the Customer Copy or the Full Report. The Customer Copy shows the aerial images and roof diagrams without the measurement tables; the full report shows every number.
What happens next
The chosen version appears inside the proposal page the homeowner opens. For most retail homeowners the Customer Copy is the safer default: it proves you measured the roof without handing your take-off to the next bidder. Insurance and commercial work usually want the full report.
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Step 6: Write the words: Quick Templates and Draft with Bean
In Customize Proposal, a Quick Template (Standard Replacement, Roof Repair, Insurance Claim, Flat Roof / TPO, Inspection) fills the title, intro, scope and notes. Draft with Bean writes a title, intro and scope of work from the report’s real measurements and the homeowner’s details, and a side chat lets you ask for changes such as “shorter” or “mention the warranty”.
What happens next
Bean writes words only. Prices and quantities still come from your templates and the report, and nothing is sent until you press Send to Customer. Read the draft before you send it: it goes out under your name.
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Step 7: Send it and get it signed
In Review & Send, press Preview, then Send to Customer. The homeowner gets an email from your Gmail with a link to read the proposal, see the report, draw a signature, type their name and press Accept & Sign Proposal.
What happens next
The status moves from Sent to Viewed to Accepted and you get an email. Nothing else happens automatically: to bill the job, press Convert to Invoice on the proposal and review the draft invoice before sending it.
Why price per square by pitch
Pitch changes the job. A walkable roof goes fast with standard equipment; a steep one needs fall protection, roof jacks or staging, a slower pace and a more experienced crew. One blended rate overprices the easy roofs and underprices the steep ones.
| Pitch | Category | What changes on site |
|---|---|---|
| 4/12 | Walkable | Standard crew and equipment, fastest production |
| 5/12 – 7/12 | Standard | Comfortable footing, modest slowdown near the top |
| 8/12 – 9/12 | Steep | Fall protection and roof jacks, slower pace |
| 10/12 – 12/12 | Very steep | Staging, specialist crew, higher insurance exposure |
Proposal habits that win more jobs
- Send it the same day. A report back in Reports are delivered in 1–3 hours, and usually in under an hour. and a priced template mean you can quote while the homeowner still remembers you.
- Show the roof, not the math. Lead with the Customer Copy diagram. Homeowners can’t check your square count, but they can see you know their house.
- List upgrades as separate lines. Ice and water on the whole deck, a better shingle, new gutters: separate lines let the homeowner choose without asking for a new quote.
- Make it signable from a phone. Every extra step between yes and a signature is a chance to call someone else.
- Revisit your prices quarterly. Material prices move; the templates only know what you last typed.
Good to know
Proposals are built, then sent by you
The report fills the quantities and your templates fill the prices. You review, price any blanks and press Send to Customer; nothing is sent automatically.
No automatic option tiers
There are no automatic option tiers. Offer upgrades as separate lines, or duplicate the proposal for a second option.
Signing doesn’t create the invoice or the job
Acceptance records the signature and emails you. Convert to Invoice creates a draft invoice to review; schedule the job yourself.
Bean drafts words, not prices
Draft with Bean writes the title, intro and scope from the report. It does not set prices or quantities, and it is not available in the iPhone app.
Troubleshooting
A line reads set price
You haven’t priced that product. Type your cost in the line, or price it in Pre-Saved Proposal Templates so the next proposal fills it.
The roof’s pitch isn’t in my table
Roofs flatter than 4/12 or steeper than 12/12 use the nearest rate, and the builder says which. Check that the rate makes sense for that roof.
A pitch has no rate
The panel shows how many of the nine pitches are priced. Fill the missing ones and press Save Pitch Pricing.
Send asks me to connect Gmail
Connect Gmail, or copy the proposal’s share link from the Proposals list and send it yourself.
Draft with Bean isn’t available
It is not offered in the iPhone app. Use the website on a computer or phone browser.
What happens next
When the homeowner signs, press Convert to Invoice on the proposal, review the draft and send it with a Square payment link. The short version of this workflow is the step-by-step proposal guide.
Proposals in the roofing CRMWhat the Customer Copy and full report look likeReport pricing
Proposal builder, in depth: questions
How do I build a roofing proposal in Roof Manager?
Start a new proposal from a completed roof report, check the imported lines and prices, fill any line marked set price, choose the Customer Copy or the full report, then press Send to Customer for an online signature.
Can Roof Manager price a proposal automatically?
Yes, from prices you set. With Pre-Saved Proposal Templates set up, the report’s quantities arrive priced, or one rate per pitch is applied. You still review the proposal and send it yourself.
What is the Customer Copy of a roof report?
A homeowner version of the report with the aerial images and roof diagrams but no measurement tables. It shows the roof without handing your take-off to competitors.
What is Draft with Bean?
A button in the proposal builder that drafts a title, intro and scope of work from the report’s measurements and the homeowner’s details. A side chat refines the wording. It does not set prices.
Why price per square by pitch?
Steep roofs take more time, safety equipment and skill per square. A rate per pitch from 4/12 to 12/12 keeps steep roofs profitable without overpricing walkable ones.
Can homeowners sign a roofing proposal online?
Yes. They open the link from your email, draw a signature, type their name and press Accept & Sign Proposal, on any device.
Can homeowners pay online?
After you convert the accepted proposal to an invoice, the invoice can carry a Square payment link from your own Square account. A payment through that link marks the invoice Paid.
How much does the proposal builder cost?
The proposal builder is included with every Roof Manager account. Roof measurement reports are $10 CAD each after your first 2 free ones.