There is no single price for a new roof, and any roofer who gives you one over the phone is guessing. What there is, is a small set of measurable things that decide the figure: how much roof there is, how complicated it is, what it is being covered with, how the scaffold has to go up, and what is found once the old covering is off. Once you can see those five things you can read any quote properly, including ours. We inspect free of charge and put the quotation in writing.
Size is measured in slope area, not floor area
A roof is priced on the area of the slopes, so pitch matters as much as footprint. A steep roof over a small bungalow can carry more covering than a shallow roof over a wider house, and a steep roof also slows the work down because everything has to be handled on a batten rather than walked across.
The quickest honest guide to your own property is to count the slopes. Two slopes and a single ridge is the cheapest shape to re-roof. Every extra hip, valley, dormer and chimney adds cut tiles, lead, time and waste.
- Terraced house: small area, but scaffold access and neighbouring properties drive the cost
- Semi-detached: usually the simplest full re-roof, with one party wall to detail
- Detached house: more area, more slopes, easier ground access in most cases
- Bungalow: large slope area for the footprint, lower scaffold, easier handling
- Cottage or period property: irregular shapes, older timbers, matched coverings
Covering is the part you choose, and the range is wide
Concrete interlocking tiles sit at the affordable end and cover ground quickly. Clay pantiles, the traditional Norfolk covering, cost more and take longer because of the way they are laid and cut at verges and valleys. Natural slate sits higher again, both in material and in labour, because each slate is holed and nailed individually.
Reclaimed materials are their own case. Matching an existing pantile roof with reclaimed clay usually costs more than buying new, because sound reclaimed stock is scarce and has to be sorted.
What is underneath is priced as a provisional item
Battens are always renewed on a full re-roof. Felt or breather membrane is always renewed. Beyond that, nobody can see rafter feet, wall plates or valley boards until the covering is off, so a fair quote carries an allowance and a stated rate for anything extra, agreed with you before it is done.
This is the single most common reason two quotes differ. One has allowed for timber, the other has not mentioned it.
The parts people forget to compare
Once the covering and the labour are set, the remaining money sits in the details, and the details are what stop the roof leaking in ten years' time.
- Dry-fix ridge and verge rather than sand-and-cement mortar
- New lead to chimneys, abutments and valleys rather than reusing old
- Ventilation at eaves and ridge so the new roof does not condense
- Guttering and fascia renewed while the scaffold is standing
- Skips, waste transfer and full site clearance
How to get a real figure
We come out, get on the roof or into the loft where it is safe to do so, measure properly and write the scope down. The inspection is free, the quotation is free and there is no obligation afterwards. If a repair would genuinely serve you better than a replacement, we will say so and price that instead.
Common questions
Can you give me a price per square metre for a new roof?
Not one that would be honest. The same square metre costs differently on a shallow bungalow with clear ground access and on a three-storey terrace with a valley and two chimneys. We measure and price the actual roof, free of charge.
Is it cheaper to re-roof a bungalow than a house?
The scaffold is usually cheaper and the handling is easier, but bungalows often have a large slope area for their footprint, so the covering cost can be closer than people expect.
Does a new roof have to match the old covering?
Not always, but in conservation areas and on listed buildings it often must, and on a semi-detached property matching the neighbouring half usually looks better. We will tell you what your property needs before you choose.
How long does a full re-roof take?
It depends on size and weather. We give you an expected duration in writing with the quotation rather than a vague promise, and we tell you if weather has moved it.
Do you charge for the survey?
No. Inspections and written quotations are free and carry no obligation.