to think 79 k plus vat is too much to replace a Victorian roif?

[KierkegaardGroupie]

Just got in quotes to replace the Victorian roof on the top of the house we own a 400 square foot flat in.

We are in shock!!

Has anyone has a Victorian roof replaced on here?
Is that really how much is reasonable?

I just can't see how it can possibly cost that much ??? Even with scaffolding going up....how long can it take to replace a fairly small roof?

Any stories of roof cost would be helpful.
The house is terraced...4 stories high. In Brighton. Cost will be shared 5 ways but with all the greedy add ins...the total figure is 125k.

We just can't see how a roof can cost that.

Wow,that does seem a huge amount. Does it need specialist tiles because it's in a conservation area or because they need to be done in a special way?

If so perhaps you can ask a conservation/planning person at the council if they can help by recommending a reputable firm? Well you never know....

Ideally have some more quotes from good firms and see if they are vastly different.

Are a lot of the timbers rotten and needing replacing?

A lot of the cost could be scaffolding. We recently had work done and I was shocked to see how much scaffolding was.

Thanks everyone. Yes it will need scaffolding. Yes it us in a conservation area if Brighton.
Thanks fabulous. That is a good idea. I will call someone to ask. We just feel like we are being ripped off.

As soon as this roof is done we want rid of it. I would never ever buy a Victorian home again.total money pits.

I was going to say scaffolding too. 4 storeys of scaffolding sounds like a lot. Are there any specialist aspects? Listed building, heritage, certain materials?

If it's not straightforward it might be that the roofers can charge what they like because there's a shortage of skilled roofers. I know someone in roofing and he has to pay a lot to get good roofers and they have much more work than they can cope with. If he didn't work solely in the north of England and wasn't booked up for months I would give you his details. Have you had more than one quote?

I am assuming all timbers are being replaced...need to check the report. Just having surveyors up there cost 20 k up there between 5 of us!!! So maybe the scaffolding is the problem.

Surveyors cost £5000??? Do you share freehold or is this being charged on behalf of a freeholder?

Scaffolding can cost up to half the cost. And 4 storeys is more complex and requires more scaffolding than 2.

I worked on a heritage project where the scaffolding cost over 400k. I was gobsmacked and still had to report the scaffolders for unwanted innuendo on site. They hated having a woman on site

Sorry £20k ! £5000 was bad enough...

If they're replacing the tiles, particularly in a conservation area, that will cost a lot. Are they replacing or re-using ?

Also, if there is lead up there, that is pretty pricey...

Your freeholder/management company is legally obliged to let you see all the quotes it has obtained, and that has to be at least three! Make sure you see them.

Oh and if you haven't been correctly served with a section 20 notice about the works to be done the most they can claim from you is £250

Is it a complicated sort of roof with lots of gables and chimneys and so on? Do any chimneys have to be rebuilt?

Liquidrevolution, I am intrigued! What sort of building was this?

Our roof for Victorian 3 bed semi 10 years ago was £5k, and that was for proper slate.

It could be a reasonable price depending on what they are doing - does it include a "tin hat" ? Prices for those sort of jobs can vary dramatically due to issues such as access, confined space and requirement from the conservation officer. Make sure you've got at lease three detailed quotes and check them off against each other to compare them.

Ask for a break down. Get competitive quotes

Thanks. Really helpful. So there is a leaseholder involved.

They sent us three quotes.... two were similar and one was 25 k more. But I just don't trust them.please holder is adding on another 10 per cent for administration costs....ie sending letters about it all.
Yes our share of survey was 4 k....5 dwellings in the building.

Will call roofing companies and get more if a break Down. We don't want to go with any company they have got quotes from.

We just think it a ridiculous amount for a roof!!

Part of the issue is that under current building regs, if you remove to replace more than 25% of the external envelope ( ie roof floors) then the replacement must be to current standards and conform to Part A (structural) abd Part L ( insulation)

So you're simple roof replacement could now easily include needing a steel ridge beam or other structural elements (cost of item plus installation by crane and cost of structural engineer etc etc) plus new roof timbers.

And then you need to insulate it to current standards which means a minimum of 120mm of rigid board type insulation. And the cost of said board and the installation there of.

Oh and the small matter of the actual roof tiles and new lead work around chimney stacks etc etc

Yes I can see that being between £60k and £80k sadly. It will be cold comfort to you that the new roof will last 100 years but it will add up to 20% to the value of your home.

What I do find massively out of step is the surveyors cost of £20k! Even if you included £10k for a full wrap round scaffold, that still seems extremely high.

And the other thing is the very unreasonable sounding management charges of £45k ontop of the roof replacement.

You do know you have options here. You can enfranchise them and buy them out. You only need 3 of the 5 owners to agree and you can spend the money buying them out rather than on "management charges" for a roof replacement. It's hugely in your interest to do you. And yes you'd still need to make repairs to the roof but with any luck you may get a few more years out of it so you can all save up.

It could be for lead work costs as well. They are very expensive and leadworkers are very skilled and in low supply so could easily push price up. Yes scaffold is expensive and also the area could be difficult to scaffold depending where you are sited (eg. In a busy narrow street) which would put cost up again. Decent traditional tiles also expensive. Get a break down and report back!

You could buy a few new houses for that round my way!