Cost of installing roof insulation

Tuesday 11 June 2024

Is the roof of your house not insulated or not properly insulated? Then you are actually heating for the birds, as is sometimes said. Because did you know that about 30% of your home's heat disappears through the roof? So roof insulation is a good way to save on your heating costs. In addition, you save the environment, because you use less gas. Reasons enough to look into the possibilities and costs of roof insulation.

Roof insulation costs

Roof insulation can be carried out in two ways. You can insulate the roof from the inside or the outside. In principle, you can insulate the inside of the roof yourself; insulating from the outside is more difficult. But you can of course have the roof insulation installed by a professional. Then you can be sure it will be done properly and you won't have any work to do yourself. The roof insulation costs mainly consist of labour costs, followed by the materials. In addition, you should count on call-out charges and costs for the use of machinery. In addition to the roof insulation costs, you should also take into account additional costs such as finishing the ceiling or removing and replacing the roof covering. On average, you can expect to pay between 40 and 60 euros per square metre for insulating a roof. However, these costs depend on the way you have the roof insulated, which insulation material is used and what kind of roof you have. To get an indication of the costs yourself, we have a cost overview for you.

Cost overview for interior roof insulation

Insulating the roof from the inside is often the easiest option, but only if the roof is easily accessible from the inside of your house. To insulate your roof, you have a choice of different materials, for example glass wool, rock wool or insulation boards. In addition, PUR foam can be injected into your roof to insulate. You can also insulate your roof with organic insulation, such as sheep's wool. You can insulate your roof on the inside yourself, or you can hire a specialist to do the work. The costs quoted include VAT, but are purely for installing the roof insulation. If you want to have the attic ceiling finished afterwards, additional costs will be added. In addition, the costs for insulating a flat roof or a pitched roof are different. Moreover, additional costs may be charged if the roof is difficult to reach.

Type Roof insulation cost material per m2 Cost of roof insulation per m2 incl. installation
Rockwool 20 euros 35 euros
Glass wool 10 euros 20 euros
Insulation sheets 12 euros 25 euros
PUR foam Not possible to install yourself 30 euros
Sheep's wool 20 euros 35 euros
Cork 30 euros 45 euros
Paper flakes (cellulose) 14 euros 25 euros
Overview costs roof insulation external side

You cannot insulate your roof from the outside. Firstly, working at height is dangerous and requires special materials to be used safely. In addition, the roofing has to be removed first. Then the insulation layer is applied and roofing is reinstalled. This can be your old roofing, or you can have new roofing installed right away. The advantage, however, is that all the work is done on the outside of the house, so you won't be bothered by any mess in the house.

Cost of external roof insulation Cost of roof insulation per m2

Installation of external insulation Between 40 and 60 euros
Laying insulation on the outside incl replacing roof covering Up to 150 euros
What is the cost of interior roof insulation?

For interior roof insulation, the cost is made up of material and labour costs. The labour costs amount to around 15 to 20 euros per square metre. The exact labour costs depend mainly on the material you want to insulate with. The easier the material is to handle and install, the lower the labour costs will be. Insulation boards, for example, are very easy to install. The material itself is more expensive, but because the labour costs are lower, the total extra costs are still not so high. In addition, insulating a flat or a sloping roof is not the same amount of work and so the costs can differ there too. If you explain the situation clearly, the expert can tell you what the exact costs will be and advise you which insulation material is best. You can save costs by insulating the roof at the same time as a number of people from the neighbourhood. Then you will get a volume discount on the purchase of the material and for a big job, the contractor is often willing to give you a discount on labour costs. Insulating your roof from the inside is usually the cheapest option because it is less labour-intensive. However, the insulation value is often somewhat lower than insulation on the outside. Moreover, the work also takes place inside your home, so you also have the mess of the work inside.