How Much Does Roof Replacement Cost in the UK? 2026 Price Guide

Most people find out what a re-roof costs at the worst possible moment: after a storm, or when a homebuyer's survey lands mid-sale. Three roofers can quote £6,400, £9,200 and £14,800 on the same 1930s semi and all three can be honest, because each has priced a different scope. One is re-using your old tiles. One is stripping to the rafters. One has spotted the wall plate has gone and priced the timber work nobody else mentioned.

The useful question is not what a roof costs but what each line costs. Below are 2026 figures for England and Wales, excluding VAT unless stated, built the way roofers build a price: access, strip and disposal, membrane and battens, covering, leadwork, then labour.

A full re-roof means stripping the covering back to the rafters, fitting new breathable membrane and treated battens, then re-covering. It is a different job from the localised work in our guide to roof repair costs: if your roof is under 25 years old and leaking in one place, price a repair first.

• •Mid-terrace, 45–60 m², concrete interlocking tile: £4,500–£7,500
• •Three-bed semi, 70–90 m², concrete interlocking tile: £7,000–£11,000
• •Three-bed semi, 70–90 m², natural slate: £10,000–£16,500
• •Detached house or bungalow, 100–140 m², tile or slate: £11,000–£22,000
• •Flat roof to a rear extension, 20–25 m², EPDM with insulation: £3,000–£5,000
• •All-in per square metre: £110–£180 concrete tile, £140–£220 clay plain tile, £160–£300 natural slate

These are the numbers a roofer adds up on the back of a job sheet — the difference between reading a quote and reacting to one.

• •Scaffolding, two elevations, three weeks: £900–£1,800 semi, £1,600–£3,200 detached or restricted access
• •8-yard skip including road permit: £280–£450 each; a full strip on a semi needs two
• •Breathable membrane: £2.50–£4.00 per m². Treated 25 x 50 mm battens to BS 5534: £3.50–£6.00 per m²
• •Concrete interlocking tiles (about 10 per m²): £11–£18 per m²
• •Clay plain tiles (about 60 per m²): £38–£75 per m²
• •Spanish natural slate, 500 x 250 mm: £30–£48 per m². Welsh slate: £75–£130 per m²
• •Dry ridge and dry verge systems, standard for new work: £28–£48 per linear metre
• •Lead valleys, soakers and abutment flashings fitted: £70–£130 per linear metre
• •Roofer day rate: £200–£300 per person, London at the top. Building control notification or CompetentRoofer certification: £180–£400

On a concrete tile re-roof, expect roughly 30–40% materials, 40–50% labour, 15–20% access and disposal. Scaffolding and skips surprise people most — on a small terrace they can be a fifth of the bill before a tile is touched. Which is why it pays to bundle: with the scaffold up, adding new guttering, fascias and soffits costs far less than commissioning it separately later.

Switch to natural slate and materials climb towards 45–55%, with labour rising too: slating is slower and more skilled than hooking interlocking tiles over battens. Welsh slate can nearly double a quote — a real difference, not a markup.

One line is not optional: replacing more than 25% of a covering triggers Part L of the Building Regulations, which usually means upgrading insulation too. On a cold loft that is cheap — see loft insulation — but on a room-in-roof it adds £1,500–£4,000.

• •Complexity. Hips, valleys, dormers and multiple chimneys slow everything down. A plain gable roof is the cheapest shape there is.
• •Access. A terrace with no rear alley may need a scaffold crane or waste hand-balled through the house: add £500–£1,500.
• •Timber condition. Nobody can price this until the covering is off. A fair quote carries a provisional sum, typically £300–£1,200, for rotten battens or wall plate.
• •Re-using slates. Salvaging good Welsh slate cuts material costs sharply, but expect 20–30% breakage and more labour for sorting.
• •VAT. Roofers under the £90,000 threshold do not charge it. That alone explains many 20% gaps between quotes and says nothing about quality.
• •Region. Yorkshire, the North East and Wales sit 10–20% below the national middle; London and the South East 15–30% above.

Example 1 — 1930s three-bed semi, Leeds, 78 m², stripped and re-covered in concrete interlocking tile:

• •Scaffolding, three weeks: £1,100
• •Two 8-yard skips: £600
• •Membrane, battens and fixings: £780
• •Concrete interlocking tiles: £1,050
• •Dry ridge kit, 9 m: £320
• •Lead valley and flashings: £450
• •Labour, three roofers for five days: £3,600
• •Building control notification: £180
• •Total: £8,080 excluding VAT — quotes for this job should land £7,800–£9,500

Example 2 — Victorian mid-terrace, Bristol, 55 m², Spanish slate, two stacks. Scaffolding with restricted rear access £1,400; grab and skip £450; slate £1,950; membrane, battens and copper nails £700; leadwork and a valley £850; re-flaunching both stacks £700; two slaters for eight days £4,160; notification £200. Total £10,410 ex VAT. A quote under £8,000 here is re-using the old slate or skipping the leadwork.

Example 3 — flat roof to a rear kitchen extension, 22 m², EPDM. Strip and dispose of old felt £350; 18 mm OSB3 deck £480; 100 mm PIR insulation to hit 0.18 W/m²K £790; membrane and adhesive £620; trims and outlet £280; tower scaffold £180; two men for 2.5 days £1,150. Total £3,850. Felt saves £600 and costs fifteen years of life — check how long a roof should last first.

A reasonable quote is itemised, dated and specific about products. A suspect one is a single figure on a compliment slip. Before signing, read the roof from the ground with binoculars against a roof inspection checklist and test the diagnosis against signs you need a new roof.

• •It names the covering, the membrane and the batten grade — not just 'new tiles'.
• •Scaffolding, skips and VAT appear as separate lines — hidden access costs are the commonest mid-job price rise.
• •There is a written provisional sum for timber repairs, with a rate per metre, so the figure cannot be invented later.
• •The deposit is 10–25%, never 50%, never cash. Payment is staged: scaffold up, strip complete, covering complete, snagging signed off.
• •The guarantee is in writing — 10–20 years is normal — with a company number you can check at Companies House.
• •Walk away from anyone who diagnosed the fault from the pavement, offers a discount expiring today, or knocked because scaffolding is 'already up next door'.

These figures come from merchant list prices for tile, slate, membrane and lead at mid-2026, published scaffolding and skip hire rates, and quoted day rates for roofing teams in England and Wales. They exclude VAT unless flagged, and assume a pitched roof at 30–40 degrees with vehicle access. Listed buildings, conservation areas and roofs above three storeys sit outside these ranges.

Material prices move faster than labour — lead and timber can swing 15% in a year — so treat this page as stale after twelve months, and take three quotes regardless. And if the roof is failing in one spot, don't let 'replacement' enter the conversation before someone has traced the leak. A £400 flashing repair and an £8,000 re-roof start with the same damp patch.