We are often asked if we can give a budget figure for a new roof cost over the phone. This is nearly impossible, as there are too many variables. Instead, we offer a prompt site survey and quote.
However, with the advent of Google Earth and Street View, we are now able to get an idea of what the property looks like before the site visit, which helps us to ask the right questions and enables us to start advising our clients on their roofing project.
We are also asked if there in anything that can be done to lessen the roof replacement cost. One of the options would be to change the roof covering. For example, if your property is currently covered with clay plain tiles (which is a double lap tile) and is not listed or in a Conservation area, then changing to a single lap clay tile would be much cheaper in terms of the labour.
What does this mean in terms of your new roof cost?
Let us take the simplest roof covering, which is a single lap tile, such as a Double Roman. There are 100 clay Double Romans to a Square (an old imperial measurement equivalent to 100ft2 or 9.29m2). This is the cheapest roof covering because the tiles are large format, they require the least labour, the least battens and the least nails.
If you compare these to a 500 x 250mm Spanish slate, there are 172 slates to the same Square, so 1.7 times the labour, plus the increase in number of battens and nails.
Even more stark a difference are plain tiles. There are 554 plain tiles to a Square. Whilst this does not equate to 5.5 times the labour figure, because the tiles are so much smaller, the volume of battens and nails massively increased.
An example on how to reduce your roof replacement cost, is if your roof is covered with double lap slates, you could choose to use a single lap large format tile instead.
Please be aware that as well as your listed building status and the conservation area restrictions, you will also need to consider weight loading and aesthetics before making any change.
If you wondering how much a roof replacement costs depending on which roof covering you choose, visit our Roof Cost page for more information.
Why choose West Country Tiling
As expert professional roofers, we work on roofs of all sizes and are experienced in undertaking reroofs, roof repairs and roof maintenance.
Please call us on 01373 462 224 or email us on info@westcountrytiling.com for quotations on roof maintenance, roof repairs and reroofs.