The inclusions are broadly the same everywhere. Where quotations actually differ is in what they quietly leave out, so that is where this guide spends its time.
There is a standard answer to this question, and it is worth having, so it is set out below in brief. But the standard answer is not where quotations actually differ. Two contractors will both describe roughly the same inclusions; the gap between them is almost always in what is not mentioned.
So most of this guide is about the exclusions — the eight things most often left out of a roofing price, and what to do about each.
A complete roof replacement means stripping the roof back to the rafters and rebuilding the whole covering system:
Anything materially less than that is a different job. It may well be the right job for your roof, but it should be described as what it is rather than as a complete replacement.
Nobody can see through a covering, so no contractor can price this in advance — which is entirely reasonable. What is not reasonable is leaving the mechanism undefined until the day it matters.
What to do: agree the rate per metre in writing before work starts, and agree that you will be shown what has been found and told the cost before it is put right. That converts the commonest dispute on a re-roof into a routine conversation.
Frequently quoted separately, and frequently deferred by owners trying to control the cost — which is the expensive choice, because they need the same scaffold as the roof.
What to do: ask for them to be priced as an option even if you are unsure. Compare that figure against what they would cost with their own scaffold in three years.
The lead around a stack is normally part of a re-roof. The stack's own mortar joints and the flaunching around the pots usually are not.
What to do: ask the contractor to look at the stack while they are surveying and price it separately. A crisp new roof under a crumbling chimney is a missed opportunity, and doing it later means a second scaffold for a small job.
Extensions, dormers, porches and bay tops. A different trade with different materials, and almost never inside a pitched-roof price.
What to do: if you have one, say so and ask for it to be itemised. Do not assume "the whole roof" includes it.
The work has to be certified — through building control, which may be Warrington Borough Council's own service or a Registered Building Control Approver, or by self-certification where the roofer is registered under a competent person scheme. The associated fee is sometimes inside the quotation and sometimes not.
What to do: ask who is certifying and whether the fee is in the figure.
Where the scaffold has to stand on the public footway, a licence is required from the council. On tighter Warrington streets this is common.
What to do: ask whether one is needed for your property and who is paying for it. It also affects the start date, so it is worth knowing early.
If a previous leak has marked or damaged a ceiling, repairing that is not roofing work and will not be in the price.
What to do: expect to arrange it separately, and expect to wait until the roof has been dry for a while before redecorating.
Removing and refitting panels is normally arranged with the panel installer rather than the roofer, and it needs coordinating with the roofing programme.
What to do: raise it at quotation stage. It affects sequencing as well as cost.
Not exclusions exactly, but places where two quotations can differ without either being wrong:
| Item | The question to ask |
|---|---|
| Battens | New throughout, or is the price assuming the existing ones stay? |
| Underlay | Which product, and what exposure classification? |
| Ridge and verge | Mechanically fixed, and which system? |
| Lead | Renewed throughout, or only where it has already failed? At what code? |
| Valleys | Lead-formed, or a proprietary trough? |
| Ventilation | Provided at both eaves and ridge? |
| Insulation | How is 0.16 W/(m²K) being reached, and where is it going? |
| Waste | Removal and disposal included? |
| Clearing up | Including a magnetic sweep for nails? |
| Guarantee | What, how long, and who honours it? |
Three costs on any roofing visit are set by the building rather than by the work: scaffolding, site set-up and waste disposal. They barely change with the size of the job.
So anything deferred out of a re-roof to make the price look better does not stay cheap. It comes back as a separate visit carrying all three costs again. A quotation that excludes the guttering is not saving you the guttering — it is deferring it to a job that will need its own scaffold.
Keep the certificate and the guarantee with the deeds. A buyer's solicitor will ask for both.
Our quotations state what is not included as well as what is. It is a short list and you should have it before you decide.
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Yes, and a good one does. Inclusions tell you what you are buying; exclusions tell you what will turn up as an extra later. If a quotation has no exclusions listed at all, ask for them — it is not because there are none.
It should be, and it is a real cost on every re-roof. If it is not stated, ask. A quotation that quietly excludes scaffolding is not comparable with one that includes it.
Almost never included unless it says so. Flat roofing is a different trade using different materials and is normally itemised separately. If you want both, ask for both to be priced.
It should be charged at a rate agreed before work started, and you should be shown it before it is replaced. This is the commonest source of dispute on a re-roof and the easiest one to eliminate by asking a single question in advance.
Apex Roofing covers Cheshire and the surrounding area for complete roof replacement, new slate and tiled roofs and re-roofing.
Apex Roofing Cheshire · 105 Fence House, Fence Avenue, Macclesfield SK10 1LM
Tell us about the property and the roof in Warrington, and we will come back to you — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07377 461095 · WhatsApp +44 7465 861265 · Email apexroofing14@gmail.com
