How Much Does a New Roof Cost in Ireland?

A new roof in Ireland costs €9,000 to €15,000 for a standard three-bed semi in concrete tile, or €80 to €150 per square metre fitted. Natural slate on the same house runs €13,000 to €20,000. Small simple roofs start nearer €5,000.

HP Roofing has been putting roofs on Dublin and Leinster homes since 1969. Directly employed crews, fully insured, and a written fixed quote before any work starts.

How Much A New Roof Costs In Ireland On Average

Most full roof replacements land between €80 and €150 per square metre fitted. That covers materials, labour, stripping the old roof, and waste disposal. For a standard three-bed semi in concrete tile it works out around €9,000 to €15,000 once scaffolding is added.

You will see lower figures quoted elsewhere, sometimes as little as €6,500 for the same house. Those numbers almost always exclude scaffolding, and occasionally the strip as well. Check what a range covers before you compare it against a quote.

Roof area is measured in square metres and it is always bigger than your floor area because of the pitch. Multiply your ground floor footprint by 1.3 to 1.5. A typical Irish semi-detached roof comes out at 60 to 90 square metres.

Once you have the area the sums are simple. An 80 square metre roof at €120 per square metre sits near €9,600 before scaffolding and extras.

• Small or simple roof. Small terraced or single pitch, from around €5,000
• Terraced house. Roughly €7,000 to €11,000 in concrete tile
• Three-bed semi. €9,000 to €15,000 in concrete tile, €13,000 to €20,000 in natural slate
• Bungalow or large detached. €12,000 to €20,000 in concrete tile, past €25,000 for slate on a complex roof

Bungalows surprise people. The roof covers the entire ground floor plan, so a single-storey house often has more roof than a two-storey semi.

For a ballpark before you book anything, our roof cost calculator gives an instant estimate from your size and material.

New Roof Cost Per Square Metre By Material

Material is the biggest lever on price after labour, and it decides how long the roof lasts. Cheaper coverings cost less now and need replacing sooner. Slate and zinc cost more upfront and last for generations.

Flat roofs generally sit at the lower end because the work is simpler. Steep or intricate pitched roofs cost more in both labour and waste.

The ranges are wide for a reason. A Dublin slate roof with valleys and two chimneys and a rural concrete re-tile on a plain gable are different jobs at the same square metre count.

Spending more per metre on a covering that lasts twice as long often works out cheaper over the life of the roof. Our comparison of slate against tile for Irish homes covers the trade-offs, and the roofing materials page sets out what we install and why.

What A New Roof Price Should Include

A full roof replacement covers far more than tiles. A fair quote itemises the whole job so you can compare like with like. If a quote is a single lump sum with no breakdown, that is your first question to ask.

A complete new roof price should account for the following.

• Removal and disposal of the old covering, including skip hire
• New breathable membrane and the treated timber battens the tiles fix to
• Tiles or slates, plus ridge and hip tiles with mortar or dry-ridge fixings
• Flashings around chimneys, valleys and abutments, usually lead
• Scaffolding, usually a separate line, often €1,200 to €2,000 on a standard two-storey semi
• Labour and supervision, typically the largest single cost after materials
• Site clean-up and removal of debris

Two of those catch people out. Scaffolding is a real cost that some cheaper quotes quietly leave off, and carpentry to fix rotten timber only shows up once the old roof is stripped. A trustworthy quote flags both before work starts rather than after.

Ask one more question in writing. Is this a full strip or an overlay. A strip takes the roof back to the rafters so the timbers can be inspected. An overlay leaves the existing structure in place and costs less, but it hides anything failing underneath.

What Pushes A Roof Quote Up Or Down

Beyond material, a handful of factors decide where your quote lands inside these ranges.

• Size, pitch and shape. More area means more material and labour. Hips, valleys, dormers and multiple pitches all add time and specialist work.
• Condition underneath. Rotten timber, sagging rafters or failed underlay can turn a re-tile into a strip-back and rebuild. Sensible contractors allow a 10 to 20 per cent contingency for what they find once the roof is open.

• Access and scaffolding. Expect €1,200 to €2,000 for a full wrap on a standard two-storey semi. Detached homes, three-storey properties and tight city sites run €1,800 to €3,500, and Dublin adds scaffold permit fees on public paths.
• Strip versus overlay. A full strip costs more than laying over an existing covering, but it is the only way to fix problems underneath.
• Dublin and the larger urban areas typically run 10 to 20 per cent higher than rural jobs on labour and transport, before you add parking restrictions and skip permits.

Then there are the add-ons that often ride along with a re-roof. Fascia, soffit and gutters, new skylights, or repointing a chimney all appear as separate lines. Doing them in the same visit while the scaffolding is already up costs less than calling a roofer back later.

