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The Roofing Bid Lines That Are Not on the Roof Plan: Hoisting, Fall Protection, Leak Testing, and Warranty Inspection

By The Sharp Pencil team

Disclosure: Sharp Pencil sells commercial roofing takeoffs, so we have a stake in this topic.

Some of the most expensive lines on a commercial roofing bid never show up as a roof plan quantity. Think crane and hoisting, fall protection, debris chutes and dumpsters, flood or electronic leak testing, the manufacturer's warranty inspection, and general conditions such as mobilization and supervision. The specs, the site, and the building height drive them, not the squares. Each one belongs on the bid with the sheet or spec section behind it, or on the open questions list. Don't leave one blank.

Which roofing bid costs don't come from measuring the roof?

The ones that scale with days, height, access, and spec language instead of squares. Your squares and linear feet can be dead on and the bid still comes up short if these lines are missing.

Table 1. Unmeasured lines on a commercial roofing bid
LineTypical unitWhat triggers itWhere to look in the set
Crane or hoistDays or lifts; picks by weightBuilding height, roof access, material weight, site logisticsElevations, site plan, Division 01 site use and logistics
Material loading and stagingLifts, daysStaging limits, occupied building rulesDivision 01, site plan
Fall protectionLF of guardrail or warning line, EA anchors, days of safety monitorRoof edge length, parapet height, skylights and openingsElevations, roof plan edges, parapet details; permanent fall protection may sit outside Division 07, so confirm the section on the set
Debris handlingEA chute, EA dumpsters or tons, daysTear-off scope, drop height, site limitsDemolition sheets, existing roof survey or core cuts, elevations
Temporary roofing or dry-inSF, daysPhasing and weatherDivision 01, phasing plans
Flood test or electronic leak detection (ELD)SF tested, EA mobilizationsSpec languageDivision 07 or a separate testing section
Manufacturer warranty inspection and feeEA inspection; fee on the manufacturer's basisWarranty type and term in the specDivision 07 warranty article
Testing and observation required by spec, such as field uplift or pull testsEAQuality assurance languageDivision 07 quality assurance articles
Permits, mobilization, supervision, cleanup, protection of finished workLump sum or daysProject requirementsDivision 01 general requirements

Walkway pads and other items you measure off the plan are a different problem. For those, see the lines people forget in how to price a TPO roof. For how the warranty term changes quantities like attachment and flashing height, see how warranty terms change quantities.

Why do these lines go missing?

They live in the spec book, not on the roof plan. Division 01 (General Requirements) holds the logistics, phasing, and site rules. The testing and warranty articles sit in the Division 07 (Thermal and Moisture Protection) roofing sections. Work off the roof plan alone and you'll never see them.

They scale with time and height, not squares. A crane is priced by the day and the pick. Fall protection is priced by edge length and how long it stays up. Price by the square and you miss both.

Nobody owns them. If the takeoff only reports area and linear feet, these lines fall in the gap between the takeoff and the estimate. Nobody carries them. Nobody excludes them either.

Hoisting and loading: what sets the line?

Carry crane days or lifts as an allowance with a stated basis (tonnage and mobilizations by phase), and get a rental quote. The basis is your call as the estimator. Crane operations on construction sites fall under OSHA's crane standard, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC.

Fall protection and debris: what does the bid need from the set?

Fall protection. The cost follows roof edge length, parapet heights from the elevations and sections, skylights and roof openings, and building height. The rule itself is 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(10): "Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each employee engaged in roofing activities on low-slope roofs, with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, or a combination of warning line system and guardrail system, warning line system and safety net system, or warning line system and personal fall arrest system, or warning line system and safety monitoring system." It also allows a safety monitoring system alone on roofs 50 feet or less wide. The criteria for those systems are in 29 CFR 1926.502.

OSHA's roofing fall protection checklist (an OSHA grant product, "Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z") is worth a read before you bid. Its pre-job questions include whether the project will use a debris chute or a hoist, whether there are skylights or other openings, whether the roof is more than 50 feet wide, and whether the parapet is at least 39 inches high. Every one of those is really a cost question.

Debris. 29 CFR 1926.252(a) says: "Whenever materials are dropped more than 20 feet to any point lying outside the exterior walls of the building, an enclosed chute of wood, or equivalent material, shall be used." So tear-off on a building that tall puts a chute line on the bid, or some other way of getting debris down.

How to carry them: edge length and height as counted lines, method and duration as the estimator's call, and permanent fall protection (davits, anchors, guardrails), if the architect specifies it, as its own priced or excluded line.

