How much profit did I make on this roofing job?

You’ve finished the job. Invoice is sent. Customer’s happy.

But here’s the question most roofers never actually answer: Did I make any money on that job?

Not “did I get paid,” that’s different. I mean, after all the costs, all the hours, all the extras you threw in, what was actually left?

If you can’t answer that in about 30 seconds, you’ve got a problem. Because if you don’t know which jobs made you money and which ones didn’t, you’re flying blind. And you’ll keep quoting the same way, making the same mistakes, and wondering why you’re working your arse off for bugger all at the end of the month.

Let me show you how to actually work it out.

Start With What You Quoted

Pull up the original quote you gave the customer.

What did you say the job would cost?

• Labour: How many days? How many lads?
• Materials: What did you quote for tiles, felt, battens, flashing, fixings?
• Total price you charged

Write those numbers down. That’s your baseline.

Now Add Up What It Actually Cost You

This is where it gets uncomfortable. Because most roofers don’t track this properly, so they’ve got no idea what the job really cost them.

Here’s what you need to include:

Labour costs:

• How many days did it actually take? (Not quoted days. Actual days.)
• Did your lad call in sick and you had to get up the ladder yourself?
• Did the job run into a third or fourth day because something took longer than expected?

Take the actual days worked and multiply by your daily labour rate. If you’re paying a lad £180/day and you’re on the tools yourself, you need to cost your time too. Let’s say £200/day for you.

Materials costs:

• What did you actually spend on materials?
• Not what you quoted. What you actually paid.
• Did you have to return tiles because they were the wrong colour?
• Did you order extra because you underestimated?
• Did you use materials you already had in stock (you still need to cost those)?

Pull your supplier invoices. Add it all up.

Extras you didn’t charge for:

• Did the customer ask you to “just check the flashing while you’re up there”?
• Did you fix something that wasn’t on the quote because you knew it would cause problems later?
• Did you throw in extra tiles or felt because “it’s easier than arguing”?

Cost those. Even if you didn’t charge for them, they cost you time and materials.

Other costs people forget:

• Fuel to and from the job
• Waste disposal (skip hire, tip fees)
• Tool hire if you rented anything
• Insurance, van costs (yes, these count)

Do The Maths

Now you’ve got two numbers:

Total you charged the customer: £4,200

Total it actually cost you:

• Labour: 3.5 days @ £180/day = £630
• Your time: 2 days @ £200/day = £400
• Materials: £1,340 (including the return)
• Extras you didn’t charge: £280 (flashing repair, extra tiles in garage)
• Fuel, waste, other: £150

Total cost: £2,800

Profit: £4,200 – £2,800 = £1,400

Not bad, right?

But hang on. You worked 2 days on the tools yourself. That’s £400 of your time. If you take that out, your actual profit is £1,000.

Over 3.5 days of work (including your time), that’s £285/day.

Is that what you wanted to make? Or did you think this job was going to clear you £2k+?

What This Actually Tells You

Once you’ve done this for a few jobs, patterns start to show up:

Jobs always run over by half a day? Your quotes are wrong. You’re underestimating labour.

Materials always cost more than quoted? You’re either not tracking supplier prices or you’re absorbing waste you shouldn’t be.

You’re always doing extras for free? You need boundaries. “While you’re here” requests need to be quoted separately or you’re working for nothing.

Certain types of jobs always underperform? Stop quoting them so low. Or stop doing them altogether.

Why Most Roofers Don’t Do This

Because it’s uncomfortable.

You don’t want to know that the job you thought made you £1,800 actually made you £340.

But here’s the thing: if you don’t know, you’ll keep doing it.

You’ll keep quoting the same way. Keep absorbing the same costs. Keep doing extras for free.

And you’ll keep working 50-hour weeks wondering why there’s nothing left at the end of the month.

What To Do Next

Start tracking this. Properly.

After every job, spend 10 minutes:

• Quoted vs actual (days, materials, costs)
• What went over and why
• What you absorbed that you shouldn’t have

After 10 jobs, you’ll see exactly where the profit’s going.

Then you can fix it.

Most roofers are working twice as hard as they need to because they never look at what jobs actually cost them.

Don’t be one of them.

Want help working out where your profit’s actually going? That’s exactly what we do at TradeCS. We help UK trade businesses diagnose what’s broken, fix the biggest drains, and build systems that keep you profitable. Get in touch to find out more

You’ve finished the job. Customer’s paid. Boiler’s running sweet.

Job done, right?

But here’s the question most plumbers never ask: Did I actually make any money on that job?

Not “did I get paid,” that’s a given. I mean after materials, after labour, after all the bits you forgot to charge for, what was actually left in your pocket?

