If your quotes for a new roof came back looking wildly different, that’s normal. Prices vary a lot. Roof size, material choice and scaffold access all change the final number. Here’s a realistic breakdown of what you’re actually paying for.
What a new roof costs per square metre
Most full re-roofs in the UK cost between £90 and £220 per square metre. That figure includes labour, materials, battens, membrane and scaffolding, according to Checkatrade’s roof installation cost guide. In particular, the material you choose makes a big difference to where you land in that range:
| Roof covering | Typical supplied & fitted cost |
|---|---|
| Concrete tiles | £85–£170 per m² |
| Clay tiles | £110–£210 per m² |
| Natural slate | £140–£280 per m² |
Checkatrade also splits the cost by trade. Labour runs at roughly £130 per m². Fitting the tiles themselves costs £120 to £275 per m², supplied. The materials underneath — battens, membrane and fixings — add around £50 per m² on top (source as above).
What pushes the price up or down
A quote depends on more than size and rate alone, although both still matter a lot. A handful of factors move the number further than most people expect:
- Scaffolding. This is unavoidable on anything beyond a single-storey extension, and it’s rarely cheap. Checkatrade’s roof replacement guide puts full scaffolding for a typical house well into four figures on its own. It costs more again if access down a side return is tight, or there’s no room for a tower on the road.
- Timber replacement. If the rafters, battens or roof timbers underneath have rotted, they need replacing before a single new tile goes on. You won’t know the full extent until the old covering comes off. A sensible quote flags this as a possible variation, rather than pricing it with false certainty upfront.
- Roof pitch and complexity. A simple gable roof is quicker and safer to work on. A hipped roof with multiple valleys, dormers or a chimney stack takes longer.
- Access. Terraced housing with no rear access, or a property backing onto a narrow lane, adds time and cost that a detached house with a driveway won’t.
- Material choice. Slate costs more than concrete tile. Matching an existing clay tile on a period property can cost more again if it needs sourcing specially.
A worked example: typical semi-detached roof
Take a fairly ordinary three-bed semi with a roof area of around 70 to 90 m². Using the Checkatrade per-m² figures above:
- Concrete tile: roughly £6,300–£15,300 for materials and labour
- Clay tile: roughly £7,700–£18,900
- Natural slate: roughly £9,800–£25,200
Add scaffolding, and most homeowners in this size bracket end up paying £7,000 to £16,000 all-in. That’s for a straightforward concrete or clay re-roof. Slate is pricier, although if you’re leaning that way our slate & tiled roofing team can talk you through the options. Checkatrade’s overall roof replacement cost data backs this up. It puts the average UK roof replacement at around £8,000, with most jobs landing between £4,000 and £19,000.
Why older housing stock costs more
Anyone looking for roofers in Newbury or elsewhere in the wider Thames Valley should know something about the local stock. A fair chunk of it is older than the postwar semis these average figures are usually based on. Older roofs more often need extra timber work once the tiles come off, because the original rafters and battens have had longer to move, dry out or take on damp. That isn’t a given, since plenty of period roofs are in excellent condition. Still, it’s worth budgeting for the possibility rather than being caught out partway through the job.
Do you need planning permission or building regs sign-off?
For most straightforward re-roofs, you generally won’t need planning permission. Like-for-like replacement usually counts as permitted development, according to the Planning Portal’s guidance on roof planning permission. That’s provided the property isn’t listed, and isn’t in a conservation area with tighter rules.
Building regulations are a separate matter. Under Part L, if you replace or repair more than around 25% of a roof, you’ll often need to tell your council’s building control team. Since building control will check this too, the insulation is also likely to need upgrading to current standards, as set out in the Planning Portal’s building regulations guidance for existing roofs.
Some projects change the roof’s height, shape or profile — adding dormers, raising the ridge, or similar. That’s much more likely to need planning permission. Check with your local council or your roofer before committing to a design that changes the roof’s form, not just its covering.
VAT and other costs to factor in
Roofing work from a VAT-registered contractor carries the standard 20% VAT rate on top of labour and materials. Routine re-roofing and repair work doesn’t qualify for the reduced or zero rates. Under HMRC’s VAT Notice 708 on buildings and construction, those are reserved specifically for new-build dwellings or certain conversions, not like-for-like roof replacement.
Make sure any quote you’re comparing says whether the figure includes VAT. A cheap-looking quote can end up costing more once VAT is added on top of a rival’s inclusive price. It’s also worth asking whether the quote covers disposal of the old roofing materials. Stripping an old roof generates a large amount of waste, and skip hire or muck-away is sometimes billed separately.
Getting a fair price
The best way to sense-check a quote is to get two or three. Ask each roofer to break the number down by labour, materials, scaffolding and VAT, rather than accepting one lump sum. A roofer who’s happy to explain where the money goes is usually the one worth trusting. Similarly, the same goes for one who flags timber replacement as a possible extra, rather than ignoring it or padding it into every quote. It’s also fair to ask for names or examples of past jobs nearby, mainly on an older or odd-shaped build. Our guide on choosing a trustworthy roofer covers this in more depth.
How long does a re-roof actually take?
For a typical semi roof with no major problems, expect a full re-roof to take one to two weeks. That runs from stripping the old covering to finishing the ridge tiles and clearing the site, weather permitting. Larger or more complex roofs take longer, as do ones needing significant timber replacement. Scaffolding usually goes up a day or two before work starts. It comes down once the roof and any guttering work is fully signed off.
If your roof is closer to needing a full replacement than a patch, read our guides on roof repair vs replacement and seven signs your roof needs replacing first. Older properties benefit from the detail in our piece on re-roofing a 1930s semi in Reading. If you’re weighing up materials, see our comparison of slate vs tile roofing. For repair costs rather than a full new roof, our roof repair cost guide has the figures.
If you’re planning a full re-roofing job in Newbury, or want a team who knows homes around Basingstoke, we’re happy to help. We’ll take a proper look and put together a clear, itemised quote. Get in touch for a free quote and we’ll talk you through exactly what your roof needs.