Re-roofing
across Bristol
Full strip and re-roof for Bristol terraces, semis and period properties. New felt, battens, and tiles or slate — fixed price, written quote, no surprises.
What a re-roof actually means
A re-roof isn’t just new tiles on top of old ones. On most Bristol terraces and semis, it means stripping back to the rafters, replacing any rotten timber, laying new breathable felt, fitting new treated battens, then tiling or slating from scratch. Here’s what each stage covers.
Strip-out
Old tiles, slates, felt and battens are removed and disposed of. Any rotten or damaged rafters are identified at this stage.
Timber repairs
Rotten or damaged rafters and wall plates replaced before anything goes back on. Common on Bristol terraces built before 1950.
New roofing felt
Modern breathable membrane laid across the whole roof — not just patched sections. Helps manage condensation and meets current building regs.
New battens
Pressure-treated timber battens fixed to the rafters, spaced to match the tile or slate gauge. Replaces the old ones completely.
Tiling or slating
Concrete interlocking tiles, plain clay tiles, or natural/reconstituted slate — whichever matches the property and your budget. Ridge and hip work included.
Leadwork & flashing
New lead flashing around chimneys, valleys and abutments as part of the re-roof. Not left as-is if it’s worn — it’ll just be the next leak.
From first call to finished roof
1. Free site visit & assessment
We come out, get up on the roof, and give you an honest picture of what’s there. We’ll tell you if a repair would actually do the job — even though a re-roof pays us more.
2. Written fixed-price quote
You get a written quote broken down by stage — strip-out, timber, felt, battens, tiles, leadwork. No vague estimates. No “we’ll see what we find up there.”
3. Scaffold erected
Re-roofing requires scaffold — we’ll arrange this and include it in the quote. No surprise scaffold invoices after the fact.
4. Strip-out and re-roof
Typically 3–5 days for a terrace or semi. We keep you informed if anything unexpected comes up and don’t proceed with extra work without agreeing the cost first.
5. Scaffold down, site clear
We leave the site clean. Waste tiles, old felt and timber are taken away — not left in the garden or street.
6. Written guarantee
All re-roofing work comes with a written workmanship guarantee. See our guarantee page for exactly what’s covered.
What re-roofing costs in Bristol
Prices vary with roof size, pitch, access, and material choice. These are realistic Bristol figures — not artificially low numbers designed to get us through the door.
Mid-terrace (2-bed)
Typically £4,500–£6,500 including scaffold, strip-out, felt, battens and concrete tiles.
End-terrace or semi-detached
Typically £6,000–£9,000 — larger roof area and usually more hip or valley work.
Natural slate
Add £1,500–£3,000 over concrete tile cost — material and fixing time both higher, but longer lifespan and better look on period properties.
Timber repairs
Priced separately per rafter or wall plate — we won’t know the full extent until strip-out, but we’ll quote any extra before doing it.
VAT is included in all prices we quote. Scaffold is included unless we say otherwise. For a more detailed breakdown, see our roofing cost guide.
Do you actually need a full re-roof?
Honestly — not always. We’ll say so if a repair will do the job. Here’s a rough guide to when each makes sense on a typical Bristol property.
Repair is usually right when…
The roof is structurally sound, fewer than 10–15% of tiles are affected, the felt underneath isn’t completely gone, and the roof is under 30 years old.
Re-roofing makes sense when…
The felt has failed and water is tracking in, tiles are slipping across a wide area, the battens are rotten, or you’re getting recurring repairs every couple of years.
If you’re not sure, the free site visit exists for exactly this. We’ll look at the actual roof and tell you straight — not quote for a re-roof because it’s the bigger job.
Re-roofing questions we get asked most
Do I need planning permission to re-roof?
Usually not — like-for-like re-roofing is permitted development in most cases. The exceptions are listed buildings and conservation areas, where material changes may need consent. See the Planning Portal roof guidance or call us and we’ll tell you based on your postcode.
How long does a re-roof take?
Typically 3–5 working days for a standard 2–3 bed terrace or semi, weather permitting. Larger properties or those needing significant timber repairs take longer — we’ll give you a realistic timeframe in the quote.
Can we stay in the house while the work is done?
Yes, in most cases. There’ll be noise and some disruption during the strip-out, but the house stays liveable. We’ll always have the roof weathertight overnight.
What tiles do you use?
We work with concrete interlocking tiles, plain clay tiles, and natural or reconstituted slate — whichever suits the property and what you want to spend. We’ll bring samples and talk through the options during the site visit.
Is scaffolding always needed?
Yes — for a full re-roof, scaffold is non-negotiable for safe access. We include it in the quote rather than billing it separately afterwards. It usually goes up the day before work starts and comes down within a day of completion.
Do you offer a guarantee?
Yes — written workmanship guarantee on all re-roofing work. See our guarantee page for the specifics. Manufacturer warranties on tiles and felt are in addition to this.
Getting a re-roofing quote in Bristol
Free site visit, written fixed-price quote, no obligation to proceed. We cover all of Bristol BS1–BS16 and have been doing this for over 20 years.