The same earnings. A different multiple.
An independent contractor and a national platform can post identical EBITDA and be worth three times different amounts. Not because the work is better — because the risk is lower. That gap is the entire reason to join a platform rather than sell alone.
Published 2026 ranges, not wishful ones.
2.5x – 4x
Sub-$1M EBITDA residential roofing and storm-restoration shops. Owner-dependent, single market, volatile revenue.
4x – 6x
Lower middle market operators with $1–5M EBITDA and diversified revenue beyond pure storm work.
6x – 8x
Multi-state regionals with management depth, commercial mix, and recurring maintenance revenue.
9x – 13x
PE-backed platforms in disclosed 2026 transactions — multi-state, systematized, professionally managed.
Ranges reflect published 2026 home-services and roofing M&A advisory data. Illustrative only — not a valuation, offer, or guarantee of any outcome.
What the gap is worth on $2M of EBITDA.
Sold alone
$2M EBITDA at 3.5x — a typical storm-restoration multiple — is roughly $7M of enterprise value.
Inside a platform
The same $2M valued at a platform's 10x is roughly $20M. Same crews. Same jobs. Same year.
The difference
About 3x the enterprise value, before a single dollar of new growth. That is what scale buys.
And then growth
Platform leads, media, call center, and capital move the EBITDA itself — so the higher multiple applies to a bigger number.
Why size changes the math.
Why does a bigger group earn a higher multiple?
Buyers pay for durability, not just earnings. A single-owner shop carries owner dependency, one market, and one revenue source. A platform carries management depth, multiple markets, multiple trades, systems, and reporting — so the same dollar of EBITDA is priced as a safer dollar.
What do small contractors actually trade for?
Published 2026 advisory data puts sub-$1M-EBITDA residential roofing and storm-restoration shops at roughly 2.5x to 4x, with storm-dependent revenue taking a further discount for volatility.
What do platforms trade for?
PE-backed home-service and roofing platforms have cleared roughly 9x to 13x adjusted EBITDA in disclosed 2026 transactions, with the top of the band reserved for multi-state operators with recurring revenue and real infrastructure.
So what is the actual gain?
Roughly a 3x expansion in the multiple applied to the same earnings — before any growth. That gap is the reason platforms exist, and it is the core of the Solvane thesis.
Is a specific multiple guaranteed?
No. Multiples depend on revenue mix, margin, market, management depth, and the deal itself. Any number on this page is an industry range, not an offer.