Roofing quote - Is it typical cost

wizzards

Am just wondering typical price for re-roof of a 3 bed semi detached plain tiled roof (main roof with two hips and small ridge) + small side extension part tiled and part felted. I am getting a number of quotes however the first quote has come in and am thinking this is wee bit high. Area is surrey which is expensive. Am happy the firm is good and does excellent work but when I add on the VAT as well its seems quite a bit. I also got a quote for replacing all the guttering, sofit and facia and that came in on top as £3045 + VAT and the felt roof an additional £780 + VAT. So the total costs are coming out as £14230 + VAT or £17076 incl VAT.

TO CARRY OUT ROOFING WORKS - REROOFING WORKS TO MAIN AND LOWER ROOFS


Supply and erect tubular scaffold and scaffold boards.

Strip existing tiles and battens and clear from site.

Supply and fix breathable membrane draped over rafters and supply and fix 5U underlay to eaves.

Supply and fix 25mm x 38mm treated battens fixed to rafters with galvanised nails.

Supply and fix new Plain tiles nailing each tile in every fifth course.

Double course at eaves.

Hip tiles bedded and pointed with sand and cement mortar (3:1).

Ridge tiles bedded and pointed with sand and cement mortar (3:1).

Lead flash chimney with Code 4 lead to front apron and side flashings.

Lead flash abutments with Code 4 lead.

Check pointing and flaunching to chimney when scaffold is up.

Clearing all debris from site on completion.

FOR THE SUM OF: £10,405.00 plus vat Marley natural red concrete tiles.

Furts

The specification is questionable and suggests that the contractor may not know their subject. The exact specification is precisely matched to your property and given directly by Marley. This means that only you can check this.

As a rule there are pitch recommendations for concrete plain tiles and this is not mentioned.

The fixings would normally include double fixing of the first two courses and a similar procedure at eaves, verges, valleys, and ridges. None of this is mentioned.

The breathable membrane is not specified by make to check any suitability, quality or guarantee compatibility with Marley.

The breathing would require an air flow but there is no mention of eaves ventilation, nor of ridge ventilation.

The tiles require specific nails but none are mentioned.

I will stop at this and suggest that the price cannot be discussed until you have a competent specification. All this comes before one mentions replacement fascias, or flat roofs. But bear in mind that only the foolhardy renew their roof then undertake replacement fascias etc, afterwards.

Hope this helps.

wizzards

Thanks. I asked also my relative who is a retired architect what he thought of the quote. The existing roof is plain tiles but has no undelay felt or membrane having been redone completely probably after the last war. No water leakage but the tiles are starting to laminate causing some debris in the loft space hence the need for replacement. The house dates as being build in 1936. For the Sofit and facia the roofing firm quoted as follows

RENEWAL OF FASCIAS, SOFFITS, GUTTERING AND DOWNPIPES TO MAIN AND LOWER ROOFS

Remove existing guttering, fascias and soffits and clear.

Supply and fix UPVC white fascia and vented soffit fixed with stainless steel fixings.

Renew decayed felt from fascia into guttering with roofing underlay.

Supply and fix Osma UPVC Roundline 4½” system with all falls running to outlets, fascia brackets fixed at 1m centres.

Take down existing downpipes and clear from site.

Supply and fix Osma UPVC 2½” downpipes, secured with pipe brackets as necessary.

Refit soil pipe through soffit.

Clearing debris from site on completion.

FOR THE SUM OF: £3,045.00 plus vat

Furts

As before this is questionable. It may be a competent contractor but:

there is no mention of the upvc supplier, nor specification, nor accreditation,

there is no mention of the ventilated soffit type, nor ventilation and compliance with Buildings Regulations,

there is no mention of establishing and ensuring air flow above roof insulation.

roofing felt dressed into gutters is not recommended - there are approved solutions.

This all sounds as if your chosen contractor is either slack with their admin, or not clued up on how to do their job. The price can only be considered once you have established these answers.

It is probable that I am simply repeating what you have been told by your retired relative. If so, the alarm bells should be ringing regarding the specifications that have been issued.

wizzards

Thanks. Yes my relative said many roof firms become roofers by doing a bit of a roofing these days rather than going to a technical college or other to learn the trade. This particular firm does council jobs and is member of the federation of roofing contractors etc and will give a ten year warranty on the small flat roof. My relative did raise questions regarding building regs BS5534 etc and also the importance of fixing the sofit and facia correctly to ensure tiles are correctly aligned etc. and proper ventilation in the roofspace etc.
Still I have more quotes coming and then we shall compare. He did say that if the firm did a detailed specification then then to the average person this might not mean so much so maybe thats why they didn't bother.

But yes unlike the guttering for the UPVC I don't know the quality or type I am getting as you say and without a detailed materials list it will be hard to assess or compare. I did originally ask for detailed materials list and quotation for labour as discrete items which they ignored.

Still I will get some more quotes and if needed question items. If I am to pay the kind of money they seem to ask then I would want a top notch job.

Sandy7

I have just had my second re-roof in under a year (two different properties) and think your quote is on the high side.

I would find out the membrane that is going to be used and push to ensure you have adequate ventilation installed. In my case I opted for eaves ventilation and quite a few roofers did not want to do this but instead were happy to fit a couple of tile vents which did not sit happily with me. I also had a ventilated dry ridge and hip system installed which provide high levels of ventilation.

Check the February 2015 building regulations (an overview can be located here http://www.labc.co.uk/news/new-code-practice-spells-changes-roofers) to make sure they are fixing the ridge and hip tiles correctly.

I found my roofer using the competent roofer scheme and they can essentially self certificate their own work a bit like gas safe. I found them to be extremely helpful and willing to provide information to home owners especially regarding the timescales they require are met by the roofer.

As a side issue if you need any chimney pots that need to be checked or any unused pots that need to be capped and ventilated, now is the time to do it.

Hope this helps :-)