Slate roofing

It is the first thing almost everyone asks, and it is rarely obvious from the ground. A slate roof can look sound and be letting water in at six points, or look tired and need nothing more than re-pointing and a handful of replacement slates. Guessing either way is expensive.

So we look at the pattern, not the worst slate. Scattered damage on a roof whose slates are otherwise sound is a repair. A roof where the slates are cracking across the whole field, where previous patches have used whatever was to hand, and where the lead in the valleys has oxidised through, is a re-roof. We tell you which one you have in writing, with the photographs behind it.

Welsh slate from the Penrhyn quarry, and Canadian slate from Glendyne. Penrhyn is what is on St Mary’s Cathedral, The Scots College and St James’ Church — quarried, split and laid to last for centuries, which is the only sensible standard on a building that has already stood for one.

Matching matters as much as the slate itself. On a repair we match the existing size, gauge and colour so the work disappears into the roof rather than announcing itself. Our slate work has been recognised twice by RIA NSW — Best Use of Slate and Best Re-Roof (Slate), both in 2018.