Anyone searching for the cost of a new roof finds a wide spread of numbers, and the spread is not a mistake. Cost guides measure different houses, different coverings and different sets of work. One may price a typical three-bedroom house in a survey of traders, another a specific 65 square metre semi in plain concrete tiles, a third an average drawn from quotes sent through its platform.
The honest way to read them is to name each source and what it describes, then work out which description is nearest to your own roof. None of them is a price for your house, and none is a Fortis price.
This guide sets out the figures from Which?, HomeBuilding and MyJobQuote, with their dates, explains why they differ, lists what drives the price of a particular roof, shows how slate and other coverings change it, and covers VAT, access and the written quote, for houses around Farnborough, Aldershot and Fleet.
The published figures side by side
Three sources publish a figure for a whole roof, and they do not agree. The disagreement is itself the main finding.
| Source | What it describes | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Which? (Nov 2025) | Full re-roof of a typical three-bed house | £7,000 to £21,000, ex VAT |
| HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) | A 65 m² three-bed semi in plain concrete tile, with labour, scaffolding and insulation | between £10,000 and £15,000 |
| HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) | The same semi in Welsh slate | might reach £18,000 |
| MyJobQuote (Oct 2026) | New roof, average | around £5,250 |
Reading the table
Which? states that its prices come from a survey of 11 Trusted Traders in November 2025, include labour and materials and exclude VAT. HomeBuilding's range is for a defined house and includes scaffolding and insulation. MyJobQuote states an average and does not say whether VAT is included.
What each figure leaves out
The Which? range does not say which covering was priced, and the HomeBuilding range is tied to one house size and one tile. The MyJobQuote figure is an average that may include smaller jobs. If your house is larger than 65 m² of roof, or in a more expensive covering, expect the HomeBuilding range to be a floor and not a ceiling.
Why the spread is so wide
A roof on a small terrace and a roof on a large detached house are different projects. The lowest figure may describe a small roof in a basic covering with easy access, and the highest a big house with a complex roof and an expensive covering. Neither source claims otherwise.
When sources disagree this much, the sensible course is to name two of them, as we do here, and treat every figure as background.
Factors that set the price of your roof
Cost follows the work, and the work follows the roof. A handful of factors do most of the moving, and each can be checked against your own house before anyone prices it.
Size and shape
More square metres mean more material and more time. A roof with hips, valleys, dormers, bay roofs and a chimney is slower than a plain gable, because every junction needs cutting and flashing. Two houses of the same floor area can have very different roof areas.
The covering
Each covering has its own material cost, weight and labour. HomeBuilding's supply-only slate prices per square metre (Sep 2025) run at £72 for Spanish natural slate, £90 for reclaimed Welsh slate and £185 for new Welsh slate. Material is only one part of the bill, though those numbers show how far a choice can move it.
Access and scaffolding
A tall house, a steep roof or an awkward site raises the cost of getting to the work safely. Scaffolding is part of any new roof, and its cost depends on the size of the house and how long it stays.
What is under the old roof
Rotten battens, damaged rafters, a failed wall plate or old insulation all add work that cannot be seen until the covering is off. The survey tries to allow for what it can see, and any change found during the job is explained to you first.
Extras
New underlay and ventilation, lead flashings, a new ridge and verge system, replacement fascias and soffits, gutters, chimney work and insulation can each be included or left out, so check what a quote contains. Our guide to insulation when re-roofing explains how Part L can bear on the job.
How coverings compare on cost and life
The lowest-priced covering to buy is not always the lowest-priced over the life of the roof, and the longest-lasting is not always right for the house.
| Covering | Typical life | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Plain concrete tile | 40 to 50 years | HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) |
| Double Roman concrete tile | 40 to 50 years | HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) |
| Clay tile | 60 to 80 years | HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) |
| Welsh slate | 100+ years | HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) |
| Spanish natural slate | 75 to 100 years | HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) |
| Fibre cement tile | 30 to 40 years | HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) |
How to use the table
These lives are ranges for typical roofs, not assurances, and a warranty is a different thing from a lifespan. Marley's own page puts the expectation for roof tiles at about 60 years and says plainly that this is not a warranty, which lands between HomeBuilding's concrete and clay figures. The BRE minimum of 60 years belongs to clay tiles alone.
