I have a mid terraced house & I've finally convinced myslef to get a new roof.
Either, I can have the slate removed, the roof felted and reslated, thereby having a quality slate roof, *but there'll be a join either side*. Or I can get it tiled, interlocking with the neighbours' roofs and having no joins.
The roof style may have to be to your local authority requirements. Some councils will not allow certain types in certain areas. Best talk to your roofer.
This only applies to Listed Buildings or in if it's in a Conservation Area etc. As the adjoining houses are both tiled already I can't see this being a problem.
If they are the original natural slates it might be possible to reuse them, but this depends on the condition and the size of the nail holes - you won't know for sure until you strip the roof. If you want to use new natural slates you'll need deep pockets. Or you could use Eternit or similar artificial slates.
Tiling would be easier and cheaper than slates. But it is much heavier that the roof timbers were designed for, so you'll probably have to strengthen them.
It is unusual for you to have a choice. Slate is more often laid at too shallow an angle for tiles, which are thicker. In any case, if you go for tiles, you will need to have the roof strengthened as they will be a lot heavier.
Personally, I would always go for the original material, but slates are more expensive, unless you go to Wales with a lorry and buy them straight from the quarry. Greaves Slate in Ffestiniog are the only ones I know still making roofing slate, but you may need to order some time in advance.
Personally IU find slates ugly and depressing, but thats very personal and I love them on the floors.
If the roof will take the weight I'd go for tiles frankly.
I love tiles. I grew up in Surrey, and so many houses were clad in tiles on the walls as well as the roof. I loive teh natural earth colors. Cold wet slate always reminds me of my dreary grandparents house in cold damp south wales :-(, and dreary industrial towns populated by miserable people with miserable attitudes (Hi IMM!). Liewiase victoriana, so beloved today, merely evokes images of cold damp poverty stricken families who used to live in the ruddy stuff, choking their guts out with cholera or TB. .
I have always had a yen for the Jacobean. There you probably died in a sudden act of mindless violence, for bowing to the wrong sort of saint or something. Infinitely preferable.
In this part of London - and much else of it which is Victorian - people used to pick whatever suited them. Luckily, many councils are now insisting on slate or imitation slate replacements if this was original. But of all the ones which were replaced with concrete tiles, it's rare to see one sagging due to the extra weight, as I'd guess the rafters etc are way oversized.
When I first bought my house I had to have the roof sorted PDQ, and had the rear addition re-done using concrete tiles as they were the cheapest option. When I came to do the whole lot properly about 10 years later I was surprised to see just how they'd degraded - the surface had gone 'powdery'. The artificial slate replacements still look good some 20 years later.
Only things I can add are: used slates are not expensive, and can be used to top up what youve got there - though youve got to watch the shades match. Also its poss to repair cracked slates with car body filler. I've not done it but am told it works very well.
Oh, and beware of used slates that are in fact asbestos sheets - thyre very easy to spot.
Further info. All the other houses on our block have had the slates replaced with modern tiles, some recent, others long time ago, so the rafters must be strong enough.
I'm the only one with slates, and was originally going to get the roof felted & the slates replaced (& replace damaged), but now I think perhaps it is better to match in with my tiled neighbours, thereby avoiding weakspot seams at the party lines.
More info: I'm currently the only house on the block with slate. All the others have red tiles. I think slates over felt are best (I'd need 20% replacement slate), But the fact that I would be able to interlock tiles with my neighbours, thereby avoiding part-line joins is swaying me towards tiles.
That doesn't follow. It improves the odds, but by no means does it mean it must be strong enough.
I wuoldn't assume the tiles will be the right width to slot in just right myself. Chance says theyre more likely not to be. Now I've never done tile roofing, only slate, so if that's wrong perhaps a tiler will tell us.
But all in all from what you say it sounds like there are more points in favour of slates. Cheaper too, if you only need to buy 20% of what you need. And longer lived as well. And no structural iffies. The only minor negative is you'll need to make a standard joint.
Not all tiles interlock along the sides and can simply be cut to width.
I'd be more concerned about the battens on one side being at the same level as the other. An inch or so probably won't matter on 30' width but 6" and your tiles start to slope...
MM. They used a LOT of lead under the tiles round my dormers. One leaked like a sieve, and the chippies redid it with properly done lead. No leaks now :-)
Oh, it wasn't just at the dormer itself, but all over that part of the roof to the party wall. You could see daylight (no sarking felt) clearly through that part of the roof once the internal plasterboard was removed, but not on the other side where the tiles were properly fitted. I'm not certain if it was the original roof or replaced after war damage - the other half of the semi had the same tiles. But most other houses in the street, with what looked like original roofs, slate.
The zinc covering to the dormer also had pinholes, so a roof refurbishment was well due.
This is certainly open to question. If you can visit, look along the ceiling/wall joins at the eaves side of some other houses. Often when slates are replaced with tiles the extra weight causes spreading which can open large cracks up - I have seen instances of 1" (25.4mm)!
Tiles will *look* better, as the row will be more similar than if you use slate.
Um, it w> More info:
The meeting should be straight, not "interlocked". You can get slates 1 1/2 normal size to deal with this issue.
I think your main concern should be to maintain the (changed but) uniform appearence of the terrace, so you will have to use tiles. Try to match each side, or if each side are different colours, blend in with a gradual mix from one side to the other. If you use tiles, re-inforcement/extra strapping should be carried out on your existing roof structure. This need not be expensive or technical, but is worthwhile (to prevent problems, and so that if you sell, you c an say it has been done, and the buyers will think what a thorough chap you are!).
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Used English or Welsh slates are probably going to cost you
7-10% *more* than brand-new cheapo imported ones. There are good reasons for this!
Argh, please don't even think about bothering to do this!
It's not worth the bother even should it work temporarily. A new slate will last for a very long time and costs little, compared to the aggro of gluing up a slate that will stay glued for 6 months whereupon the effing thing will blow off in a strong breeze and launch itself sideways onto the roof of your car below.
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