New roof cost in 2026: what you will really pay

New roof cost by house type

This is the one set of figures this guide works from. It multiplies Checkatrade's 2026 supply and fit rates, £120 to £230 per m² for concrete tile and £160 to £275 per m² for clay tile or natural slate, by a typical roof area for each house type. Prices are plus VAT and before scaffold, old roof removal and waste. Hip roofs, and roofs with dormers, valleys or several chimneys, sit at the top of each range.

Why other new roof cost guides give different figures

The other published guides land in the same territory but draw the lines differently, so their numbers never quite agree. MyBuilder, updated August 2026, gives £4,000 to £8,000 for a tiled semi or detached house and £8,000 to £13,000 for slate. The Which? Trusted Traders survey for 2026 gives £7,000 to £21,000 for a three bed house in tile. Rated People puts a typical full replacement at £12,000 to £20,000. Checkatrade's own worked examples for a 64 m² roof are £7,000 to £16,250 plus VAT for a gable and £9,250 to £18,000 plus VAT for a hip.

The spread comes from what each figure includes. Some cover the tiles and labour alone, others add scaffold, removal and waste, some include VAT and some do not, and each samples different parts of the country. Use the table above as the like for like baseline, then add the items below that apply to your roof.

Smaller roofs follow the same logic. MyBuilder and Checkatrade give £2,500 to £7,500 for a flat roof on an extension or garage, and MyBuilder gives £3,000 to £5,500 for a lean-to.

New roof cost per square metre

Contractors price by area, so the per-metre rate is the best way to compare quotes. Checkatrade's 2026 guide gives these rates for supply and fit, excluding VAT, scaffold and waste. Use them to sense-check a price, then measure your own roof.

What pushes a new roof cost up or down

Two roofs on two identical-looking houses can differ by £5,000. These are the factors that decide it.

Size and shape

Area is the starting point, and complexity multiplies it. A plain gable is the cheapest shape to cover. Hips, valleys, dormers, chimneys and roof windows add cutting, lead and labour. MyBuilder and Checkatrade both price hip roofs above gables for this reason.

Material

Concrete tile sits at the bottom, clay in the middle and natural slate at the top. Checkatrade lists lifespans of 40 to 75 years for concrete tile, 50 to 100 years or more for clay and 75 to 200 years for natural slate, so the dearer material can win over the long run. Read more about the choice on our slate roofing and tiled roofing pages.

Scaffold and access

Checkatrade puts scaffold set-up, hire and removal at £700 to £1,300 for a standard job. Rated People's example for a tall roof, a 14 metre scaffold with two lifts, comes to around £2,280. A terrace with no side access, a conservatory in the way or a roadside licence adds to it.

What is under the tiles

Old felt and battens are replaced as standard on a re-roof. Rotten rafters, wall plates and sagging timbers are found once the tiles are off. Checkatrade quotes £25 to £40 per metre for rafter and purlin repairs, so a surveyed roof is priced better than a guessed one.

Extras on the same job

Chimney rebuilds, lead flashings, new fascias and gutters, roof windows and solar panel removal all add cost. Roof windows run from £1,100 to £3,000 each. Getting them done together is cheaper than coming back.

Where you live

MyBuilder and Checkatrade both note that London and the South East are the dearest regions, and Checkatrade gives £280 to £360 a day per roofer. That is the market Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and North London roofs are priced in.

Hidden items to check before you accept any new roof cost

A cheap headline price often leaves things out. Ask every roofer the same questions and read the answers in writing.

Checkatrade lists old-roof removal at £1,000 to £2,500 when it is not in the quote, and skip hire at around £320 a week. Those two lines alone separate a £7,000 quote from a £10,000 one.

• Is scaffold included, and for how many weeks?
• Are the old tiles, felt and battens removed and taken away?
• Are new battens, breathable membrane and lead flashings in the price?
• Are fascias, gutters, ridge and verge fittings included?
• Is rotten timber priced as an extra, and at what rate per metre?
• What guarantee comes with the job, and is it in writing?

Choosing the material: where the money goes

Concrete interlocking tiles are the budget route and suit most 1930s to modern houses. Clay plain tiles match Victorian and Edwardian roofs and keep their colour for decades. Natural slate costs most and lasts longest, and it is the right call on older homes and in conservation areas.

Slate-effect and fibre cement slates sit between the two, and we fit them on roofs where the look matters but the budget does not stretch to natural slate. We tell you what each choice does to the price before you decide.

Is a new roof worth the cost compared with repairing?

Repair when the fault is local and the tiles are sound. Replace when the felt has perished, the battens have rotted or the tiles have started to shed across several slopes. A string of repairs can add up to more than a roof, and our roof repair cost guide shows what each repair costs so you can do the sum. A new roof also ends the leak risk and starts a fresh guarantee.

When to buy a new roof, and what a delay costs

MyBuilder notes that off-peak autumn and winter work can attract discounts, and the diary is quieter then for any good roofer. The other side of the calculation is the cost of waiting. A roof that is already leaking soaks the felt, the battens and the loft insulation, and every wet winter widens the repair into a replacement.

If your roof is near the end of its life, a survey now gives you a written price to plan against, and you choose the start date. A survey from us is free and carries no obligation.

Reading three quotes side by side

Line them up. Check that all three cover the same area, the same materials and the same extras. The lowest figure with the shortest description is the one most likely to grow once the scaffold is up. A roofer who itemises materials, labour, scaffold, waste and extras has done the sum and stands behind it.

When you find the best itemised quote, send it to us. We promise to beat any written quote.

VAT, building regulations and permissions

Checkatrade quotes its roof replacement figures plus VAT, so a VAT-registered contractor's final bill is 20 per cent higher than the range. Ask every roofer whether their quote includes VAT before comparing prices.

Replacing a roof also touches the building regulations on insulation and structure, and Checkatrade lists conservation area permissions at £100 to £300 where they apply. A written quote from us says what is included and what is not, so there are no surprises on the day.

How Doyle Homes quotes a new roof

We survey the roof for free, then write a detailed quote that separates materials from labour and lists any third party charges, with a timetable so you can plan. There are no hidden costs, and we explain your options in simple terms with the most cost effective choice first.

If you hold a written quote from another roofer, send it to us. We promise to beat any written quote. All work is backed with a 20 year written guarantee, we are fully insured, and Doyle Homes is a family business with over 25 years' experience. See our new roofs page for the full service, or ask for a free quote now. We roof Luton, St Albans, Milton Keynes and the towns around them.