If you can’t answer that, you’re guessing. And when you’re guessing, you’re losing money on jobs you think are winners.

Let me show you how to work it out properly.

Start With Your Original Quote

Pull up what you quoted the customer.

What did you say it would cost?

• Labour: How many hours did you quote? Just you or did you need a mate?
• Materials: Radiators, pipes, fittings, boiler parts, valves, whatever you listed
• Total price

Write it down. That’s your starting point.

Now Work Out What It Actually Cost

This is the bit most plumbers skip. And that’s why they’ve no clue if they made money or not.

Here’s what you actually need to count:

Labour costs:

• How long did the job actually take?
• Did you quote 4 hours and it took 6 because the pipework was a nightmare?
• Did you need your mate for half a day you didn’t plan for?
• Did you have to come back the next day because you were waiting on a part?

Take the actual hours and multiply by your hourly rate. If you’re charging yourself out at £45/hour and your mate’s £15/hour, add it all up.

Materials costs:

• What did you actually spend at the merchant?
• Not what you estimated. What the invoices say.
• Did you have to make two trips because you forgot the compression fittings?
• Did you use something from the van you already paid for? (Still counts.)

Pull your invoices. Total it up.

Parts you didn’t charge for:

• Customer said “the tap’s dripping, can you have a quick look?”
• You replace a washer. Takes 10 minutes. You don’t charge them.
• Or you fit an extra isolator because “it should’ve been there anyway.”

That’s still your time and your materials. Cost it.

Other stuff people forget:

• Fuel. You drove 40 minutes each way. That’s not free.
• Parking if you had to pay for it.
• Van costs, insurance, tools (yes, these add up).
• That emergency call-out on Saturday you had to squeeze in.

Do The Maths

Right, now you’ve got your two numbers.

What you charged: £850

What it actually cost:

• Labour: 6 hours @ £45/hour = £270
• Mate’s time: 3 hours @ £15/hour = £45
• Materials: £280 (actual invoices)
• Extra bits you didn’t charge: £40 (tap washer, isolator valve)
• Fuel and other: £35

Total cost: £670

Profit: £850 – £670 = £180

£180 for 6 hours work. That’s £30/hour.

Better than minimum wage, but is that what you thought you were making?

And you thought this was a decent job because the customer didn’t complain about the price.

What This Tells You

Once you’ve done this for 5 or 10 jobs, you start seeing patterns.

Jobs always take longer than quoted? You’re underestimating how long things actually take. Your quotes are wrong.

Materials always cost more than you thought? You’re either guessing at the merchant or you’re not tracking what you’ve already got in the van.

You’re always throwing in extras? The “quick look” at the leaking tap or the “I’ll just fix that while I’m here” is costing you hundreds a month.

Certain jobs never make money? Small repairs, call-outs, “quick fixes” if they’re not clearing you at least £40-50/hour after costs, why are you doing them?

Why Plumbers Don’t Track This

Because it’s depressing.

You don’t want to find out that the boiler service you thought made you £200 actually made you £60 after you factor in the time, the parts, and the return trip because you needed a different flue adaptor.

But if you don’t know, you’ll keep making the same mistakes.

You’ll keep quoting too low. Keep doing freebies. Keep working 50-hour weeks and wondering why you’re skint.

The Jobs That Kill You

Here’s what I see all the time with plumbers:

The “while you’re here” jobs: Customer books you for a radiator replacement. While you’re there: “The kitchen tap’s dripping, can you look?” Then it’s “the shower’s losing pressure.” Before you know it, you’ve been there an extra 90 minutes and you’ve charged them nothing.

The emergency call-outs: Saturday afternoon. Burst pipe. You drop everything, drive 30 minutes, fix it in an hour. You charge £180. Feels decent. But you’ve just worked 2.5 hours (drive, fix, drive back), used £25 in parts, and burned your Saturday. After costs, you cleared £80. For a Saturday.

The “I’ll just do it properly” jobs: You’re fitting a new tap. Customer’s isolation valves are knackered. You know if you don’t replace them, you’ll be back in 6 months. So you do it. Don’t charge. Cost you £30 in parts and 20 minutes. Times 10 jobs a month, that’s £300 you’re giving away.

What To Do Next

After every job, spend 5 minutes.

Write down:

• What you quoted vs what it actually cost
• How long it really took
• What you did that wasn’t on the quote

Do this for a month. You’ll see exactly where your profit’s disappearing.

Then fix it.

Most plumbers are working twice as hard as they need to because they’ve no idea what jobs actually make them money.

Stop being one of them.

Need help working out where your money’s going? That’s what we do at Trade CS. We help UK trade businesses find the profit drains, fix them, and build systems that keep you profitable.  Drop us a message.