What Questions Should I Ask Before Getting a New Roof Quote?

Roofing is bought on trust more than almost any other domestic work. You cannot see most of what you are paying for while it is happening, you cannot inspect it easily afterwards, and the failures take years to appear. That is exactly why the questions you ask beforehand matter more here than in most trades.

None of these are hostile questions and no reasonable contractor will treat them as such. Ask all of them, of everyone quoting, and the answers will tell you as much as the prices do.

About the Survey

• Will you look in the loft? If not, ask why. The state of the underlay, the battens and the rafter ends is only visible from inside, and it determines the real scope.
• Will you get on the roof, or assess it from the ground? Ground level and a drone both have their limits.
• What did you find, and can you show me? Photographs cost the contractor nothing.
• Does this roof actually need replacing? Worth asking directly. The answer, and how readily it comes, is informative.

About the Scope

This is where quotations diverge most, and where the cheapest one usually turns out to be the shortest rather than the best value.

• Is the scaffolding included, and for how long?
• Are new battens included, or is the price based on re-using the existing?
• What underlay is specified, by name, and is it breathable?
• Is new lead included at chimneys, abutments and valleys, and at what code?
• Are ridge and verge being dry-fixed or bedded in mortar?
• Is eaves and ridge ventilation included?
• How is the insulation being brought up to current standards?
• Are fascias, soffits and guttering included, or quoted separately?
• What is specifically excluded?

About Compliance

• Who notifies building control? A re-roof renews a thermal element and engages regulation 23 of the Building Regulations 2010. The answer should be either "we notify building control" or "we are registered with a competent person scheme and self-certify". Both are proper routes.
• Is the fee inside the price?
• What certificate will I receive, and when? You will need it when you sell.
• How is the insulation being upgraded, and to what figure? Approved Document L Volume 1 gives 0.16 W/(m²K) for a roof in an existing dwelling.
• Have you checked the heritage position for this address? In Knutsford this matters — the whole town centre is a conservation area, and the St John's conservation area carries an Article 4(2) direction confirmed in 1995.

On that last point, be aware that a like-for-like renewal is not development at all under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, so it needs no permission anywhere. It is a change of covering that raises the question, and Cheshire East Council is the place to settle it.

About the Contractor

• Are you insured, and may I see the certificate? Public liability at minimum; employers' liability if they have staff.
• Is the work subcontracted? Not a problem in itself, but you should know who will be on your roof and who carries the guarantee.
• Can I see a roof you have done locally? Ideally one a few years old rather than one finished last week.
• Are you a member of any trade body or competent person scheme? Ask which, and check it rather than taking it on trust — schemes publish their registers.

About Money

• Is the quotation fixed, or an estimate that may move?
• What is the payment schedule, and what triggers each stage?
• How much is required up front, and what is it for?
• Is VAT included in the figure shown?
• How long does the quotation stand?
• What happens to the price if the work is delayed by weather?

A deposit towards materials is entirely normal on a job of this size. A large proportion of the total demanded before work starts is not, and payment thereafter should follow progress rather than the calendar.

About the Guarantee

• What exactly does the guarantee cover — workmanship, materials, or both?
• For how long?
• Is it insurance-backed, or does it rest on the contractor still trading?
• Is there a separate manufacturer warranty on the covering, and what conditions attach to it?
• Is it transferable if I sell the house?
• What would void it?

An insurance-backed guarantee is worth materially more than a contractor's own promise, because it survives the contractor. Manufacturer warranties on coverings frequently depend on the product having been installed to specification, which is another reason the fixing detail in the quotation matters.

About the Programme

• When can you start, and what is the expected duration?
• What could extend it, and by roughly how much?
• Will the roof ever be left open overnight?
• Where will the skip and the materials go?
• Who tells the neighbours?
• Do you need access to the loft, and when?
• Who clears up, and does that include a magnetic sweep for nails?

The Answers Worth Worrying About

Some responses should give you pause:

• A price given over the phone without seeing the roof
• Reluctance to look in the loft
• A quotation that is a single line and a total
• Pressure to decide quickly, or a discount that expires
• A large cash deposit requested up front
• Vagueness about who notifies building control
• No written guarantee, or one that will not be produced before you commit
• A programme dramatically shorter than everyone else's

None of these proves anything on its own. Several together generally do.

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