Residential Project Consulting
We sit on your side of the table.
Paid by the homeowner only. Mid-Atlantic and New England.
The problem
Three bids on the same siding job can run from $12 to $25 per square foot for fiber cement. Three bids on the same roof can run from $5 to $15 per square foot.
The bids are not for the same scope. One is almost always missing work: the second layer of tear-off, the rotten decking, the flashing that should be replaced instead of reused. That missing work does not disappear. It comes back later as a change order, after the crew is on your roof and your options are gone.
AI tools can compare the words in your bids, and they are getting good at it. They cannot verify the contractor's license and insurance, walk your property, or catch what a scope omits. That omission is the part that costs money.
Two services. Flat fees.
For roofs and projects under about $40,000
$495 flat
You send us your contractor bids, two or three of them. Within 48 hours you receive a written side-by-side scope comparison, the red flags, and one clear recommendation, followed by a 30-minute call to walk through it.
For full siding replacements, large or complex roofs, and whole-envelope projects
$1,500–$2,500 flat, quoted up front
Deeper scope leveling, verification of the materials and specifications each contractor actually priced, change-order risk analysis, and a written report suitable for an insurance or lending file, followed by a recommendation call.
Why Longbow
Ten-plus years inside the contracting industry. We have written the bids, run the crews, and seen where the money hides in a scope.
Veteran-owned. Founded by a U.S. Army veteran and based in Pennsylvania.
Paid by the homeowner only. Never by contractors. No referral fees, no kickbacks, no preferred-vendor lists that pay to be preferred.
No stake in the outcome. Whichever contractor you pick, our fee is the same. Our only job is to make sure you pick well.
How it works
Email or upload the bids you have collected, along with any photos or drawings the contractors gave you.
We put every bid on the same scope, verify products and specifications, check licenses and insurance, and flag what is missing.
You receive a written comparison, one recommendation, and a call to answer your questions. The decision stays yours.
Questions homeowners ask us
No. We review bids, scopes, and specifications on paper. We do not climb your roof or open your walls. If the bids suggest a condition that needs eyes on it, we tell you what to ask the contractor to document, and when a licensed home inspector is the right call.
We evaluate the contractors you found. If you want a full process, where we write the scope, bring vetted contractors, and run the bids, that service is available on larger projects through our commercial division.
We review it against a complete scope checklist and tell you what is missing, what is priced high, and what to ask before you sign. In most cases we will recommend getting at least one more bid, and we give you the exact scope language to request so the second bid compares cleanly.
Yes. We serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Bid review is document-based, so distance does not change the work. We are based in Pennsylvania.
The Bid Check fee is due when you send your bids; we email a secure payment link. A Major Project Review is quoted up front and paid before the written report is delivered.
A Bid Check is delivered within 48 hours of receiving your bids. A Major Project Review timeline is quoted with your proposal, since it depends on the size of the project.
Start here
Tell us about the project and how many bids you have. If a Bid Check is not the right fit, we will say so on the call.
A guide for homeowners
Most homeowners compare the bottom line. Contractors know this, and the bottom line is the easiest number to move. This guide shows you how to compare what actually matters: the scope.
Leveling means adjusting every bid until each one describes the same job: the same removal, the same repairs, the same materials by name, the same warranty, the same permit and cleanup. Only then do the prices mean anything. Commercial owners pay professionals to do this on every project. Homeowners usually do it by instinct, which is how a $14,000 roof becomes a $21,000 roof one change order at a time.
Because they are rarely for the same job. The low bid usually leaves something out: a tear-off counted as one layer when there are two, no allowance for rotten decking, flashing reused instead of replaced, thinner underlayment, a shorter warranty, or a permit the homeowner is expected to pull. Some low bids also reflect uninsured crews or subcontracted labor priced at a discount. Occasionally the high bid is simply high, padded because the contractor is busy or because the neighborhood looks like it will pay. You cannot tell which is which from the total. You can tell from the scope.
Removal of all existing layers and disposal, a per-sheet price for decking replacement, ice-and-water shield with the exact areas named, synthetic underlayment, drip edge, new step and counter flashing, pipe boots, ridge and intake ventilation, the shingle product and color by manufacturer name, the fastening pattern, the manufacturer warranty tier and who registers it, the permit, cleanup and magnet sweep, and a start and finish window.
Removal and disposal of the existing siding, inspection and a unit price for sheathing repair, a named weather-resistive barrier, flashing at every window, door, and penetration, trim and corner details with material named, soffit and fascia if included, caulk and paint or touch-up, fastener type and spacing per the manufacturer, the exact product line and thickness, warranty registration, lead-safe practices for homes built before 1978, and the permit.
Hidden conditions: rotten roof decking, soft wall sheathing, failed window flashing, and framing damage behind old siding. A fair bid names a unit price for each of these before work starts. A bid that is silent on them is not cheaper; it has simply moved that cost to a conversation on your driveway with the crew waiting.
Put each bid in a column and list every scope item in rows. Where one bid includes something another does not, ask the quiet contractor to price it in writing. Confirm the same product line and thickness across all three. Ask each for a certificate of insurance and license number. Then compare the totals. What was a spread of tens of thousands of dollars usually tightens, and the real differences become visible: crew quality, warranty, schedule, and how clearly each contractor communicates. Those are worth the money. A missing line item is not.
If you would rather have someone who has written hundreds of these bids do the leveling for you, that is what a Bid Check is.