What drives the price of a roof
Access. This is the single biggest variable and the one homeowners consistently underestimate. Scaffolding on a modest semi runs £900 to £2,000 depending on how many elevations need it and how long it stands. A bungalow you can reach from a tower is far cheaper to work on than a three-storey Victorian terrace with no rear access, even though the roof area may be similar.
Roof area and shape. Price per square metre falls as area rises, so a large simple roof is better value than a small complicated one. Every valley, hip, dormer and change of pitch adds labour and adds a detail that has to be weathered correctly. A plain gable roof is the cheapest thing in roofing; a cut-and-stack roof with three dormers and two valleys is a different job entirely.
Materials. Concrete interlocking tile is the economical baseline. Clay plain tiles cost more and take considerably longer to lay because there are far more of them per square metre. Natural slate is the premium option; fibre-cement slate gets close to the look for meaningfully less. Lead is priced as a commodity and moves with the market.
What is underneath. Until the covering comes off, nobody knows the state of the rafter feet and the battens. A good quote handles this by stating a rate for timber replacement rather than assuming none — and by telling you honestly that it is a possibility rather than springing it on you on day three.
How to compare two quotes properly
Put them side by side and check these six things before you look at the totals. Is scaffolding included or excluded? Is the underlay being replaced, and with a breathable membrane or bitumen felt? Are the battens new and treated, or is the quote reusing the existing ones? Is the ridge dry-fixed or bedded in mortar? Is there a rate stated for replacing rotten timber? And is waste removal included?
Two quotes that differ by £2,000 usually differ on three or four of those six points. Once you have matched the specifications, the remaining difference is the actual price difference — and it is normally far smaller than it first appeared.
Warning signs on a quote
- A large cash deposit requested before any work begins.
- A price given over the phone without anyone seeing the roof.
- Pressure to decide today, or a discount that expires this week.
- "We were working next door and noticed your roof" — almost never true.
- A single line reading "roof works" with no specification behind it.
- No written quotation at all, only a figure agreed verbally.
Is roofing work VAT-free?
Generally no. Repairs and maintenance to existing dwellings carry VAT at the standard rate where the contractor is VAT registered. There are narrow exceptions — new-build housing is zero-rated, some conversions and properties empty for over two years attract a reduced rate, and certain energy-saving installations qualify. If a quote is materially cheaper because it is quoted without VAT, make sure you know which of those applies before you assume it is a saving.