Roof Replacement questions answered in plain English

On a two-storey semi, €8,500 to €15,000 in concrete tile, €9,000 to €17,000 in fibre cement slate and €16,000 to €24,000+ in natural slate. A detached house is €11,500 to €32,000+. The cost guide breaks it down by house, material and county.

Because they often price different jobs. One includes new battens, a breathable membrane, lead flashings, scaffolding, the skip and VAT; another leaves half of it out. The company we pass you to puts every item in writing, so you can see what you're paying for.

Three to ten working days on most houses, weather allowing, plus a day either side for the scaffolding. The roof is made weather-tight every evening. See how long it takes.

Not from SEAI for the roof itself. The council's Housing Aid for Older People grant can pay towards repairing or replacing a roof, and the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant covers roof work on a vacant house. See grants and VAT.

Not usually to re-roof a house in the same or a similar material. A protected structure, an architectural conservation area or a change of look is a question for the council first. See planning permission.

The old roof comes off into a skip, one section at a time, with sheeting on the scaffold. Expect dust in the attic, so clear it first if you can. Gutters are cleared and the garden is swept before the scaffolding comes down.

Ask for two in writing: the roofer's own workmanship guarantee (who gives it, for how long, on what) and the manufacturer's on the slates, tiles or membrane. Don't sign a quote that doesn't say.

One roofing company that covers your county. We pass your request to one company only, not a list, and they ring you to arrange a time.

No planning permission is needed for a like-for-like roof replacement that keeps the existing ridge height, roof profile and similar slate or tile finish. Raising the ridge height, adding front-facing dormers, or changing materials on a Protected Structure or inside an Architectural Conservation Area requires local authority planning approval.

If your slates are delaminating, nail-sick (sliding out because old iron nails have rusted through), or the old bitumen sarking felt underneath has rotted across multiple slopes, spot repairs become false economy. If damage is limited to a few storm-lifted tiles or a single leaking chimney flashing on an otherwise sound roof under 30 years old, targeted repair is usually enough.

When stripping more than 25% of the roof area, TGD Part L requires upgrading roof insulation where technically and economically feasible: 0.16 W/m2K for horizontal ceiling-level mineral wool (around 300mm depth) or 0.18 W/m2K for pitched rafter-level insulation.

On a 3-bed semi-detached or terraced home, scaffolding typically goes up the day before stripping starts, remains in place for 4 to 7 working days while the roof is stripped, felted, battened, slated or tiled, and pointed, and is struck within 48 hours of sign-off.

Yes, and fitting roof hooks and flashings while the slates or tiles are being laid is the cleanest time to do it. The roofer bolts stainless steel brackets directly to the rafters and dresses the slates or tiles around them without retro-cutting later.

A professional crew strips and breathably felts one slope or section at a time so the house is never left open overnight. Modern high-tensile breathable membrane is completely watertight as soon as it is tautly lapped and counter-battened.