What roof work costs
Flat Roof Replacement Cost: Felt, EPDM and GRP Prices
A flat roof is priced by the square metre, and the covering you choose sets the rate, with felt from £50 per m² and GRP fibreglass up to £120. Here are the UK prices per m² and lifespans for felt, asphalt, EPDM and GRP, the extra costs that go on top, a worked price for a garage roof, and when the job needs building control approval.
How much a flat roof replacement costs
A 32 m² flat roof costs £2,800 to £7,500 to replace on Checkatrade’s UK roof prices, and a standard flat roof costs £50 to £110 per m², an average of £75, in its flat roof cost guide. Every price here excludes VAT, which has a standard rate of 20 per cent.
Flat roof cost per m² by material
Here are Checkatrade’s prices per m² for asphalt, felt, EPDM and GRP, excluding VAT, with the lifespan it gives for each covering.
| Covering | Price per m² | Average per m² | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt | £50 to £70 | £60 | 20 to 30 years |
| Felt (bitumen, torch-on) | £50 to £80 | £65 | 15 to 20 years |
| EPDM rubber | £80 to £100 | £90 | 30 to 50 years if professionally installed and maintained |
| GRP fibreglass | £95 to £120 | £107.50 | Up to 30 years |
A green roof costs £75 to £110 per m², an average of £100, and a liquid roof coating £20 to £28 per m², an average of £24, on the same Checkatrade figures.
EPDM costs more per m² than felt but lasts longer, so work out the cost per year as well. Spread over a felt roof’s lifespan of 15 to 20 years, felt at an average of £65 per m² costs £3.25 to £4.33 per m² a year on Checkatrade’s figures, against £1.80 to £3.00 for EPDM at £90 over 30 to 50 years.
EPDM or GRP
EPDM rubber and GRP fibreglass are £17.50 per m² apart on Checkatrade’s averages, at £90 and £107.50, and EPDM lasts longer. GRP can be finished in colours where EPDM comes only in black, but GRP needs dry weather to install and can crack in very cold conditions, while EPDM can be punctured by sharp objects.
Extra costs on a flat roof replacement
The covering is one line of a flat roof quote. Checkatrade’s flat roof figures price the rest of the job as separate unit costs, all excluding VAT.
| Extra | Price |
|---|---|
| Roof inspection | £250 |
| Removing the existing roof | £2,000 |
| Scaffolding | £900 per week |
| Skip | £300 |
| Insulation | £960 |
| Gutter installation | £775 |
Removing the existing roof is priced on top of the new roof, and roofing quotes generally do not include scaffolding, so two quotes at the same m² rate can end up far apart.
Do not compare quotes on the m² rate alone
Removing the old roof at £2,000 and a week of scaffolding at £900 take a 32 m² roof at the £75 per m² average from £2,400 to £5,300. A quote that leaves both lines out looks cheaper than it is, so compare quotes on the total with both included.
Garage roof replacement cost
Checkatrade prices a garage roof at £40 to £60 per m² in bitumen felt, £70 to £100 in rubber and £90 to £130 in fibreglass, excluding VAT.
To price your own garage, multiply the roof’s area in m² by the rate for its covering, then add Checkatrade’s flat roof prices for removing the old roof, £2,000, and a skip, £300.
A 20 m² rubber garage roof, replaced
| Rubber covering, 20 m² at £70 to £100 per m² | £1,400 to £2,000 |
|---|---|
| Removing the existing roof | £2,000 |
| Skip | £300 |
Total £3,700 to £4,300
Prices exclude VAT. Replacing the roof timber adds £500 to £1,500, and removing asbestos sheets £500 to £1,000.
With the roof timber replaced as well, the same garage roof comes to £4,200 to £5,800 on Checkatrade’s garage figures.
Building regulations for a new flat roof
Re-covering a flat roof does not normally need a building control application, as long as the work stays inside the Planning Portal’s limits on how much of the roof and of the whole building envelope it affects. Go past either limit and approval is required, and you may then have to make sure the roof’s thermal insulation is sufficient. A change of covering can need approval too, through its fire performance or its weight, so check the job against all five conditions before work starts.
Re-covering a flat roof without a building control application
- Less than 50 per cent of the roof is affected
- Less than 25 per cent of the building envelope is affected, counting walls, floor, roof, windows, doors, roof windows and rooflights
- No structural alterations are made
- The new covering's fire performance is not significantly different
- The new covering is less than 15 per cent heavier than the old one
A roofer registered with the NFRC Competent Person Scheme can self-certify roof refurbishment work in England and Wales, and you receive a Building Regulation Compliance Certificate automatically.
Flat roof guarantees
Get the guarantee written into the quote before you sign, with how many years it runs and what it covers.
A flat roof guarantee on the quote
Do this
20-year written guarantee on the EPDM membrane and its installation, running from the completion date
Not this
Fully guaranteed
If you are comparing Nottingham roofers on their flat roof guarantees, Rain Defence Roofing in Beeston, a licensed Firestone EPDM contractor, guarantees its roofs for 20 years, B&S Roofing in Eastwood gives flat roofing a 20-year guarantee, and Stapleford Roofing a 10-year one.
Common questions
How much does a flat roof cost per m²?
A standard flat roof costs £50 to £110 per m² to replace, an average of £75, excluding VAT. By covering, torch-on felt costs £50 to £80 per m², EPDM rubber £80 to £100 and GRP fibreglass £95 to £120, and removing the old roof, a skip and scaffolding are extra.
How much does it cost to replace a garage roof?
A garage roof costs £40 to £60 per m² in bitumen felt, £70 to £100 in rubber and £90 to £130 in fibreglass, excluding VAT. A 20 m² rubber garage roof comes to £3,700 to £4,300 once removal of the old roof at £2,000 and a £300 skip are added, and replacing the roof timber adds £500 to £1,500.
What is the cheapest flat roof covering?
A liquid roof coating is the cheapest at £20 to £28 per m², followed by asphalt at £50 to £70 and torch-on felt at £50 to £80, all excluding VAT. Asphalt and felt cost about the same per m², but asphalt lasts 20 to 30 years against 15 to 20 for felt.
Is a rubber roof cheaper than felt?
Not to fit, because EPDM rubber costs £80 to £100 per m² against £50 to £80 for torch-on felt, excluding VAT. Per year of use it is cheaper, since EPDM lasts 30 to 50 years if professionally installed and maintained against 15 to 20 for felt. At average prices that is £1.80 to £3.00 per m² a year for EPDM against £3.25 to £4.33 for felt.
How much does it cost to remove an old flat roof?
Removing the existing roof costs £2,000 on Checkatrade's flat roof figures, and a skip for the waste £300, both excluding VAT. Removal is priced on top of the new roof, so check it appears on the quote as its own line.
How much does it cost to convert a flat roof to pitched?
Converting a flat roof to a pitched roof costs £3,000 to £4,500, an average of £3,750, excluding VAT. Ask whether the price includes building control approval, which the Planning Portal says is required for structural alterations to a roof.
Does a flat roof quote include scaffolding?
Roofing quotes generally do not include scaffolding. Checkatrade prices it at £900 a week excluding VAT, so ask whether it is on the quote and how many weeks the price covers.
Where the figures come from
- Checkatrade, flat roof replacement cost guide read 2026-09-16
- Checkatrade, roof replacement cost guide read 2026-09-16
- Planning Portal, building regulations for work to an existing roof read 2026-09-16
- NFRC Competent Person Scheme read 2026-09-16
- GOV.UK, VAT rates read 2026-09-16
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