How much does a new roof cost in the UK in 2026

A new tiled roof on an average three bedroom house costs roughly £7,000 to £21,000. That is the range Which? collected from 11 of its Trusted Traders in November 2025, for the whole job with labour and materials included but VAT excluded, and Which? expects prices in London and the South East to sit towards the top of it, so homes across South London and Surrey should budget with that in mind.

Flat roofs cost less. The same survey put a new felt roof on a typical single garage, keeping the existing structure, at £1,400 to £3,500, or £1,950 to £4,000 with new boards and a PVC or rubber EPDM covering. Where your own roof lands depends on its size and shape, the covering you choose, the condition of the timbers underneath and how much scaffolding the job needs.

What the Which? figures cover

These are national ranges from a small survey of trades, on a Which? page dated May 2026, so they are a guide to the scale of the bill rather than a quote. The tiled roof figure is for an entire roof on an average three bedroom house. A small terrace can come in below it, and a large detached house with a complicated roof can come in above it. The prices also leave out VAT, so check whether each quote you receive includes it before comparing them.

What decides the price of a new roof

Size and shape

Bigger roofs take more materials and more labour, but shape matters almost as much. Hips, valleys, dormers, rooflights and chimneys all mean cutting and detailing, and each one adds time. A simple gable roof on a semi is about the most economical roof there is to replace.

The covering

Concrete tiles are usually the cheapest covering, with clay tiles and natural slate costing more. The dearer coverings tend to last longer, with concrete tiles typically lasting 40 to 60 years, clay 60 to 80 and natural slate often more than 100, as our guide to the lifespan of different roof types sets out. On a period house the right covering may also be the one that matches the street. Our pages on tiled roofs and slate roofs, and our guide to the benefits of slate roofing, go into the differences.

Flat roofs

On a flat roof the choice is mainly between felt, rubber EPDM and GRP fibreglass. Felt is the cheapest to lay but the shortest lived, typically lasting 10 to 20 years, while rubber and GRP cost more and commonly last 25 years or more, as our guide to whether flat roofs are reliable explains. On an extension or a dormer, the deck and the insulation underneath often need renewing at the same time, which adds to the price but brings the roof up to current standards.

What is underneath?

A new roof normally gets new battens and underlay, but the condition of the rafters and other timbers is only known once the old covering is off. Rotten timber, a sagging section or a roof that needs strengthening for a heavier covering all add to the price, which is why a good quote explains how unexpected timber work would be charged. If spray foam has been applied to the underside of the roof, it has to come off first, through our spray foam removal service, so the timbers can be checked.

Scaffolding and access

A full re-roof needs scaffolding, and Which? notes that scaffolding can add significantly to the cost. Terraced houses with no side access, roofs above conservatories or extensions, and tall houses on busy roads all take more planning, and that shows in the quote.

Chimneys, roofline and gutters

With the scaffold up, it is the cheapest moment to deal with anything else at roof level. That might be chimney repairs and new flashings, or replacing tired fascias and soffits and gutters. Each adds to the bill, but doing them later means paying for access a second time.

Building Regulations, insulation and planning

A new roof involves paperwork as well as building work. The Planning Portal says that in most situations re-roofing needs Building Regulations approval, and that re-covering a roof should include improving its insulation, so the cost of bringing the insulation up to standard belongs in the price from the start. Approval is arranged before work starts, through the council's building control team or a registered building control approver, as GOV.UK explains. Keep the certificate at the end, because a buyer's solicitor will ask for it when you sell.

Planning permission is a separate question. The Planning Portal says re-roofing that does not materially affect a house's external appearance will usually not need it. A change of material, a taller or reshaped roof, a listed building or an Article 4 direction in a conservation area can change that, so ask the council first if any of those apply.

Make sure you need a new roof first

The cheapest new roof is the one you do not need. A few slipped tiles, a leak at a chimney or a tired ridge are repairs, not reasons to replace a whole roof, and our guide to roof repair or replacement sets out the signs that point each way. Replacement starts to make sense when the covering is failing across several slopes, when the underlay has perished, or when you are paying for the same repairs every year. If you are not sure, ask for roof repairs to be priced alongside a replacement so you can see both.

How to compare quotes for a new roof

Quotes are only comparable when they cover the same work, so before comparing prices, check what each one includes.

• Which covering is being used, and whether it matches the existing roof
• Whether all the battens and underlay are being replaced
• How any timber repairs found once the roof is stripped will be priced
• Whether scaffolding, waste removal and skips are included
• Who is applying for Building Regulations approval, and whether insulation is included
• Whether the price includes VAT

Our guide to choosing the right roofing contractor covers what else to look for, and our guide to what to expect during a roof replacement explains how the work itself runs.

Getting your roof priced

The team at Rated Roofers and Builders has over 25 years in roofing and building, fitting new roofs and flat roofs across Croydon, Sutton, Bromley and the other towns we cover in Surrey and South London. We are fully insured with public liability cover, Google Guaranteed and listed on Checkatrade, and our quotes are free with no obligation. Contact us or get a free quote and we will tell you honestly whether the roof needs replacing, and what it will cost if it does.