Ask what a new roof costs and the honest first answer is another question: which roof? A concrete-tiled semi with a plain pitch and a clear run for scaffolding is one job. A detached house with four hips, two chimneys, a dormer and a slate covering is another. A flat roof on a rear extension is a third. The published figures cover this spread, and they are wide for good reason. This page sets out what those figures are, where they come from, what pushes a quote towards the top or bottom of the range, and how to read a price so that you know what you are being asked to pay for. Every figure here is lifted from published UK cost guides and is offered as orientation; a price for your own roof only exists after we have surveyed it.
What the published ranges say
For a full re-roof of a three-bedroom semi-detached house in concrete tile, one UK cost guide reports a range from £6,500 up to £10,500. A second guide, looking at new roofs on standard semi-detached and detached houses generally, gives a broader spread of £4,000 to £13,000. Both include labour, materials and the normal run of associated work. The difference between the two reflects the difference between house sizes, covering types and regional prices, and neither is a promise of what your own roof will cost.
Natural slate costs more. Published figures put a natural slate re-roof at £120 to £180 per m² all-in, with man-made slate at £90 to £130 per m². Where the stone comes from matters as well: guides place Welsh slate at the top of that band and Spanish slate at the lower end of it. Those per-metre figures are for the covering work, so the total for a house depends on the roof area, which is bigger than the footprint of the house because of the pitch and the overhangs.
| Roof type | Typical UK range reported | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full re-roof, three-bed semi, concrete tile | £6,500 to £10,500 | One guide, whole job |
| New roof, standard semi or detached | £4,000 to £13,000 | Wider set of houses |
| Natural slate re-roof | £120 to £180 per m² | Welsh at the top, Spanish at the lower end |
| Man-made slate re-roof | £90 to £130 per m² | Cheaper and lighter than natural |
| Flat roof, felt | £60 to £100 per m² | Supply and fit |
| Flat roof, EPDM | £80 to £120 per m² | Supply and fit |
| Flat roof, GRP | £100 to £160 per m² | Supply and fit |
Treat the table as a starting map. A fixed quote follows the survey, with each line named separately.
What moves the price
Roof area and shape. A bigger roof costs more, but so does a complicated one. Every hip, valley, dormer, chimney and abutment adds lead, cutting and time. A plain gable roof is the cheapest shape per square metre.
The covering. Concrete tile sits at the lower end, plain clay and natural slate at the higher end. Within each type the price varies by manufacturer and range. Weight, looks and upkeep matter as well as cost, and the roof material comparison weighs them up.
Access and scaffolding. Scaffold is a separate cost that rises with the height and footprint of the building. Published figures for roofline scaffold hire run from £200 to £2,600, and for a dry-ridge job on a semi the scaffold alone is quoted at £300 to £900. A tall house, a narrow plot or a pavement that needs a licence all push the figure upward.
The state of the structure. Once the old covering is off, the battens and rafters are visible. Rotten battens, split rafters and decayed wall plates are repaired as part of the job, and the cost depends on how much there is. A good quote says how such extras will be priced.
Underlay, ventilation and insulation. A modern breathable underlay costs more than old-style felt but lasts longer. Ventilation at the eaves and ridge, and any upgrade to insulation required when a large share of the roof is renewed, add materials and labour. Our guide on upgrading insulation when you replace a roof explains when that applies.
Details around the edges. Fascias, soffits and gutters are often replaced at the same time because the scaffold is up. A full uPVC roofline for a semi is reported at £1,800 to £3,500. Chimney leadwork is quoted at £350 to £920, and a chimney flashing on four sides at about £525 without scaffold. Dry-fix ridge on a semi is reported at £900 to £1,600. These are items that might or might not appear in a quote.
Waste and disposal. Taking old tiles and timber away costs money, and heavy coverings cost more to dispose of. Our short answer on whether you need a skip for a roof replacement covers the practicalities.
Timing and location. Prices in the South East tend to run higher than the national average, and demand peaks in late spring and summer. Booking at a quieter time can help, though a roof that is leaking should not wait for a discount.
