Roof Replacement

BUFF

Slate is a different matter. A lot depends upon quality of them (& installation & maintenance).
 Virtually all of my roof is still 115 year old original slates (but they are Welsh Blue, considered by many as the best in the world). It gets checked/maintained 2x a year by a local roofer.

Brie

Well slate can last nearly indefinitely unless an asteroid falls on your house in which case your insurance cover would kick in.

Do you have to replace with slate?? (preservation order or some such??)  Get a quote for look a like alternatives - much cheaper.

ic

If the house is 20 years old, its should already be insulated to modern standards (i.e. 250-300mm thick).  Otherwise, grants exist only if you're on certain benefits - https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency.  Its an easy job to do yourself, and shouldn't cost more than £60 to £100 buying the rolls at a DIY shed.

As for lifespan of slate - my last house had slate on that was 120 years old.  The roof had been stripped and relaid at some point, but with the same slates.

jaymis45

Its a 2 storey town house not sure I would know how to do this myself or where to start.

Looking at replacing with plastic slates durable for 50years+.    

Neighbours have had in done in 3-4 days with team of two people.  

Ebe_Scrooge

jaymis45 said:

Looking at replacing with plastic slates durable for 50years+.    

You still haven't answered the question - do the existing tiles need replacing?  As a few people have said, depending on the quality, slate can easily last well in excess of 100 years.

comeandgo

Why on Earth are you replacing slate with plastic?

neilmcl

jaymis45 said:

Ebe_Scrooge said:

jaymis45 said:

Can my insurance company building cover cost of replacement as its recommended to replace after 20 years ?  

As a previous poster stated, normal wear & tear won't be covered by insurance.

My question, though, is - who recommends it should be replaced after 20 years?  And is the roof actually damaged, or deteriorated to such an extent that it actually needs replacing?  20 years seems a pretty short lifespan for a roof to me (unless it's thatch, but you said it's ordinary tiles?).

Whats the life span of slate tiles?   I guess 40 years ?    It was mentioned by housing association in area in 2019.  

I have the original slate on my roof, it's a 100 years old. Proper slate will last indefinitely, it's the fixings that will eventually start to fail. As already asked, why do you think you need to replace your roof?

stuart45

jaymis45 said:

Whats the life span of slate tiles?   I guess 40 years ?    It was mentioned by housing association in area in 2019.  

It depends on the quality of the slate, type of nails used, climate etc.
Shingles are popular in the USA, but they stand up to really large hail stones better than tiles or slates.
40 years for a slate or tile roof in the UK would be a really short lifespan.

plumb1_2

Slate roof 100+ yrs with copper nails, fitted with galvanised nails a lot less.
Concrete roof tiles can start to get porous after about 30 yrs. plus might be to heavy for the roof. Possibility of the roof sagging.
plastic roof tiles h🙈🙈🙈

Best to carefully remove old slates, re-felt and batten then refit old slates(using copper nail).
. Buy new slates for ones that get broken. But make sure the roofer uses the slates from the back of the house to patch the front to make it uniform. Then fit new ones mixed in at the rear.