Tile replacement, ridge repairs, leadwork and full re-roofs with insulation, from Amsterdam School blocks in Zuid to the garden villages of Noord
Most tiled roofs in Amsterdam look fine from the pavement. Get up close and it's another story: a hairline crack here, a ridge tile clinging on with old mortar, lead around the chimney that split years ago. We go up, take photos and tell you straight what needs doing now and what can wait a few years. If your house is in Plan Zuid or one of Noord's garden villages, we also check what the protected-cityscape rules allow before anyone orders a different tile.
Get your tiled roof checked
- 1Tell us what you've noticed - a photo from the street is fine
- 2We inspect the roof and send you the photos
- 3You get a fixed price, broken down item by item
- Free roof inspection
- Before and after photos
- Priced per m² or per metre
- One person to deal with
- English & Nederlands
Why bother
What a well-kept tiled roof in Amsterdam actually gets you
Schiphol averages 17.6 days a year with gusts of 21 m/s or more, according to the KNMI (the Dutch met office). Any loose tile gets found on those days. Usually you find it afterwards, in the garden.
Easier storm claims
Univé, for example, pays for blown-off tiles once the wind hits force 7, as measured by the KNMI. The assessor will still look at how the roof was kept. Fixed ridges and sound tiles make that conversation short.
Your tiles probably aren't the problem
Clay tiles last 50 to 100 years, says the price guide Homedeal. The battens, membrane and lead tend to go first. We replace those and put your good tiles back.
Insulate while it's open
With the tiles off, insulating from outside is the obvious move. Labour for insulation on a home over two years old is taxed at 9% VAT instead of 21%. Materials stay at 21%.
A roof that suits the street
Red and orange tiles define the look of Tuindorp Oostzaan and the Van der Pekbuurt. We put back what belongs there, and find out first if you want something different.
Dry timbers
A cracked tile lets in a little water with every shower. The membrane copes for a while, then the battens and rafters get wet. Swapping a tile costs a fraction of new timber.
Leadwork that seals again
There's lead around chimneys, dormers and where your roof meets next door's wall. Decades of heat and cold crack it. New lead is cheap next to the rot it prevents.
1
person to deal with, inspection to handover
m²
priced per square metre or metre of gutter, line by line
EN · NL
inspection and quote in your language
€0
for the roof inspection and photos
How we work
How we handle a tiled roof in Amsterdam
The work on the roof is often quicker than the paperwork around it. Scaffolding, permits and neighbours take time, so we sort those first.
- 01
Roof inspection
A free visit. We look from the roof, a ladder or a roof window, whichever is safe, and send you photos of cracked tiles, the ridge and the lead.
- 02
Itemised price
The quote lists exactly what we'll do: number of tiles, metres of ridge, metres of lead, with VAT shown. If insulation is part of it, that labour sits on its own line at 9%.
- 03
Scaffolding and rules
Dutch working-at-height law (the Arbobesluit) treats anything over 2.5 m as a fall risk, so most Amsterdam houses need scaffolding or edge protection. If it stands on the pavement we apply to the city for an objectvergunning (street-use permit) at least 7 working days ahead. Listed building or protected area? We check the tile is allowed first.
- 04
Ruling out asbestos
Built before 1994? Then we look for materials that might contain asbestos, like corrugated sheets on an extension. If in doubt, a sample goes to an accredited lab. Nothing gets stripped until we know.
- 05
Tiles off, roof opened
On a re-roof the tiles come off one slope at a time. We check the membrane, counter-battens, battens and roof boards, and stack reusable tiles to one side.
- 06
Tiling, ridge and lead
Tiles go back on new battens. Ridge tiles are fixed mechanically or bedded in mortar, depending on how the roof was done before. New lead goes around the chimney and any dormer.
- 07
Handover with photos
Scaffolding down, gutters emptied, site cleared. You get photos of the underlay and ridge so you know what's under your tiles.
- →
Where to start?
Step one is a roof inspection. It costs nothing and you're not signing up to anything.
Book an inspection →
Before and after
Photos of the damage, photos of the result
Most people never see their own roof up close, which leaves you relying on whatever the roofer tells you. That's exactly where this trade gets its reputation. So we take photos: of the damage before we start, of the base once it's exposed and of the finished work. Ten years from now you'll still know what's under that membrane.
The quote names the materials, the number of square metres or metres, and how we'll finish the details: upstands, lead, pipes through the roof. If it leaks afterwards where we worked, and our workmanship is the reason, we come back and fix it. If the cause is somewhere else, next door or in a part we never touched, we'll tell you straight and show you the pictures.
Photos
of the damage before and of the result after
Itemised
materials, quantities and finishing all set out in the quote
Worth checking
Choosing a roofer for your tiled roof
Ignore any price given over the phone. Whether you need a few tiles swapped or a whole slope relaid depends on what's under the tiles, and nobody knows that without looking. Ask for a visit and ask to see the photos.
Then ask what happens if the timber turns out worse than expected. Is there a set price per metre of batten, or does the price get renegotiated while your roof is open to the sky? We put a provisional sum for rotten timber in the quote, priced per metre, so you're not making decisions under pressure.
Finally, the tiles. Clay and concrete look alike in photos but age very differently: concrete loses its colour coat and gets rougher, which moss loves. And if your home is a rijksmonument (a nationally listed building), relaying a whole slope or changing the colour needs a permit. A decent roofer tells you that before ordering, not after.
Side by side
Clay tiles, concrete tiles or slate?
