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L3 Estimator

DRS University · Level 3

L3 — Estimator

Lesson 1

The Estimator’s Job

Your scope is the blueprint and the paycheck in one document. Get it right and the job runs clean; get it wrong and someone eats the difference.

Where the scope lives in the workflow

When a job hits Estimate Received, Write Scope, the back office is notified to build the estimate. You write the scope in Roofr (retail bid or insurance bid), double-check it, and advance the job to Scope Written, Rep Review. After a rep verifies it, it becomes Rep Approved & Sent.

Estimate Received, Write Scope — your cue to build the estimate.
Scope Written, Rep Review — scope is done and ready to verify.
Rep Approved & Sent — verified, sent to the homeowner, signature/checks pending.

The mission

Your job is to make the proposal match the insurance estimate accurately — the right materials, the right quantities, the right labor — no more, no less. If the homeowner is skipping a line item, that must be noted on the file first.

The estimator’s golden rule

Slight overage on material is acceptable. Being short is not. A short order stops a crew mid-job and costs a return trip. When in doubt, round up.

Knowledge Check

Pick your answer — you’ll see instantly if you’re right, and why.

1. After you write and double-check a scope, where does the job go?

A Rep Approved & Sent
B Scope Written, Rep Review
C Job Completed
Right: a rep verifies it in Rep Review before it goes out as Rep Approved & Sent.

2. When in doubt on a material quantity, you:

A Round up — slight overage is fine, short is not
B Round down to save money
C Guess
Right: being short stops the crew and costs a return trip. A little extra never hurts.
Lesson 2

Squares, Bundles & Waste

Everything starts with the count. Confirm the squares on the insurance estimate, then do the math.

Squares to bundles

1 square = 3 bundles. That’s the standard for our architectural shingles.
Exception: Legacy = 4 bundles per square — and we only install Legacy when the existing roof is already Class 4.

Adding waste

Waste covers cuts, hips, valleys, and complexity. The method:

  • Start at the minimumDefault minimum waste is 5%.
  • Calculate by complexityAdd up all the slopes and divide by 3 to get your waste percentage. More slopes = more cuts = more waste.
  • Cap itMaximum waste is 15%. Slight overage is acceptable; being short is not.
Quick example

A roof with 12 slopes: 12 ÷ 3 = 4% waste from complexity — but you’d still carry the 5% minimum. On a cut-up 30-slope roof: 30 ÷ 3 = 10%, still under the 15% cap.

Knowledge Check

Pick your answer — you’ll see instantly if you’re right, and why.

1. How many bundles are in a square of our standard architectural shingle?

A 2
B 3
C 4
Right: 3 bundles per square. Legacy is the exception at 4 — and only when the existing roof is already Class 4.

2. How do you calculate waste percentage from complexity?

A Always use exactly 10%
B Square footage times 2
C Add up the slopes and divide by 3 (5% minimum, 15% max)
Right: slopes ÷ 3, floored at 5% and capped at 15%. More slopes, more cuts, more waste.

3. Maximum waste you’d add is:

A 15%
B 25%
C No cap
Right: 15% is the ceiling. Above that, look again — something’s likely off.
Lesson 3

Shingles, Ridge & Core Materials

Match the shingle to what was there, get the ridge right, and never miss a core component.

Shingle logic

Existing architectural → replace with Class 4 Vista.
Existing 3-tab → replace with Class 3 Highlander.
Include upgrade options if applicable — but no unnecessary upgrades (don’t add a Class 4 upgrade if the proposal is already Vista).

Ridge

Check the insurance estimate for the ridge type — standard vs. high-profile — and fix it if it’s wrong. Confirm the linear footage, the coverage per bundle, and rounded quantities. Make sure there aren’t two different ridge types in the same estimate. Wrong ridge = unhappy homeowner.

Core materials — verify every one

Starter · Ice & water barrier · Underlayment
Cap nails / coil nails
Drip edge — correct size, and make sure both sizes aren’t selected
Sealants / termination · Color-match items

Knowledge Check

Pick your answer — you’ll see instantly if you’re right, and why.

