How to write a quote for a roof re-tile (with a real worked example)

A mate of mine in Swindon quoted £6,500 to re-tile a 1960s semi. One line on a text message: "strip, felt, batten, tile". Day two, the scaffold bill arrived and was £1,150 he hadn't allowed for. Day three, a third of the battens crumbled in his hands. Day four, the customer asked if the chimney flashing was "included, surely". It wasn't written anywhere either way, so he paid for it.

The tiles weren't the problem. The quote never said who paid for the scaffold, what happens to rotten timber, or where the job stopped. This guide shows how to write a roof re-tile quote so those answers are on paper before the first tile comes off.

Before you price anything, survey the roof and the roof space

Never quote a re-tile off a photo and a guess at the pitch. Get these written down first:

• The area. Measure each slope along the rafter, not the footprint of the house. A 6 metre wide slope that runs 7.5 metres up the rafter is 45 square metres. Add hips, valleys and the cut at the verges, and allow a few per cent for waste.
• What is on there now. Concrete interlocking tiles, plain clay, natural slate. This decides whether you can re-use anything. Concrete tiles from the 1960s often break when lifted.
• The condition of the timbers. Go into the loft and look at the battens, the rafters, the wall plates and the underside of the felt. Daylight, damp marks and soft timber are all a price conversation, not a surprise.
• The membrane. A 1960s roof often has bitumen felt or nothing at all. Say in the quote what is going back, and to what standard. BS 5534 is the code of practice for slating and tiling, and your fixings and batten spec should follow it.
• Access and storage. Where does the scaffold go, where do the tiles get craned or carried, and where does 4 tonnes of old tile sit before it leaves?
• Anything protected. Bats and nesting birds are protected, and an older loft is exactly where they turn up. If you see droppings or a roost, the job stops until you have taken advice. Asbestos cement sheets or boards on older roofs also need a licensed or properly assessed route, which is a separate price.

Then ask the customer one question that changes the number: is the insulation going to be touched? If you are renovating more than 25% of the roof covering, the thermal element rules in Part L of the Building Regulations can apply. Check with Building Control before the quote goes out, not after.

Split the quote the way the job runs

A single number invites an argument. A quote split into stages shows the customer you have thought it through, and gives you something to point at if the scope changes. A sensible structure:

1. Access and scaffold

Erecting, hire for a stated number of weeks, and dismantling. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 expect you to prevent falls, so this is not optional, and customers should see it as a line, not find it on the invoice. Put in the hire period and say what a week's overrun costs.

2. Strip and waste

Taking the old covering off, the battens and felt, and getting it to the skip or the grab lorry. Tile weighs a lot, so waste is a real number, not a rounding error.

3. Membrane and battens

The new breathable membrane, treated battens at the gauge the tile needs, and the fixings. Quote to the tile manufacturer's gauge and the relevant standard, not to "whatever's there".

4. The covering

Tiles, ridge and hip system, verge, and eaves fittings. Name the tile on the quote by manufacturer and range, so a cheaper substitute can't appear on site without you writing it down.

5. Flashings and details

Lead flashings round chimneys, valleys, abutments and any roof windows. These are slow, skilled jobs and they are where leaks start. Price them as their own line.

6. Fascias, soffits and gutters

Most customers assume these come with a new roof. Either price them as a line or write them down as excluded. Do not leave it blank.

A worked example: 90 square metre roof on a 1960s semi

Here is a quote from Adam Wójcik trading as Wójcik Roofing for a Swindon semi. Two slopes, around 90 square metres in total, a brick chimney on the ridge, concrete interlocking tiles to come off and be replaced with new ones. The battens are in poor condition, the felt is old bitumen and the customer wants it weathertight and done in a week.

Cost build-up (materials, labour and plant):

• Scaffold: erect, 3 weeks' hire, dismantle = £1,150
• Concrete interlocking tiles, 90 square metres plus waste, delivered = £1,350
• Breathable membrane, treated battens and fixings = £520
• Dry-fix ridge and hip system, verge and eaves fittings = £620
• Labour: two roofers for 5 days, 2 x 5 x £230 = £2,300
• Grab lorry or skip for old tile and waste = £420
• Lead flashings to the chimney and abutments = £380
• Provisional sum for rotten battens, rafter repairs or felt found on opening up = £460

Add those up and you get £7,200. Check it: 1,150 + 1,350 + 520 + 620 + 2,300 + 420 + 380 + 460 = 7,200.

