Tile spans a wide range too, and the two choices that move the price most are concrete against clay, and interlocking against plain.
Tiled roofing is the commonest covering on Cheshire's residential stock, and the range of products is wide enough that two tiled roofs can differ substantially in price without either being unreasonable.
| Concrete tile | Clay tile | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Weight | Heavier | Generally lighter |
| Colour | Pigmented; fades over time | Colour is in the clay; does not fade |
| Appearance as it ages | Weathers and softens | Weathers well; retains character |
| Expected life | Long | Typically longer |
| Best suited to | Most modern and post-war housing | Period property, and where appearance matters |
The other choice that moves the price, and it is largely about how many tiles the roof needs.
Interlocking tiles are larger and lock together at the edges, so far fewer are needed to cover the same area. Fewer tiles and fewer fixings means a faster job and a lower price. Most post-war housing uses them.
Plain tiles are small, flat and laid in a double lap, so a roof needs several times as many. They cost more in both material and labour — and they look considerably better on a period property, and work on complex shapes where interlocking tiles are awkward.
Worth thinking about where the house is one of a run, or where only part of the roof is being done. Modern ranges are broad enough to get close to most existing profiles and colours, but an exact match to a weathered forty-year-old tile is not realistic — a new roof will always look new for a few years.
On a terrace or a matching pair of semis, keeping the profile and colour sympathetic to the neighbours is worth doing deliberately rather than by accident.
Every tile has a minimum pitch below which the manufacturer will not warrant it, and it varies considerably between products. A low-pitched roof therefore narrows the choice, sometimes sharply.
This is a genuine constraint rather than a sales point. If a roof is at the low end, the specification follows what the pitch permits.
Concrete tile is the heaviest of the common coverings. Where a roof was built for slate and is being changed to concrete tile, the structure needs checking — the rafters were sized for a different load.
That works the other way round too. Going from concrete tile to a lighter covering is structurally straightforward, which occasionally makes it the sensible route on a roof whose timbers have struggled.
A like-for-like tiled re-roof does not materially affect the external appearance, so under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 it is not development and needs no planning permission. Changing to a visibly different covering may be a different matter, and an Article 4 direction or listed status changes the position again.
Building regulations apply either way: the re-roof renews a thermal element, so the insulation upgrade to 0.16 W/(m²K) is part of the job.
Tell us what is on the roof now and what you would like it to look like. We will arrange a free quotation.
Clay costs more, is generally lighter, and holds its colour because the colour is in the clay rather than a surface pigment. Concrete is cheaper and fades over time. Both last a long time.
Interlocking tiles are larger and lock at the edges, so a roof needs far fewer — cheaper in material and labour. Plain tiles are small and double-lapped, so a roof needs several times as many, and they suit period property better.
Usually closely, but not exactly. A new tile will not match a weathered forty-year-old one, and a new roof looks new for a few years whatever you choose.
Yes. Every tile has a minimum pitch below which the manufacturer will not warrant it, and on a low-pitched roof that can narrow the options considerably.
Not for like-for-like — it does not materially affect the external appearance, so under section 55 of the 1990 Act it is not development. A visibly different covering, an Article 4 direction or a listed building all change that.
Apex Roofing covers Cheshire and the surrounding area for complete roof replacement, new slate and tiled roofs and re-roofing.
Tell us about the property and the roof, 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
