Guide prices and what moves them
No page of figures can price your roof; that takes someone standing on it. What a page can do is give you a sense of scale, so that a quote arrives as neither a shock nor a bargain too good to believe. That is the job of this one.
The first table shows our own guide prices for the four jobs people ask about most. After it, we set out typical UK ranges for a wider list of jobs, each with the guide it comes from and its date. Those are national figures from outside publishers, and they are not our prices. The final sections explain what pushes a cost around and how to read a quote when it arrives.
Why a guide price is a range
A repair that costs £200 on one roof can cost £500 on another, and neither figure is wrong. The difference is rarely the work itself. The cause is the height of the walls, how the roof is reached, the state of what lies beneath and how much of it has to be touched.
One slipped tile on a bungalow, reached from a ladder, is a short visit. The identical tile on a three-storey house, where the only safe route is a scaffold tower, is a different job. Across the flat roofing range of £100 to £200 per m², the lower end suits a simple area, while the upper end suits one that needs more preparation. A full strip and re-tile spans £6,000 to £15,000 or more, with the roof’s size, shape and number of chimneys and valleys deciding where in that span it falls.
That is why a guide price is always a range. A fair quote tells you where in the range your roof falls and the reasons.
Typical UK costs for common roofing jobs
These figures come from published national cost guides. They are typical UK ranges, not ours, and they are here so that you can weigh a quote against the wider picture.
| Job | Typical range | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement (semi-detached, gable) | £5,000 to £8,000 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Roof replacement (semi-detached, hipped) | £8,000 to £12,000 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Roof repair, minor | £100 to £300 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Roof repair, moderate | £500 to £1,000 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Flat roof replacement | £45 to £100 per m² | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Roof inspection | £150 to £500 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
MyBuilder’s replacement figures assume a semi-detached house of 50 to 80 m². Hipped roofs cost more than gables because they have more edges, more ridge work and more cutting. The detail for each job is in our guides, starting with the roofing costs guide.
Smaller jobs: ridges, chimneys, gutters and windows
Many of the jobs we are asked about are not a whole roof. These are the typical UK ranges for the smaller ones, again from named guides.
| Job | Typical range | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Re-bedding or replacing ridge tiles | £300 to £600 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Chimney repointing | £500 to £2,000 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Chimney flashing repair | £250 to £1,200 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Gutter replacement | £30 to £70 per metre | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Roof window installation | £350 to £600 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
| Roof cleaning and moss removal | from around £300 | MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026 |
Each has a longer guide behind its range, and you will find them all in our guides, covering ridges, chimneys, gutters, roof windows and cleaning. If your job is on this list, read the matching guide before you open your quote.
Access and scaffolding
Scaffolding is the item people most often forget to ask about. MyBuilder's scaffolding guide, updated 21/08/2026, gives around £850 to £1,200 for scaffolding a two-storey home. A chimney scaffold is less, at £400 to £900, because it covers a smaller area. Checkatrade's scaffolding guide (updated February 2026) gives chimney scaffolding at £660 per week.
Whether scaffold is needed turns on eaves height, pitch, the type of work and the safety rules in force. Short, low jobs may be reached by ladder. Anything that involves lifting heavy materials, working along an edge or taking down a chimney stack will usually need scaffold. MyBuilder’s guide lists a scaffold licence at £50 to £200 when scaffold stands on the public footway. If a quote is silent on scaffolding, ask whether it is in the price.
Materials: what the covering does to the figure
The covering is the single largest choice in a re-roof. Natural slate is a bigger outlay than concrete tile and can take longer to lay, but it is among the longest-lived coverings. MyBuilder's slate roof guide (updated 21/08/2026) puts slate re-roofing at £100 to £180 per m² installed, and Spanish slate at £100 to £130, reclaimed at £110 to £150 and Welsh at £140 to £180. On lifespan it reports 80 to 100 years or more where slate is expertly laid, a typical range and no promise.
Flat roofs show the same spread. MyBuilder's flat roof guide (updated 21/08/2026) gives bitumen felt at £70 to £100 per m², EPDM at £90 to £130, GRP at £95 to £150 and lead at £150 to £200 or more. Lifespans differ as well, with MyBuilder giving 15 to 30 years as typical for a flat roof.
Stone slate sits higher again. Checkatrade’s slate cost per m² guide (last updated September 2026) quotes stone slate at around £160 to £210 per m² on average, a figure not specific to the Cotswolds. Real Cotswold stone has demands of its own, covered on the Cotswold stone roofing page.
What else pushes the price up or down
Beyond access and covering, several other things shift a roofing figure.
- What lies underneath. Sound battens and rafters mean the new covering goes straight on. Rotten timber means replacing it first.
- Chimneys and details. Every chimney, dormer, valley and roof window adds flashing work and cutting.
- Waste. Old tiles, slates and felt have to be carted off, and MyBuilder’s guide gives disposal at £100 to £1,000. We leave the site clear.
- Insulation and regulations. Opening a roof right down to the rafters can bring a thermal upgrade under Part L of the Building Regulations, which adds work.
- The time of year. A leaking roof in a storm is repaired when it must be, not when the weather is kind.
The survey is where each of these gets checked, and the quote reflects what turns up.
When the lowest number is not the lowest cost
A very low figure usually means one of three things: the quote covers less work, the materials are lower grade, or something has been left out. VAT and scaffolding are the usual omissions. Waste removal is another. If two quotes are far apart, ask each roofer what exactly their price covers, and check that each describes the same work.
A roof is a long-term purchase. A covering that costs less today and fails in half the time is dearer over the life of the house. We aim for fair pricing, and we would rather you compared like with like than picked the smallest number. The roofing quote checklist sets out the questions to ask any roofer.
Getting your own price
To get a price for your roof, ask for a survey. Following the visit you receive a written quote, pictures of the roof itself attached. Begin on the quote page, ring 01793 626096, or message through WhatsApp or the site form. The work carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.