Slate
Slate roof replacement
Re-slating a 3-bed semi costs €16,000 to €24,000 in natural slate and €12,000 to €17,000 in artificial (fibre cement) slate, incl. VAT (RoofQuote.ie). Spanish natural slate is €150 to €220 a m²; Irish or Welsh slate €220 to €320.
- €9,000 to €14,000a new concrete tile roof on a two-storey semi, incl. VAT (RoofQuote.ie)
- €16,000 to €24,000the same house in natural slate (RoofQuote.ie)
- 3 to 10 daysfor most house roofs, weather allowing (BookMyRoofer.ie)
- 13.5% VATon roofing work on a house, not 23% (Revenue)
FreeNo obligationOne company rings you, not fiveNothing agreed until you accept a written price
Cost check
What a new roof costs for your size
Two taps: the material and roughly how big the roof is. The answer is a published Irish rate times your area.
Published rate × your roof area
€12,000 to €18,400
80 m² at RoofQuote.ie's published €150 to €230 a m² to replace a roof in natural slate (VAT not stated). Our multiplication, not a quote. At BookMyRoofer.ie's €95 to €180 a m² installed, it's €7,600 to €14,400.
- RoofQuote.ie's whole-job price for a two-storey semi (a 60 to 80 m² roof) is €9,000 to €14,000 in concrete tile and €16,000 to €24,000 in natural slate, incl. VAT and scaffolding (RoofQuote.ie).
- Stripping and disposing of the old roof is published at €800 to €1,500 (RoofQuote.ie).
- Roofing work on a house is at the 13.5% VAT rate (Revenue). Ask whether the written price includes it.
How this is worked out
The roof area you pick, times RoofQuote.ie's published replacement rate a m² for that material. BookMyRoofer.ie's installed rates are shown next to it where it publishes one. The multiplication is ours. Rates read on 3 November 2026. The area is the slope of the roof, not the floor: a pitched roof is bigger than the house's footprint. The labels are rough guides; the roofer measures it. Chimneys, valleys, dormers, rotten timbers and access all move the price. It's an estimate, never a quote.
Two kinds
Natural slate or fibre cement
Natural slate is split stone. Most natural slate on Irish houses now comes from Spain; Welsh and Irish slate cost more and are often asked for on period houses. A properly laid natural slate roof can last 80 to 100 years or more (RoofQuote.ie).
Fibre cement slate, often called artificial slate, is a thin, flat, even slate made from cement and fibres. It's lighter and cheaper, and every slate is the same. RoofQuote.ie gives it 30 to 50 years, depending on the product and the fixing. It's the slate on a great many Irish houses built from the 1970s on.
Prices
Published slate prices
| Job | Published price | VAT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial slate, small terrace | €11,500 to €15,500 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Artificial slate, 3-bed semi | €12,000 to €17,000 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Natural slate, 3-bed semi | €16,000 to €24,000 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Natural slate, 4-bed detached | €22,000 to €35,000+ | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Natural slate, period terrace | €18,000 to €30,000+ | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Full re-roof, strip and re-slate, fibre cement | €9,000 to €16,500 | VAT not stated | Recommended Roofing |
| Heritage or conservation re-roof, natural slate | €14,000 to €32,000 | VAT not stated | Recommended Roofing |
| Spanish natural slate, a m² | €150 to €220 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Premium natural slate, a m² | €180 to €260 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Irish or Welsh slate, a m² | €220 to €320 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Artificial (fibre cement) slate, a m² | €110 to €165 | VAT not stated | RoofQuote.ie |
| Natural slate, installed, a m² | €95 to €180 | VAT not stated | BookMyRoofer.ie |
Repairs first
When slates only need fixing
| Job | Published price | VAT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replace 1 to 5 slipped or broken slates | €350 to €750 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Replace a number of damaged slates | €700 to €1,500 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Slate roof leak investigation | €300 to €900 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Valley repair | €900 to €3,000 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
| Chimney flashing repair | €650 to €2,500 | incl. VAT | RoofQuote.ie |
A few slipped slates after a storm is a repair. Slates slipping all over the roof usually means the nails have rusted through, and that's a re-slate. See repair or replace.
Re-using slate
Can the old slates go back on?
Sound natural slates can be taken off, sorted and put back on new battens and membrane, often on the front, with new slates on the back. That's what Offaly County Council required on one protected structure in 2024: the existing slates carefully stored and re-used on the front. Fibre cement slates are not re-used. Older ones can contain asbestos: ask the roofer how they'll test and dispose of them.
See it first
A new roof on your own photo
Take a photo of the house from the road, pick natural slate, fibre cement slate or concrete tile, and see it finished before anyone quotes. Free, in under a minute.
- Upload a photo, or answer 4 questions.
- We pass it to one company that covers your county.
- They ring you with a written price.
Preview of your photo, not a guarantee. Your photo goes to Google's Gemini service to make the picture and isn't kept.
A photo that works
- Daylight, from the footpath or the garden.
- The whole roof in the shot, ridge to gutter.
- Straight on to the front, not up close.
- Never go up on the roof to take it.
Free quote
Get a price in 4 taps
Tap what you need and leave your number. It goes to one roofing company that covers your county, and they ring you back to arrange a look and a written price.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much does a new slate roof cost in Ireland?
€16,000 to €24,000 in natural slate on a 3-bed semi and €22,000 to €35,000+ on a 4-bed detached, incl. VAT (RoofQuote.ie).
How long does a slate roof last?
Natural slate 80 to 100 years or more by RoofQuote.ie, 70 to 120 by BookMyRoofer.ie; fibre cement slate 30 to 50 (RoofQuote.ie, BookMyRoofer.ie).
Can I swap slate for tiles?
Usually, if the roof structure takes the weight and the look of the house allows. On a protected structure, in an architectural conservation area or where it changes the look of a terrace, ask the council first. See planning permission.
Natural or fibre cement slate?
Natural slate costs more and lasts far longer. Fibre cement is cheaper and even. Price both.
Keep reading
Related guides
Where these numbers come from (2 public sources, checked 3 November 2026)
Sources (6)
Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages. We are not connected to these businesses.
- RoofQuote.ie: roofquote.ie
- RoofQuote.ie: roofquote.ie
- BookMyRoofer.ie: bookmyroofer.ie
- Recommended Roofing: recommendedroofing.ie
- RoofQuote.ie: roofquote.ie
- BookMyRoofer.ie: bookmyroofer.ie