Obra for Roofing contractors

Roofing job costing, from tear-off to final payment

Track every roof as its own job: materials, dumpster, labor and the decking you didn't plan on. See what each roof made you, without a spreadsheet.

A roof is a fast job with a lot of receipts. Shingles from the supply house, a dumpster, a permit, a lift rental, fuel, and a crew that gets paid Friday. When you're running three or four roofs a week, the receipts pile up and the question that matters gets lost: how much did that roof on Oak Hollow actually make?

Obra answers that question per roof. Every job gets a short budget, the crew sends receipts from their phones, and you see cost against budget while the roof is still open, not weeks later when the accountant asks.

One roof, one job

Set each roof up as its own job with the budget from your bid. Six lines is plenty: materials, flashing and vents, decking allowance, dumpster, permit, labor. The cost code guide shows how to keep the codes short so your crew actually uses them.

Receipts from the truck

Your crew lead is at the supply house at 6:30 am. They take a photo of the receipt and send it by WhatsApp. Obra reads it, drafts the expense, and you confirm which roof it belongs to. No shoebox, no end-of-month pile. The receipt tracking guide covers the routine.

The decking you didn't plan on

The tear-off finds rot. Take the photos, write the change order for the extra sheets and the labor, and send it for approval before the underlayment goes down. Obra adds the change order to the contract, so the job's margin reflects the real scope. The change order guide is a five-minute read.

What each roof made you

When the last invoice is paid, the job's page shows the contract, the total cost, and the margin. Over a month you'll see which roofs made money and which ones didn't, and why. That's the number that tells you whether your price per square is right. The markup and margin guide explains the difference.

What Obra isn't for a roofer

Not a lead tracker, not a measurement tool, not a CRM. Obra is the money on each roof, in English and Spanish, from the receipts your crew already sends, exported clean to your accountant.

Sample budget

Full tear-off and re-roof, 32 squares, architectural shingle, Oak Hollow

Line item Budget
Shingles, underlayment, ice and water shield $6,400
Flashing, vents, drip edge $900
Decking replacement (allowance, 6 sheets) $500
Dumpster and disposal $850
Permit and inspection $250
Crew labor, tear-off and install $6,200
Direct cost budget $15,100
Contract value $21,800
Gross margin budgeted $6,700

Illustrative figures in US dollars for a fictional project; use them to see the shape of the budget, not to price a job.

The cost codes this trade actually uses

  • 01 Tear-off and disposal
  • 02 Decking and repairs
  • 03 Underlayment and ice barrier
  • 04 Shingles, ridge and starter
  • 05 Flashing, vents and drip edge
  • 06 Gutters and downspouts
  • 07 Permits and inspections
  • 08 Crew labor, tear-off
  • 09 Crew labor, install
  • 10 Equipment and rentals
  • 11 Vehicle and fuel

The change orders that eat the margin

Rotten decking past the allowance
You budgeted six sheets of decking. The tear-off finds twenty-two. Take the photos, write the change order for the extra sheets and labor, and get it approved before the new underlayment goes down.
The second layer nobody mentioned
Two layers of old shingles means double the tear-off labor and a second dumpster. If the bid assumed one layer, the difference is a change order, not a loss you eat quietly.
Chimney or skylight flashing rebuilt
The old flashing comes off and the cricket behind the chimney is rotted through. Rebuilding it is carpentry the roof bid never included. Price it that morning and get a signature.

Questions people ask

I do several roofs a week. Can Obra keep up?
Yes. Each roof is its own job with its own budget. Receipts land on the right job, and the list shows which roofs are open, which are done, and what each one made.
What about insurance jobs with supplements?
Enter the approved scope as the budget. When a supplement is approved, record it as a change order so the contract value moves and the margin stays honest.
Does Obra do storm leads, CRM or roof measurements?
No. Obra is the money side: what each roof cost, what you billed, and what's left. Keep your lead tool and measurement app. Bring the winning bid in as the budget.
Can my crew lead send the supply house and dumpster receipts?
Yes. They send a photo by WhatsApp, email or the app, in English or Spanish, and never see the job's numbers. You confirm it to the right roof in a few seconds.
Free download

Not ready for an app? Start with our free Excel template.

A ready-made spreadsheet to track costs and income per project — with categories and the totals already set up.

The download starts right away. We'll also follow up by email with more job-costing help — no spam, unsubscribe anytime.