Reading a quote line by line
A good quote lists the covering by make and type, the underlay, the battens, the lead and flashings, the ridge, hip and verge fixing method, the roofline and gutters if included, the scaffold, the disposal and the paperwork. Our guide to comparing roof replacement quotes shows how to put several side by side. Ask whether VAT is included, because it makes a large difference to the total and some quotes show it separately.
Ask also what is not included. Common omissions are scaffold, fascias and gutters, new battens, internal repairs after a leak, the building control fee and the cost of dealing with asbestos if it is found. If a figure looks low, one of those is probably the reason.
Two worked examples, in words
Numbers mean more when they sit on a real roof, so here are two cases described by shape. These are descriptions of how a price builds up, not quotes.
The first is a 1970s three-bedroom semi with a plain gable roof, concrete tiles near the end of their life and a chimney on the party wall. The job is a strip, new breathable underlay, new battens, new concrete tiles to match the profile, a dry-fix ridge, new lead around the chimney and a clear-up. Scaffolding goes up at the front and back. If the fascias and gutters are sound, they stay. The price sits in the middle of the published range, and most of what moves it is the scaffold, the quality of the tile and what the rafters turn out to need.
The second is a detached 1930s house with a hipped roof, two chimneys, a bay with its own small roof and clay plain tiles that the owner wants to keep in character. Clay tiles cost more and take longer, the hips and the bay add cutting and lead, and the roof area is bigger. Scaffolding wraps the whole house. Reusing sound old tiles on the front slope and using new matching ones elsewhere may bring the cost down, although it adds sorting time, and the answer on whether old roof tiles can be reused explains the trade-off. This roof sits towards the top of the range or beyond it.
Between them the two show why a single headline price misleads. The same words, new roof, describe jobs that differ by a factor of two or more in effort and materials.
Extras to ask about before you sign
- Is scaffolding in the price, and does it cover every elevation that needs it?
- Are new battens included, and what size and treatment?
- Is lead included at chimneys, walls and valleys, and what weight?
- What happens to the old covering and the waste?
- Are fascias, soffits and gutters in or out?
- How is rotten timber charged if it is found?
- Who handles Building Regulations notification, and what does it cost?
- Is VAT included in the figure?
Asking these before you decide keeps the price you agree close to the price you pay.
Repair or replace: keeping a sound roof saves the most
The price of a new roof is high enough that it is worth asking whether you need one. A roof with a handful of slipped tiles, a worn ridge or a failed flashing is a repair, which costs a small fraction of a replacement. The question to ask is how much life the rest of the covering has. A roof that is generally sound can run for years with repairs, whereas one that is crumbling across the whole surface is not worth patching. Our guide on when to replace a roof sets out the signs, and our free survey tells you which case you are in. We repair wherever repair works and tell you straight when the existing covering still has service in it.
Where costs creep, and how to avoid it
Most overruns come from a short list. Extra timber found under the old covering is the biggest. A change of mind about the covering halfway through is another. Late additions such as new fascias, a roof window or a chimney rebuild add items nobody had priced. And a missing line in a low quote returns as an extra. The remedy is to agree the full scope before work starts: survey, photograph, price and write everything down. Ask how rotten timber will be charged, set a rate and agree any change in writing before it is carried out.
Ways to spread or reduce the cost
You cannot sensibly cut corners on a roof, but there are fair ways to manage the cost. Choose a covering that suits the house rather than the most expensive one. Combine jobs under one scaffold, such as roofline and gutters. Repair the faults that can be repaired and replace only the slopes that need it, where the structure allows, although a half-replacement has its own limits, which our answer on whether you can replace half a roof explains. Check whether your insurer will contribute where storm damage is involved. And plan: a roof renewed on your schedule is cheaper than one renewed in an emergency. Our guide to paying for a new roof goes through budgeting, insurance and finance.
How we price
We begin with a free survey, going onto the roof and into the loft, and photographing your own roof so the numbers rest on what is really there. The quote that follows is fixed, written and itemised. If repair would do, we price the repair and say so. On completion you receive a written ten-year workmanship guarantee, and nothing is left behind on site. Our roof replacement in Basingstoke page describes the whole process, and 01256 213956 is the number for a survey.