Weight matters
A heavier covering can call for structural checks. Where a new covering is 15 per cent or more heavier, Building Regulations approval follows, and it is wise to have the rafters looked at by a qualified person before the work is planned. A move to slate is therefore not automatically a simple swap.
Matching the house
If the house is listed, or lies within a conservation area, the council may have a say in the covering. Our guide to replacing the roof on a listed building covers consent routes.
Repair, partial re-roof or full replacement
A whole new roof is not always the answer, and the gap in price between the options can be large. The survey should say which one the evidence supports, and why.
Repair
If the covering is sound and the damage is local, a repair is the better buy. MyJobQuote's average roof repair comes to around £650 in 2026 (Oct 2026), and Which? gives £75 to £400 ex VAT for up to six standard tiles (Nov 2025). Both are typical UK ranges. Our guide to signs you need a new roof sets out how to tell the difference.
Partial re-roof
Sometimes only one slope has failed, for instance the one that faces the weather or sits under a tree. Re-covering that slope alone can be sensible, provided the rest is sound and the new tiles can be matched to the old. It saves money now, and the cost is that a second job may follow in a few years when the rest wears out.
Full replacement
When the covering is worn across the roof, the battens have gone soft and the underlay has perished, partial work keeps leaving something behind. A full re-roof deals with every layer at once, and it is the moment to fix ventilation, insulation and details at ridge and verge.
How the choice is made
We photograph the evidence, mark the failures on a plan of the roof and explain what each route would cost and what it would leave behind. You then choose with the facts to hand.
VAT, scaffolding and the other items to check
Two quotes for the same roof can differ by thousands of pounds because of what each includes. Four items explain most of the gaps.
VAT
The standard rate is 20%. Which? states its range ex VAT, so the real bill may be higher. VAT makes up a sixth of a price that already includes it, so a quote that omits VAT is not a fifth lower in practice. The domestic reverse charge does not apply to a homeowner.
Scaffolding
Every new roof needs scaffold, and where it occupies the highway, the Highways Act 1980 brings in a licence issued by the highway authority. Whether the cost and the licence are in the quote is a fair question for every roofer. Our guide to scaffolding for a new roof covers how licences work.
Waste and skips
Old tiles, battens and felt have to be taken away. Check that disposal is in the price. If any of the material is asbestos, it follows a different route and cost.
Insulation and ventilation
If the work counts as renovation under Part L, insulation may need to improve. Where it is added, energy-saving materials installed between 1 May 2023 and 31 March 2027 are zero-rated for VAT, and from 1 April 2027 the reduced rate of 5% applies. That does not make roof repairs 5%.
Our approach
After the survey we send one written total, VAT shown, with scaffold access and waste inside it. The figure follows the specification in the same document, so a changed covering or an added repair moves both together.
Getting a quote you can compare
Comparing quotes is easiest when each is written to the same specification. A few steps make that happen.
Give every roofer the same brief
Describe the roof, the covering you want and any extras, and ask each firm to survey in person. A quote given from a photograph or over the phone cannot account for what is under the roof.
Ask for the specification in writing
- Covering, manufacturer and colour.
- Underlay type and ventilation.
- Batten size and fixing.
- Ridge, hip and verge method.
- Flashings and materials.
- Gutters, fascias and soffits included or not.
- Scaffold, licence, waste and VAT.
Look beyond the headline
A quote far below the others has usually left something out or used a cheaper material. Ask what. A figure above the rest may include extras or a better covering. Citizens Advice recommends at least 3 written quotes before you choose.
Check cancellation and payment terms
Signing at your own address after the survey brings the usual 14-day right to cancel. Be wary of large deposits, and for consumer advice ring the Citizens Advice helpline, 0808 223 1133.
Insurance and grants
A roof that has worn out through age is not normally an insurance matter, and no national grant is available for a new roof. Our roof replacement service starts with the survey, and the price follows what is found.