Overheads and profit at 15% on top: £7,200 x 0.15 = £1,080. That covers insurance, the van, tools, admin time and the margin the business needs to stay in business. Total price: £8,280. That is the answer for this roof, not a benchmark for yours. A steeper pitch, more hips and valleys, slate instead of concrete or a dormer would all change it.

If the firm were VAT-registered, you would add 20% (£1,656) and show the VAT line. Whether VAT applies, and at what rate for the work, depends on the job and your registration, so check gov.uk and talk to your accountant before the quote goes out.

Provisional sums, exclusions and the weather

The £460 provisional sum covers what you can't see until the covering is off. Write it in plain words: "Allowance for replacing rotten battens, repairing rafters or wall plates, and any other hidden defects found on opening up. Charged at actual cost plus 15%. Any unused amount is deducted from the final invoice." That last sentence is what makes customers trust the number.

Then write what is not included. A decent exclusions list for a re-tile looks like this:

• Fascias, soffits, bargeboards and guttering, unless listed as a separate line
• Chimney repointing, repair or removal, beyond the flashings priced
• Insulation upgrades or changes to the loft space
• Removal of asbestos or other hazardous materials if found
• Stopping work for protected species, and any survey or licence that follows
• Roof windows, solar panels or aerials taken off and refitted, unless listed

Add one sentence on the weather. A roof is open to the sky for a day or two at a time, so say what you do to keep it dry overnight, and that dates move if the forecast is bad or the tiles arrive late. Customers accept that if it is on the quote. They don't if it appears in a text on the day.

Payment stages that match the job

You will be paying for the scaffold and ordering the tiles before the roof has changed, so don't wait for one invoice at the end. On the £8,280 job:

• On acceptance, 20%: £1,656. Covers the scaffold and the tile order.
• Old covering stripped and new membrane and battens fixed, 40%: £3,312.
• Tiles, ridge and flashings complete, 30%: £2,484.
• Scaffold down and a walk-round done, 10%: £828.

Check it: 1,656 + 3,312 + 2,484 + 828 = 8,280. Each stage is something the customer can see from the road. For more on structuring the schedule, see our guide to stage payments for trades.

What NOT to do

1. Don't price a roof you haven't been up and into. A guess at the battens is a guess at your margin.
2. Don't bury the scaffold in the labour. It is one of the biggest lines on the job, and customers who see it separately argue about it less.
3. Don't say "tiles" without naming them. Manufacturer, range and colour go on the quote, so a substitution is a decision, not an accident.
4. Don't leave the fascias and gutters blank. The customer will assume they are included. Write it either way.
5. Don't keep going if you find bats. Stop, take advice, and let the customer know in writing that dates and costs may change.

The short version

Measure the roof and go into the loft before you price. Put the scaffold, the strip and waste, the membrane and battens, the covering and the flashings on their own lines. Use a provisional sum for what is hidden, write the exclusions in plain English, and tie the payments to stages the customer can see. That leaves fewer reasons for a row on the final invoice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to re-tile a roof in the UK?

It depends on the roof area, the tile, the access and what is wrong underneath. The worked example above, a 90 square metre roof on a 1960s semi with concrete interlocking tiles, comes to £8,280 before VAT including scaffold, materials, labour and waste. Price your own job from your own measurements, not from a headline figure.

Do I need Building Regulations approval to re-tile a roof?

Re-covering a roof is not usually notifiable on its own, but if you renovate more than 25% of the roof covering the thermal element rules in Part L can apply, which may mean upgrading the insulation. Check with the local authority Building Control or a competent person scheme before you price, and put the answer on the quote.

Do I need scaffolding to re-tile a roof?

In practice, yes. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 expect you to prevent falls, and a ladder is not a safe place to strip and re-lay a roof. Scaffold also gives you a platform for the tiles and a way to get the waste down. Put the scaffold on the quote as its own line, with the hire period stated.

What if we find bats or rotten timbers when the roof comes off?

Bats and their roosts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, so if you find signs of them you stop work and call the Bat Conservation Trust helpline. Rotten battens and rafters are what the provisional sum is for. Write the allowance, the rate for extra work and the rule that anything unused comes off the final invoice.

Should I strip and re-use the old tiles?

Sometimes, with clay or good slate, but concrete tiles from the 1960s are often tired and brittle and break when lifted. Say in the quote whether you are re-using any tiles, who pays for broken ones, and what a replacement costs per tile. If you leave it unsaid, you will be arguing about it on day three.

How long does a roof re-tile take?

A typical semi with two slopes is usually around a week on site for two roofers once the scaffold is up, with weather being the main variable. The worked example allows five days for two people. Say on the quote that dates move with the weather and the delivery of the tiles.