1. The existing roof is architectural. What do you scope?

A Class 3 Highlander
B Class 4 Vista
C A 3-tab
Right: architectural → Vista (Class 4). 3-tab → Highlander (Class 3).

2. On drip edge, what’s the common mistake to catch?

A Both sizes selected at once
B Wrong color
C It’s never needed
Right: confirm the correct size and make sure both aren’t selected. Same idea with ridge — never two ridge types in one estimate.
Lesson 4

Accessories & Labor

Two places a scope quietly bleeds money: missed accessories and wrong labor.

Accessories — match the photos exactly

Open the latest accessory count photos and confirm every item is in the scope, in the right quantity:

Turbines (correct sizes) · Roof jacks (correct sizes)
Versa caps (correct ranges) · Rain diverters
Any other penetrations — quantities must match the photos exactly.

If you’re unsure what an abbreviation means, check the Accessory List.

Labor — base unless proven otherwise

Use base labor pricing when it’s a single story, shallow pitch, and no known repairs.
Only add labor items when confirmed: steep roof, multiple layers, 2-story, skylights, chimneys, decking, or rafter work.
Don’t guess labor up

Don’t pad labor items on a hunch. Add them only when the file or photos confirm the condition — otherwise the proposal won’t match the estimate and it’ll bounce in review.

Knowledge Check

Pick your answer — you’ll see instantly if you’re right, and why.

1. How closely must accessory quantities match the count photos?

A Roughly
B Add a couple extra to be safe
C Exactly — item for item, size for size
Right: the photos are the source of truth. Exact match, or it won’t line up with the claim.

2. When do you add labor beyond base pricing?

A On every job to be safe
B Only when confirmed — steep, multi-layer, 2-story, skylights, chimneys, decking, rafters
C Never
Right: base labor for a simple single-story; extras only when the condition is confirmed.
Lesson 5

Verify, Polish & Send

This is Rep Review — the last gate before it hits the homeowner. Proposal and estimate, side by side, every time.

The review flow

  • 1. Confirm readiness & open both docsFile is in Scope Written – Rep Review. Open the proposal and the insurance estimate side by side and keep them there.
  • 2. Quick total checkCompare the proposal total to the estimate total. Clearly off? Stop and investigate before going further.
  • 3. Check the proposal layoutCover page (correct property), About Us, measurements, estimate, contract, and manufacturer brochures for every shingle offered.
  • 4. Turn on detailed viewTemporarily enable quantities, unit prices, and subtotals so you can verify without editing unless needed.
  • 5. Verify the numbersConfirm RCV, Depreciation, ACV. If there are multiple summary pages, add the totals together and enter the subtotal manually. Do not factor in profit percentages or markups — the proposal total should align with the insurance totals.
Final polish — before you send

Remove the quantities, line-item amounts, and totals from the customer-facing proposal. Preview it, check for correctness and a clean, quality appearance. The homeowner sees a polished document, not your working numbers.

Send & advance

Confirm the correct template is selected, send to the homeowner, and verify the file auto-advanced to Rep Approved & Sent. Signature is now pending and checks are inbound. After signature and payment, handle mortgage endorsement if needed, or move to scheduling the install.

Knowledge Check

Pick your answer — you’ll see instantly if you’re right, and why.

1. When verifying the insurance numbers, do you add profit markup to match?

A Yes, add 20%
B No — the proposal total should align with the insurance totals, no markup
C Only on retail jobs
Right: enter the insurance subtotal as-is. No profit percentages or markups — the numbers should match the carrier.

2. What do you do before sending the proposal to the homeowner?

A Remove quantities, line-item amounts, and totals, then preview
B Leave all the working numbers visible
C Send it without previewing
Right: strip the detailed numbers for a clean customer-facing proposal, then preview for quality.

3. After you send, the file should auto-advance to:

A Job Completed
B Scope Written, Rep Review
C Rep Approved & Sent
Right: signature and checks are now pending from that status.
Certification Exam

L3 Estimator Exam

8 questions · 80% to pass. Pick the best answer for each, then submit.