Psyduck #054 / IDEAS / ROOFDRAFT
BIZ MICRO-SAAS · MULTI-VERTICAL R&D

ROOFDRAFT

AI-powered roofing estimate generator for solo contractors. 8 inputs → professional itemized PDF in under 2 minutes. v1 of a multi-vertical trade estimator platform. Pitched May 27, 2026. Beta tester: confirmed.

R&D · DEEP SCOPING · BETA TESTER LINED UP
THE PITCH

Solo roofers write 3–10 estimates per week in Word, by hand, or in their head. The full platforms — Jobber ($49+/mo), ServiceTitan ($398+/mo), Housecall Pro ($65+/mo) — bundle estimates inside heavy CRMs built for large operations. No standalone, affordable, AI-powered estimate tool exists for the solo or small-crew roofer.

RoofDraft takes 8 inputs and generates a complete, professional, itemized estimate PDF in under 2 minutes. No CRM. No onboarding marathon. No features the contractor doesn't need. The simplest way to create a roofing estimate that exists.

v1 is roofing. The same engine powers PlumbDraft, WireDraft, AirDraft (HVAC), and BuildDraft — each a separate brand, separate SEO footprint, same codebase underneath.

THE 8 INPUTS
1. Customer name + job address
2. Roof size — squares (100 sq ft each), or enter sq ft and we convert
3. Pitch — flat / low / medium / steep (affects material qty + labor rate)
4. Stories — 1 / 2 / 3+ (affects safety setup + labor cost)
5. Tear-off layers — 0 (overlay) / 1 / 2+ layers to remove
6. Shingle tier — Good / Better / Best with price anchors preset
7. Add-ons — checkboxes: ice & water shield, ridge vent, pipe boots (×qty), chimney flashing
8. Notes — anything unusual; voice input supported

AI generates the full itemized estimate from those 8 inputs. Contractor adjusts any line before generating the PDF.

WHAT THE ESTIMATE INCLUDES
  • Tear-off labor (per square × layers)
  • New shingles (per square + 12% waste factor)
  • Underlayment / synthetic felt
  • Ice & water shield (valleys, eaves, penetrations)
  • Starter strips + ridge cap shingles
  • Drip edge + step flashing
  • Pipe boot replacements (per penetration)
  • Ridge vent (linear feet)
  • Chimney / skylight flashing (if flagged)
  • Dumpster + debris disposal
  • Contractor overhead + margin (set in account preferences)
  • Payment terms + labor warranty language
ONBOARDING — 3 FIELDS, DONE
  • Business name + logo upload
  • License number
  • Local labor rate per square (or select regional default)

First estimate in under 5 minutes. That's the promise.

V1 SCOPE — HARD NO LIST

Every feature below is a reason a roofer doesn't bother learning the app. Out of scope for v1:

  • ❌ CRM / customer management
  • ❌ Scheduling / job calendar
  • ❌ Invoicing
  • ❌ Payment processing
  • ❌ Job photo management
  • ❌ Time tracking
  • ❌ Crew management

Just estimates. One thing, done perfectly. Add features only after a paying contractor asks for them twice.

MULTI-VERTICAL ROADMAP
BrandTradeAvg estimate $CommunityStatus
RoofDraftRoofing$8–25Kr/Roofing (180K)← BUILD FIRST
PlumbDraftPlumbing$500–5Kr/Plumbing (320K)Next
WireDraftElectrical$1–10Kr/electricians (210K)Next
AirDraftHVAC$3–15Kr/HVAC (175K)Next
BuildDraftGeneral$10K+r/ContractorLater

Each vertical is a separate domain, brand, and SEO footprint. Same core engine. Each new vertical = a few days of work once the base is proven.

COMPETITIVE POSITION
  • Roofr — 4.7★, 1,000+ reviews, free tier, $13/measurement report. CRM + estimates + invoicing targeting solo roofers. Real competition.
  • RoofSnap — 4.5★, "built for small crews and solo roofers." Measurements + estimates + payments. Directly overlaps the target positioning.
  • iRoofing — Measurements + estimates + proposals, roofing-specific.
  • Full CRM platforms (Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro): $49–$398+/mo — still overkill, but the roofing-specific tools above are the real comps.
  • Word/handwritten: still the reality for many solo operators who haven't found or adopted the tools above.

COMPETITIVE CORRECTION (May 29, 2026): Initial sweep only checked major CRMs and missed roofing-specific tools. Roofr and RoofSnap are established, well-rated, and explicitly target solo/small-crew roofers. The gap is narrower than originally assessed.

THE BOARD'S VERDICT
R&D · PRE-GREENLIGHT · BETA CONFIRMED · GRADE: B-

Corrected competitive picture. Roofr (4.7★, 1,000+ reviews) and RoofSnap (4.5★) both target solo roofers with estimates and are legitimate competitors. The original "nothing like it exists" framing was wrong. Gap is narrower than called.

Still alive, but the moat has to be sharper. AI-generated regional pricing (zip-code labor + material defaults), faster onboarding, and a cleaner no-CRM stance are the differentiators. Win on execution and simplicity over established but feature-bloated players.

Beta tester still the key data point. If the roofer is already using Roofr or RoofSnap, the question becomes: what do they hate about it? That's the real gap. If they're still on Word/handwritten, the door is wide open.

Multi-vertical SEO play (ElecDraft, PlumbDraft, etc.) is still valid — those trade-specific keywords are cheap and the tools are thinner in those verticals.

OPEN QUESTIONS FOR R&D
  • Beta interview: what does the roofer currently use? How long per estimate? How many per week?
  • Regional labor rate database — build from scratch or use BLS data as defaults?
  • Material pricing: static defaults the contractor overrides, or live supplier price feeds?
  • PDF output: custom branded template with logo, or contractor uploads their own?
  • Mobile-first or web-first? Roofers are on job sites — does this need to work offline?
  • Distribution: r/Roofing cold outreach, or Facebook contractor groups first?
  • Pricing: flat $19/mo, or per-estimate for very low-volume contractors?