Flood testing or electronic leak detection: what should the bid assume?

Read the spec first. Then check which standard it cites.

Flood testing. ASTM D5957-98(2021), Standard Guide for Flood Testing Horizontal Waterproofing Installations, says it "is intended for waterproofing installation on parking garages and plaza deck type applications over habitable spaces or on elevated structures, but is not intended for use on building roofing systems." The guide also calls for a structural engineer to review the water load. ASTM's proposed revision, work item WK88245, says the guide "is often misapplied to conventional roofing (systems with a membrane over insulation)." If a spec calls for a flood test on a conventional roof over insulation, don't price it yet. Send an RFI.

Electronic leak detection. ASTM D7877-25, Standard Guide for Electronic Methods for Detecting and Locating Leaks in Roofing and Waterproofing Membranes, is the guide for ELD in roofing and waterproofing membranes. It says the electric conductance methods need a conductive substrate under the membrane, and over insulating material such as foam insulation or protection board, a conductive material may have to be placed under the membrane. That means an ELD spec can add a material line (a conductive layer, in SF) as well as a testing line. Check with the membrane manufacturer that their system and warranty allow it.

How to carry them: tested SF, test mobilizations by phase, any added conductive layer as its own SF line, and an RFI if the spec cites a standard that doesn't fit the assembly.

Warranty inspection: what belongs on this bid line?

The manufacturer's inspection and the warranty fee cost real money, even when every square is right. As one example, Sika says that on its projects with standard and system warranties, its field technical representatives complete an inspection of the roof at completion (Sika Sarnafil warranty information). Inspection requirements and the fee basis depend on the manufacturer and the term, so get them straight from the manufacturer for the specified system.

How to carry it: warranty type and term as a stated line, inspections by phase if the program requires them, and an RFI if the spec names a term but no manufacturer or system.

How should a takeoff flag lines it can't measure?

Three ways, best first:

  1. A quantity with its source. Edge length, parapet height, tested SF, conductive layer SF, and number of phases, each tied to the sheet or spec section it came from.
  2. Allowance with a stated basis. Crane days from tonnage and phases, dumpsters from tear-off squares and layers. The basis is written down, so whoever checks the bid can see where the number came from.
  3. Open question or exclusion, in writing. A flood test standard that doesn't fit, permanent fall protection with no section, a warranty term with no manufacturer. More on turning gaps into RFIs.

The rule: no line is left blank. If it isn't priced, it's excluded on purpose and in writing.

Worked example (an example, not a real job)

Assumptions: three story building, roof edge about 40 feet above grade, 30,000 SF re-roof (300 SQ), single layer tear-off of an existing BUR, new single ply, 700 LF of roof edge with parapets on two sides, spec calls for ELD and a 20 year manufacturer warranty, work in two phases. We also assume ELD covers the full field.

One roof plan quantity, 300 SQ, sits under at least five lines nobody measured. Not one of them is on the roof plan.

FAQ

What costs are not included in a roofing takeoff?

Hoisting, fall protection, debris handling, testing, warranty inspection, and general conditions such as mobilization and supervision. They don't come from measuring the roof, so each one needs a stated basis on the bid or a written exclusion.

When do you need a debris chute on a re-roof?

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.252(a) requires an enclosed chute whenever materials are dropped more than 20 feet to any point outside the exterior walls of the building.

Can you flood test a commercial roof?

ASTM D5957 is a guide for horizontal waterproofing such as plaza decks and parking garages, and it says it is not intended for use on building roofing systems. If a spec calls for a flood test on a conventional roof, send an RFI.

What does electronic leak detection add to a roofing bid?

Tested square feet and test mobilizations, and possibly a conductive layer under the membrane. ASTM D7877-25 says the electric conductance methods need a conductive substrate under the membrane.

Does Sharp Pencil's takeoff flag these lines?

Sharp Pencil's takeoff workbook cites the sheet behind every quantity, and gaps the drawings can't settle go on the open questions (RFI) list that ships with your takeoff, ready to send to the GC. We don't price crane time, testing, or warranty fees; those stay your call.

Do you do residential roofs?

Residential is not our focus today, but ask if you have a job in mind.

Why send your takeoffs to Sharp Pencil

A takeoff backlog hurts most on the jobs you pass on because nobody has the hours. Here's how we handle the usual headaches.

Our focus is commercial low-slope roofing. Residential is not our focus today, but ask if you have a job in mind. See our commercial roofing takeoff services.

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The Sharp Pencil team

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