How to read a roofing quote

Two quotes for "re-roof, supply and fit" can be thousands apart and both be fair, because they are pricing different jobs. The itemisation is where the truth lives. Here is every line a proper quote should carry, and what its absence is quietly telling you.

The anatomy of a proper roofing quote

1. Scope of work. Which elevations, which roof areas, strip or overlay, in plain words. Vague scope is how mid-job "extras" are born.
2. Materials specification. Brand, product name and weight or grade of the tiles or covering, not "concrete tiles". "Marley Mendip smooth grey" can be checked and priced; "tiles" cannot.
3. Membrane and battens. A full re-roof should always include a new breathable membrane and treated battens, named as a line. Their absence usually means the old felt is staying, which defeats the point of the job.
4. Scaffolding. Around £800 to £1,500 for a full re-roof on a typical semi, and normally included. If it is not on the quote, ask who is paying for it, because someone is. See the scaffolding cost guide.
5. Waste removal. Skip or grab hire, typically £300 to £500 on a re-roof. Missing means either hidden cost or a pile of old tiles as a leaving present.
6. Leadwork and flashings. Chimneys, valleys and abutments. This is skilled, failure-prone work; a quote silent on it often plans to reuse tired lead.
7. Ventilation. Ridge or eaves ventilation to current building regulations, plus who handles the regs sign-off. Skipped ventilation shows up later as condensation and rotten timbers.
8. Guarantee terms. Length, what it covers, and whether it is insurance-backed so it survives the company. "10-year guarantee" with no paperwork is a sentence, not a guarantee.
9. Payment schedule. Staged payments are the norm: at most a small materials deposit, a stage payment mid-job, balance on completion. All-up-front is the norm for one group only, and they are covered in our roofing scams guide.

What missing lines really mean

Read a thin quote as a list of decisions someone made without telling you. No membrane line means the old felt stays. No scaffold line means it appears later as an extra, or the job is being done off ladders, badly and dangerously. No spec on materials means the cheapest tile in the yard. No guarantee in writing means no guarantee. The cheapest quote is usually not underpriced; it is under-scoped.

How to compare quotes fairly

• Force a common spec. Give all three roofers the same brief, same materials, same scope, and ask each to quote it line by line.
• Compare line-for-line, not total-for-total. The totals tell you who is cheapest; the lines tell you why.
• Sanity-check against market rates. A semi re-roofs for £5,500 to £14,000 in 2026; anything far outside that range needs a very good explanation. Full figures in the new roof cost guide.
• Weigh the guarantee as money. An insurance-backed guarantee is worth paying hundreds more for, because it is the only line that still exists in year eight.

Get quotes worth comparing

The fastest route to three comparable quotes is to make vetted roofers price the same job. That is exactly what our matching does: up to three local, insurance-checked roofers, each quoting your roof itemised, so the comparison above takes minutes instead of weeks. Start with your postcode, and if you want to vet the candidates yourself first, our 12-point roofer checklist is the routine.