The Costs That Catch People Out

The headline number covers the covering, battens, membrane and standard ridge detail. Several extras appear regularly, and knowing them in advance stops a mid-job phone call turning into an argument.

• Rotten timber. Nobody can see this until the roof is off. Budget a contingency rather than assuming the best.
• Skip hire and waste. A full strip generates several tonnes of debris. Typically €300 to €900 depending on the size of the roof.
• Chimney and leadwork. Lead flashing has a shorter life than the tiles around it. A repoint and new flashing usually runs €500 to €2,000, and our chimney repair cost guide breaks the work down further.
• Fascia, soffit and gutters. Worth doing while the scaffolding is up. See our gutter replacement cost guide.
• Older roofs frequently lack adequate airflow. Adding ridge or eaves ventilation during a re-roof protects the new timbers from condensation.

It is also worth asking whether you need a full replacement at all. If the structure is sound and the problem is localised, a targeted roof repair can cost a fraction of a re-roof and still buy several good years.

Repair Or Full Replacement

This is where most money gets wasted. Repeated patch repairs on a roof that has reached the end of its life cost more over five years than replacing it once.

Repair usually makes sense when the roof is under 20 years old, the damage is isolated to one area, and this is the first significant problem. A well-targeted repair on sound structure should give you another decade.

Replacement usually makes sense when the roof is past 25 to 30 years old, tiles are slipping or cracking across several areas, the underlay has degraded, or you have already paid for two or more repairs in the last five years.

The practical test is proportion. Once a repair quote approaches a quarter of the cost of a full replacement on an ageing roof, replacement is the better value. Our repair versus replace guide walks through the decision in detail.

VAT And Grants On Roofing Work

Roofing work carries VAT, and for most homeowners it is the reduced rate rather than the standard one. Direct roof grants are rare, but if your project includes insulation, separate supports can take a meaningful amount off the total.

How VAT Applies To Roofing Work

Revenue names roofing directly as a construction service, and construction services generally attract the reduced 13.5 per cent VAT rate rather than the 23 per cent standard rate. The detail is in Revenue’s guidance on VAT for construction services.

One rule is worth knowing. If the materials in a job cost more than two-thirds of the total price excluding VAT, the whole job moves to 23 per cent. That is Revenue’s two-thirds rule. On a labour-heavy re-roof it rarely bites, but on a supply-heavy job it can.

Scaffolding hire is commonly billed at the standard rate even inside a qualifying job, so check how it appears on your quote. Ask for a VAT-inclusive written price so there are no surprises at the end.

Grants That Can Reduce Your Roofing Bill

There is no standalone grant for replacing a roof covering. Grant support attaches to the insulation, not the tiles.

Attic and rafter insulation both attract support through the SEAI home energy grants, and a re-roof is the ideal moment to upgrade while the roof is open and the scaffolding is already paid for. Amounts vary by property type and change from time to time, so check the current figures on the SEAI site. The work must be done by an SEAI-registered contractor and approved before it starts. Our roof insulation page explains how the two jobs fit together.

Older homeowners on lower incomes may qualify for essential re-roofing through the Housing Aid for Older People scheme, run by your local authority. It is means-tested, aimed at people aged 66 and over, and worth up to €10,700 towards approved works. Contact your county council before assuming a figure.

One more point that surprises people. If a renovation affects more than a quarter of your home’s external envelope, Building Regulations Part L can require the whole building to be brought up to a cost-optimal energy standard. A roof on its own often falls under that threshold, but ask your contractor to check before the job is scoped.

How To Get An Accurate Roof Quote

The only way to know your real cost is a physical roof survey followed by a written, itemised quote. Ranges and calculators are for budgeting. A proper quote reflects your measurements, your roof’s condition and your chosen material.

1. Get at least three written, itemised quotes so you can compare on detail rather than the bottom line.
2. Check the price is VAT-inclusive and shows a clear split of labour, materials, scaffolding and disposal.
3. Confirm the contractor is insured and can produce a public liability certificate on request.
4. Check trade membership. A recognised body such as the National Guild of Master Craftsmen is a reasonable filter.
5. Be wary of very low bids or cash-only prices with no VAT breakdown. Something is usually missing, and it is normally scaffolding, skip hire or the strip itself.

HP Roofing has been quoting roofs in Dublin since 1969, for homeowners and for buildings including Trinity College Dublin and The Shelbourne. Every quote is written and fixed before work starts, and our crews are directly employed rather than subcontracted. Our guide to choosing a roofing contractor covers what else to ask, and the new roof installation page sets out how we scope and price a full replacement.