By Basingstoke Roofing Experts · Call 0125 624 2410
When re-roofing in Basingstoke, the choice between concrete interlocking and clay tiles is the single biggest decision affecting cost, appearance and longevity. Here is how they compare in local conditions.
The default on Basingstoke's 1960s–80s estates and the most common replacement choice. Modern concrete tiles (Marley Edgemere, Redland Grovebury, Russell Grampian) cost £1.00–£1.80 per tile, are widely available, and install quickly due to their large format. Concrete tiles are heavy (around 4.5kg each) which provides good wind resistance but requires adequate roof structure. Expected life: 60+ years.
Available as plain tiles (hung on laths, smaller, lighter) or interlocking (similar format to concrete). Clay costs more — £2.50–£5.00+ per tile — but lasts significantly longer: 80–100+ years for machine-made, 100–150+ years for handmade. Clay does not suffer the surface erosion that degrades concrete over decades, and weathers to a character that improves with age rather than deteriorating.
For the overspill estates (Popley, Winklebury, South Ham, Buckskin, Black Dam, Oakridge): concrete interlocking is the practical choice. It matches the existing streetscape, costs less, and the estate rooflines do not benefit aesthetically from clay. For Chineham, Kempshott, Lychpit, Beggarwood and other upmarket estates: clay is worth considering — it adds kerb appeal, lasts longer, and suits the larger homes. For Old Basing: clay is essential — conservation area requirements prohibit concrete on period properties.
A 3-bed semi re-roof with concrete: £5,000–£8,000. The same roof with machine-made clay interlocking: £7,000–£11,000. With handmade clay plain tiles: £10,000–£15,000. Over the life of the roof, clay's longer lifespan often makes it the cheaper option per year of service.
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer usually cannot see the work being discussed. That asymmetry is why getting a second opinion on any significant quote is sensible — not because most roofers are dishonest, but because specifications genuinely vary and comparing them is the only way to know what you are buying.
When comparing quotes, look past the headline figure. Does each quote include scaffold? Are materials named by manufacturer or described vaguely as "quality tiles"? Is waste disposal included? Is there a written guarantee, and what does it actually cover? A quote that is £500 cheaper but omits scaffold and dry ridge is not cheaper at all.
Ask what happens if additional problems are found once work starts. A good answer describes a process: stop, photograph, discuss, agree cost, then continue. A vague answer suggests you may face unexpected charges. Ask what guarantee is provided and request it in writing. Ask whether the guarantee transfers if you sell — a transferable guarantee is a genuine selling point.
Finally, ask for references from recent local work. Any roofer confident in their standards will provide them readily, and following up two or three takes ten minutes that could save you thousands.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes technical guidance for homeowners covering material selection, standards compliance and choosing a contractor. Your local authority building control department can advise on when notification or approval is required. For conservation area and listed building work, the Basingstoke and Deane conservation officer is the definitive source on what materials will be acceptable.
For anything specific to your own roof, a professional inspection is worth more than any amount of general reading. Call 0125 624 2410 — advice costs nothing and there is no obligation to book work.
General roofing advice only takes you so far, because the right answer depends heavily on what your roof is actually made of and when it went on. Basingstoke's housing splits into clear eras and each behaves differently.
The 1960s–70s overspill estates — Popley, Winklebury, South Ham, Oakridge, Buckskin and Black Dam — account for over a third of the town's stock and were roofed with concrete interlocking tiles on iron nail fixings. Those fixings are now 50 to 65 years old and failing across whole slopes at once, because they were all installed within a few years of each other. Anything you read about roof maintenance needs filtering through that: on these roofs the covering is often sound while the thing holding it on is not.
The 1980s–2000s estates — Chineham, Kempshott, Lychpit, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood — have decades of life left in the covering. What fails there is mortar and detailing: ridge and verge bedding, and flashing junctions at dormers and extensions where volume housebuilders used mastic instead of lead. Those are cheap fixes caught early and expensive ones left alone.
Old Basing and the older pockets around the Top of Town are different again. Handmade clay and natural slate last 80 to 150 years, so a century-old roof may have half its life remaining. Conservation area requirements mean matched materials and lime mortar, which changes both the method and the cost.
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer cannot see the work being discussed, cannot watch it happen and cannot properly assess it afterwards. That asymmetry is why comparing quotes properly matters more here than almost anywhere else.
When you compare, look past the headline number. Does each quote include scaffold as its own line? Are materials named by manufacturer, or described vaguely as quality tiles? Is waste disposal included? Is there a written guarantee, and what does it actually cover? A quote £500 cheaper that omits scaffold, new battens and dry ridge is not cheaper — it is a smaller job wearing the same name.
Ask what happens if additional problems appear once work starts. A good answer describes a process: stop, photograph, discuss, agree the cost, continue. A vague answer means you may face charges you did not sign up for.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes technical guidance for homeowners on material selection, standards compliance and choosing a contractor. Your local authority building control team can advise on when notification or approval is required. For conservation area and listed building work in Old Basing or Whitchurch, the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council conservation officer is the definitive source on acceptable materials.
For anything specific to your own roof, an inspection is worth more than any amount of general reading. Call 0125 624 2410 — advice costs nothing and there is no obligation to book work.
Call 0125 624 2410 for a free, no-obligation quote.
Roofing decisions rarely exist in isolation. A question about repair costs usually leads to a question about whether replacement makes more sense, which leads to material choices, which leads to what a good quote should contain. Our other guides cover each of these in the same detail as this one.
If you are working through a specific decision and want to talk it through rather than read about it, call 0125 624 2410. There is no charge for advice and no expectation that you will book anything. We would rather you made a well-informed decision — even if that decision is to use someone else — than an uninformed one.
General guidance takes you only so far. The right answer for a 1960s system-built terrace in Popley is different from the right answer for a Victorian cottage in Old Basing or a 2000s detached in Beggarwood. Housing era, roof structure, exposure and existing condition all shape what is appropriate.
A free inspection resolves this in under an hour. We look at your actual roof, tell you what we find, and give you a written assessment you can act on or file for reference. No obligation either way.
Clay lasts longer (80–100+ years vs 60), weathers more attractively, and doesn't suffer surface erosion. But concrete is cheaper upfront and perfectly adequate for most Basingstoke estate housing.
Yes — provided the roof structure can support the weight. Clay plain tiles are lighter per tile but use more tiles per square metre. An assessment determines whether reinforcement is needed.
If your property is in the conservation area or listed, yes — like-for-like material matching is required. Machine-made concrete is not acceptable on period properties in Old Basing.
Roughly 2–3× more per tile. A full re-roof in clay costs 40–60% more than concrete. However, clay lasts 30–50 years longer, so the cost per year of service is often lower.
Both perform well. Concrete's main weakness is surface erosion over 50–60 years. Clay's main weakness is frost spalling on exposed positions like Kingsclere — but quality clay resists this well.
Yes. We bring tile samples to every re-roof consultation so you can see colours and textures against your brickwork before committing to a material.
Clay tiles are perceived as higher quality and can add to kerb appeal on mid-range and upmarket properties. On estate housing, the difference is minimal — buyers care more about condition than material.
No call-out fees. No obligation. Just an honest quote from a local Basingstoke roofer who'll turn up when they say they will.
0125 624 2410Last updated: August 2026