Find out what actually needs replacing
Request a description of the defect and proposed remedy. A calculation based on an assumed full replacement is not a roof survey. Photos from a qualified contractor can help explain the scope without you climbing onto the roof.
Get a complete inclusion list
Ask the roofer to specify the covering, membranes, battens, flashings, ventilation, fixings and disposal. Check whether scaffold hire covers the expected duration and whether the price includes making the roof weather-safe during work.
- Separate gutters, fascias and chimney work.
- Ask how damaged timber will be measured and priced.
- Record responsibility for clearing debris.
Measure the right area
Roof surface area is larger than its horizontal footprint on a pitched roof. Multiple slopes, dormers and valleys complicate the calculation. Use a supplied measurement and a written material specification rather than estimating the whole job from a house’s floor area.
Plan for discoveries
Stripping a covering may reveal defects not visible beforehand. Ask for a written procedure and agreed rates for extra work where possible. Keep a reserve separate from known costs, and do not assume that an illustrative calculator budget is the most you could spend.
Sources & methodology
This page uses original budgeting guidance and transparent arithmetic. Example prices are chosen illustrations, not a survey of UK market prices. Replace them with written quotations.
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