Rusty Nails
We remember
- Location
- Living in the slow lane
I live in a 1920s semi which has the original Welsh slate roof. No roof felt but there has never been a problem with leaks, and the beams and battens have no damage/rot on them at all.
Last year some neighbours had their roof re-slated with manufactured imitation slates. Again they had no problems, other than a couple of broken slates, but a roofer told them it would be much better to have a new felted roof. Now keeping up with the Joneses has kicked off and a couple of houses have also had it done because "it looks so much nicer".
My next door semi neighbour has now decided to have it done using Spanish slate and has asked us if we would consider doing it to save on some of the costs such as scaffolding.
I have said no as I don't see how I would benefit by changing a perfectly sound but 100 year old set of slates (which spent more than 600 million years forming underground) for ones which look a little bit newer.
The only issue will be the join down the middle and different size slates on both houses, but tbh that doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother the neighbours.
I noticed that when they re-roofed the neighbours the roofers carefully took off the Welsh slates, stacked them and they were then collected by another company, with cash handed over, as there is a good market for them second-hand.
I just can't see the benefit in spending a lot of money to fix a problem we have never had, or am I missing something?
I seem to remember that Belgian slate had a poor reputation for crumbling/flaking, but how does Spanish slate compare?
Last year some neighbours had their roof re-slated with manufactured imitation slates. Again they had no problems, other than a couple of broken slates, but a roofer told them it would be much better to have a new felted roof. Now keeping up with the Joneses has kicked off and a couple of houses have also had it done because "it looks so much nicer".
My next door semi neighbour has now decided to have it done using Spanish slate and has asked us if we would consider doing it to save on some of the costs such as scaffolding.
I have said no as I don't see how I would benefit by changing a perfectly sound but 100 year old set of slates (which spent more than 600 million years forming underground) for ones which look a little bit newer.
The only issue will be the join down the middle and different size slates on both houses, but tbh that doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother the neighbours.
I noticed that when they re-roofed the neighbours the roofers carefully took off the Welsh slates, stacked them and they were then collected by another company, with cash handed over, as there is a good market for them second-hand.
I just can't see the benefit in spending a lot of money to fix a problem we have never had, or am I missing something?
I seem to remember that Belgian slate had a poor reputation for crumbling/flaking, but how does Spanish slate compare?