In short
Checkatrade's 2026 guide puts the UK average roof replacement at £8,000, with most homeowners paying between £4,000 and £19,000 and pitched roofs running £120 to £275 per square metre before VAT. The price is set by the roof's size and shape, the covering you choose, and the extras a quote can hide: scaffolding, stripping the old roof and skips. We give a fixed written quote with all three in it.
This is a job for our Re-Roofing & New Roofs service.
The figures, and whose they are
We do not publish a price list, because no two roofs we strip are the same, but the national guides give a fair starting point. Checkatrade's roof replacement guide, last updated in March 2026 and checked by its own estimators, gives these ranges excluding VAT:
| Roof type (Checkatrade, 2026) | Low to high | Per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Hip roof, based on 64 m² | £9,250 to £18,000 | £145 to £285 |
| Gable roof, based on 64 m² | £7,000 to £16,250 | £110 to £260 |
| Flat roof, based on 32 m² | £2,800 to £7,500 | £45 to £120 |
The same guide says the top of the range is a large, complex slate hip roof, and that clay tends to be cheapest, concrete next and slate the most expensive covering. Those are ballpark averages, and we quote each roof after we have been on it.
What moves the price on your house
- Shape. A hipped bungalow in Holbeach has more hips, more cutting and less usable tile per square metre than a plain gable in Spalding, which is why Checkatrade prices hips above gables.
- Covering. Matching what is there matters. One customer's tiles had not been made for years, so we found them at a salvage yard rather than leave a patch that did not match.
- What is underneath. Rotten battens, a torn underlay or soft rafter feet only show once the tiles are off. We tell you before we price for them, not after.
- Chimneys, valleys and rooflights. Every one is leadwork and cutting. Checkatrade lists these as add-ons that lengthen the job.
- Access. A terrace with no rear access needs the scaffold and skip on the road, and that means a permit.
What the headline figure leaves out
Checkatrade's guide is explicit that its new-roof figures exclude scaffolding, removal of the old roof and skips. It puts roof removal at £1,000 to £2,500, scaffold set-up, weekly hire and removal at £700 to £1,300, and a 6 to 8 yard skip at around £320 a week. Our written quote includes all of it, so the number you accept is the number you pay.
Building Control and insulation
The Planning Portal says a building control application is not normally needed if less than 25% of the building envelope and less than 50% of the roof is affected, but above that the work must meet the Building Regulations, including improving the thermal insulation, and a covering 15% or more heavier than the old one needs the structure checked. A full re-roof is over both thresholds, so ours go through Building Control, are inspected, and you get your own completion certificate with your 25-year guarantee.