Lifespans and prices below come from the Dutch price guide Homedeal, including VAT and fitting. It gives no price for slate, so neither do we. And the last column is often the smart answer: don't replace everything.
| Clay tiles | Concrete tiles | Natural slate | Repair | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifespan | 50 to 100 years | 30 to 50 years | No reliable figure in the guides; depends on the stone and hooks | As long as the roof underneath is sound |
| Price per m² | €100 to €170 | €80 to €120 | Priced after a survey | €150 to €230 per m² of repaired roof |
| After 20 years | Colour holds, surface stays smooth | Colour wears off, more moss | Dark grey, lightly weathered | New tiles stand out at first |
| Upkeep | Clear moss, refix loose tiles | More moss, gets porous sooner | Check for slipped slates and hooks | Have it rechecked every few years |
| Where you'll see it | Plan Zuid, Noord's garden villages, most pre-war roofs | Lots of post-war family houses | Older buildings, mansard roofs | Any roof where only the details have failed |
| Permit | Same tile and colour counts as maintenance | Switching to concrete in a protected area: check first | Listed building: like-for-like only without a permit | Like-for-like: no permit |
The details
Ridges, lead and tiles that fit your street
The city's own notes on the protected cityscape of Amsterdam-Noord describe Tuindorp Oostzaan as a landscape of red-tiled gable and mansard roofs. About the Vogeldorp area they say many roof slopes have been spoiled by dormers added later. In other words, the roofs there are judged as a whole. We work with that in mind, tile by tile and ridge by ridge.
- Ridge tiles fixed mechanically or in mortar, to match the existing roof
- New lead around chimneys, dormers and party walls
- Matching tile shape and colour where the protected area expects it
- Bird combs and ventilation along the bottom edge of the roof
"On most tiled roofs we look at after a storm, the leak isn't a tile at all. It's the ridge or the lead."
Rough prices
What does tiled roof work cost in Amsterdam?
Replacing tiles starts at around €55 per m² according to Trustoo, depending on the tile. For a whole roof, Homedeal puts clay at €100 to €170 per m² and concrete at €80 to €120, VAT and fitting included. Roofers in the Randstad (the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Hague belt) charge €60 to €90 an hour, again per Homedeal. Roofing carries 21% VAT; only insulation labour drops to 9%.
- €Access: scaffolding on the pavement means a street-use permit and longer set-up
- €The state of the battens, membrane and boards under the tiles
- €Clay or concrete, and whether your old tiles can go back on
- €Length of ridge: rebedding ridge tiles runs €35 to €55 a metre according to Werkspot
- €Lead around chimneys and where you meet the neighbours' roofs
- €Adding insulation: 9% VAT on the labour and possibly an ISDE grant of €16.25 per m²
Indicative from
€55/m²
Indicative price for tile replacement, per Trustoo. We give you a fixed price once we've seen the roof.
Get your own priceQuestions
Tiled roofs in Amsterdam: your questions
Do I need a permit to replace my roof tiles?
Not if you put back the same tile. Same colour, shape and profile counts as maintenance. If you want something different and your house is in a protected cityscape such as Plan Zuid or Noord's garden villages, or it's a listed building, run the vergunningcheck (permit check) on the government's Omgevingsloket site first. On a rijksmonument, relaying an entire slope needs a permit even with identical tiles. The gemeente Amsterdam decides, advised by its Commissie Ruimtelijke Kwaliteit (design review panel).
My house was built before 1993. Should I worry about asbestos?
It's worth checking. Professional use of asbestos was all but banned in the Netherlands from 1 July 1993, so older buildings are treated as suspect. On tiled roofs it's mostly corrugated sheets on sheds and extensions. Dutch asbestos-free sheets have “NT” on the second-to-last ridge. Only an accredited lab test gives you a definite answer.
Can I swap concrete tiles for clay?
Usually, yes, and Homedeal reckons clay lasts 50 to 100 years. We check first whether the batten spacing suits the new tile. In a protected area or on a listed building it changes how the roof looks, so do the permit check first.
Will my insurance pay for storm damage to my tiles?
Most Dutch insurers pay from wind force 7. Univé uses 14 m/s as measured by the KNMI and a €250 storm excess. Some policies set the bar higher, so read yours. Damage your tiles do to a neighbour's property is a liability matter, not something your buildings insurance covers.
Can I get the roof insulated at the same time?
That's the best time to do it. Insulation labour on a home over two years old is taxed at 9% VAT. If you renew the insulation, Dutch building rules (the Bbl) require at least Rc 2.1. With 20 m² or more at Rd 3.5 or better, a house built before 2019 can also qualify for the national ISDE grant.
Why is there scaffolding in my quote?
Because the Arbobesluit counts anything over 2.5 m as a fall risk, and that means proper protection. On an Amsterdam pavement, scaffolding needs a street-use permit from the city, applied for at least 7 working days ahead. Your neighbours also need fair warning that it's coming.
Reviews
Customer reviews
No reviews here yet. Photos of every roof, though.
We're collecting reviews and will post them here as they come in, unedited and with permission. In the meantime, judge us on the work itself: every job comes with photos of the damage and of the finished result. Feel free to ask at the inspection what we've done near you.
Other roof work
Other roofing work
Where we work
Tiled roofs across Amsterdam and nearby
We work on tiled roofs in every part of the city, from the 1930s streets of Watergraafsmeer to Tuindorp Nieuwendam. Outside Amsterdam we cover Amstelveen, Weesp, Zaandam, Purmerend and more.
- Amsterdam-Zuidoost
- Amstelveen
- Diemen
- Duivendrecht
- Ouderkerk a/d Amstel
- Abcoude
- Weesp
- Almere
- Badhoevedorp
- Hoofddorp
- Zaandam
- Purmerend
Roof first, price second
Let us have a look before you decide anything. Often a new ridge and some lead is all it needs, and if so, that's what we'll tell you.