Ask three roofers what a new roof costs and you may get three very different answers, because "a new roof" can mean anything from re-laying your existing tiles to stripping back to the rafters. This guide sets out the ranges we see across Portsmouth, the Solent coast and Hampshire, and explains exactly what moves the number.
For a typical three-bedroom semi with a straightforward pitched roof, a full strip and re-tile usually lands somewhere between £6,000 and £12,000. A detached house with more complex geometry, dormers or two storeys of scaffolding is more often £12,000 to £20,000, and larger period properties can exceed that comfortably.
Flat roofs are priced by area rather than by house. A single-ply or GRP fibreglass flat roof on a garage or extension is commonly £90 to £160 per square metre installed. A small terraced property with a simple gable roof may come in under £5,000, so the range genuinely is that wide.
Material is the biggest single lever. Concrete interlocking tiles are the most economical and cover ground quickly. Clay plain tiles, which suit a lot of the older housing stock around Chichester and the coast, need far more tiles per square metre and considerably more labour, so the same roof can cost close to double. Natural slate sits higher again, and handmade clay peg tiles on a listed or conservation property higher still.
Access matters more than people expect. A roof you can scaffold from a flat driveway is cheaper than one hemmed in by a neighbour's boundary, a mature hedge or a narrow lane, and plenty of terraced streets around Portsmouth and Southsea present exactly that problem.
Then there is what we find once the tiles come off. Rotten battens are almost a given on an older roof and are usually priced in. Failed or absent underfelt, damaged rafters, a perished valley or a chimney that needs re-flaunching and re-leading are the items that genuinely add to the bill.
Not every leaking roof needs replacing. If the tiles themselves are sound and the problem is slipped tiles, a cracked valley or failed flashing, a targeted repair at a few hundred pounds is the honest answer.
A roof overhaul sits in between. The existing tiles are lifted, re-battened and re-laid with new underfelt, reusing anything salvageable. It typically saves 20 to 30 per cent against a full replacement and suits handmade clay or slate roofs where the covering has decades of life left but the timber underneath does not.
The point at which replacement makes sense is usually when the tiles are delaminating or spalling, when breakage during handling would be too high to reuse them, or when you are already paying for scaffolding and repairs have become an annual event.
A quote that says "new roof, £9,500" tells you nothing. Ask for the detail so you can compare like with like, and be wary of anyone unwilling to write it down.
Also check who is registered for what. Any roofer working on a listed building or in a conservation area, of which there are plenty locally, should be able to explain the planning position before starting. And be cautious of doorstep callers offering a discount because they are "working nearby" and quoting on the spot without ever getting up on the roof.
A standard semi-detached strip and re-tile is usually four to seven working days once scaffolding is up, and a detached property one to two weeks. British weather is the main variable, as a roof cannot be left open in heavy rain.
Usually not, if you are replacing like with like, as it falls under permitted development. Listed buildings, conservation areas and any change to the roof's shape or material are the exceptions, so check with your local authority first.
Insurance generally covers sudden damage such as storm or fallen tree damage, not gradual wear or age. If a storm has lifted tiles, photograph everything and report it promptly, as insurers routinely reject claims where deterioration is the real cause.