How much is sensible for a new roof?

asc99c

I need to get my roof re-done, and I've got a very wide range on the quotes to do it, so am looking for some advice on how much it should probably cost.

My quotes so far are £3k, £7k, £8k and £12k. My normal approach would be to throw out the cheapest quote, but in this case it is under half the price of the next quote for the same job!

The roof is approximately 12x9 metres, and the job is replacing the felt, battens, tidying the valleys and a new dry ridge system (I think the leading doesn't need replacing, and the tiles should apparently be OK to go back on afterwards).

Looking at materials, I get to somewhere around £500, so £3k doesn't sound stupid (this guy says no scaffold is required as he can just walk on the roof with a wire), but how much labour is involved?

ormus

to retile a typical semi around here, cost approx 6k.
ps,
i dont think anyone should be doing a complete roof without the proper scaffolding.

sgun

my roof is smaller, approx 6x12, terrace, for exactly the same work and replacing chimney flashings with lead cost me £2300 about 3 years ago. Tyne and Wear. No scaffolding required, 2 man job, it took a day and a half.

fatbikersbouncebetter

7k would be normal for new tiles as well as laths and membrane, but no scaffolding ????? No way would any Health & Safety officer allow that. ON A WIRE..:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
What is he a tight rope worker??

7.5k TOPS with scaffold. NEW everything.

slipperyshoe

3k seems a bit cheap. I would say that it is not really your concern if the contractor says you dont need scaffold (which you do by the way!).

Make sure they are pricing for the same thing i.e. are they re-using or replacing the same tiles, using breathable membrane, replacing joists, battens etc, etc.

If in doubt use the top quote as a specification; re-write and ask contractors to price as per the schedule.

Just be careful on the lower quotes- it may be that they are pricing low so they can hit you with extras.:mad:

sgun

actually realised they did use scaffolding but as they did the job so quick I had forgotten :-) still came in at £2300 though (dug out the receipt to check I wasn't imagining that too), new lathes, new membrane, used old slates (because why wouldn't you?) new flashings, lead one round base of chimney. So depending on where you are in the county £3000 might not be far off the mark. I know where I am originally from down in Ipswich the same job costs over £6000 as friends had it done recently. Ah the joys of living up north.

docmatt

Lol what does on a wire mean?? :rotfl:

andycrichton

slipperyshoe wrote: »

3k seems a bit cheap.

If in doubt use the top quote as a specification; re-write and ask contractors to price as per the schedule.

Just be careful on the lower quotes- it may be that they are pricing low so they can hit you with extras.:mad:

Whats that all about? For a start how do you know the top price spec is the correct spec, and anyway, unless you have paid for the quote and have the agreement of the tenderer to plagiarise their quote, how unethical is that?

slipperyshoe wrote: »

I would say that it is not really your concern if the contractor says you dont need scaffold ...

Following this advice could land you in a world of hurt.

Contractors are responsible for HSE assessment, and when you have a contractor on your property, you have HSE responsibilities too.


If there is an accident, the contractor and the client are both responsible for the damage. Why? Because a) The contractor wrongly assessed the health and safety implications of working in an occupied space, and by law the client did an HSE assessment too and agreed for the contractor to work in a way that could potentially endanger life. By law, the contractor shouldnt even be allowed on the premises to work in those conditions.


Dont get me wrong, Im not a jobsworth, and I have monkeyed over a lot of roofs and up ladders that were genuinely dangerous, and only fell off twice, and recovered from a few broken vertebrae, but the stats say a lot of guys have died or never worked or walked again, saving clients or bosses a few quid. Hence the regulations to protect all parties. The horror story stupid HSE stories are mainly misinterpretations of fairly sensible regs by people who dont know what they are talking about.

RDG

A Domestic Client (with a project lasting no more than 30days etc.) has no responsibilities under CDM 2007, provided that they do not dictate the method of working or prevent safe working by their actions.

So the OP doesnt need to worry about the method used from a HS law point of view.

andycrichton

That does sound like I am in the wrong and I look a bigger !!! than the law.

I'm curious. Having educated themselves about the job via several quotes, and seen that the concensus approach of all the other contractors is to allow for scaffold, but they opt for the one without, they aren't a party to dictating how the job is done?

I thought if you walk past someone in danger, and do nothing to help, either directly or by calling for help, that was against the law?

RDG

Interesting thought and I would love to see that argued in court as it would be a good curve ball. But I think when it comes down to it the contractor has suggested their prefered method and the domestic client, being a layman has said ok do it your way.
If the domestic client were to say to the wire guy no you must use scaffold and then something happened because of the decision to use scaffold he would have responsibilities. But that would also be an interesting discussion in court.

Im not sure it is a law, but thats said I have no evidence that it isnt either.