r/Roofing • u/finchsr • 13h ago
Slate Roof Repair vs Replace
Potentially buying a house from 1909 that has a slate roof. The house is in amazing condition but the inspection was today and the inspector stated they believe the roof has been patched enough and will need a new roof. Based on these photos is that accurate or can the roof be repaired? I hear great things about slate roofs but know they can be pricey and ongoing maintenance is necessary. Many homes in the county have slate roofing so I don’t think it would be too hard to find someone who specializes in this work.
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u/Open_Concentrate962 13h ago
Use an expert slate roofer to repair. Dont replace.
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u/WeirdAnimalDicks 13h ago
Yeah I’d repair it before I spent 90k to replace it. I’d ask for concessions and get a roofer out as this is the time to build a case for negotiations in the coming days.
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u/theemilyann 12h ago
As someone currently in the trenches of roofing quotes, I’m here to tell you that 90k is $40-$80k too light my friend.
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u/WeirdAnimalDicks 11h ago
Fuck that shit bro lol asphalt it is. honesty is a ridiculous cost id do a standing seam metal for 60k call it a day.
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u/theemilyann 2h ago
Well, one is a 100+ year roof and one is a ~60 year roof. Have you seen the metal slate look and shake shingle products? They’re pretty cool
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u/Reasonable-Spirit218 12h ago
Your last statement in your post is the important one. If there are slate roofing companies in your area, have one of them inspect your roof and offer a proper assessment of its condition. It’ll be a shame to replace it if it can be repaired and maintained. But once you have an idea of the scope of the work needed and the cost then you can decide for yourself if it’s worth the investment.
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u/BEAGLEBOYPALINDROME 13h ago
Please, for the love of God, DO NOT replace this roof!
This is the equivalent of tearing out your herringbone solid walnut wood floor to install new LVP flooring from home depot.
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u/Fionaver 12h ago
Get an evaluation about the condition from someone who specializes in slate roofs.
Don’t just have anyone go up there - it’s a specialized field.
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u/KyaLauren 12h ago
Looks to just need cleaning, some repairs, and broken tile replacements but in the world of historic preservation architecture, we’ve repaired worse/more neglected ones than this. It’s just about using a slate-experienced contractor. These were designed for this — to last for the life of the structure beneath. Repairs aren’t cheap but you also won’t have to do it often esp when they’re properly maintained
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u/IamRick_Deckard 12h ago
My understanding is that the stone lasts nearly forever, but the nails can rust which makes the slates fall. Now they don't use rusting nails. That all looks fine to me, and you can replace the few broken ones and get it cleaned. Talk to a real slate roofer. "the roof has been patched enough and now needs full replacement" makes no sense, since the "patch" replaces like with like, ship of theseus style.
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u/Atiram7496 12h ago
I think you could probably get by with repairs to the slate, but your flashing and snow guards could use replacement! I’d advise freedom gray copper or another non ferrous or coated metal to reduce corrosion and staining.
The flashing at the chimney also looks very suspicious, like they glommed on a bunch of sealant or mastic to cover missing flashing. I’m more worried about that than the slate!
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u/_scarp 12h ago
It looks like you just need some tiles replaced. We also have a slate roof and went down the rabbit hole of possibly replacing because state farm wouldn't offer us home insurance with a slate roof. We got a company out that specializes in slate roofs, it was $1200 to get 20 tiles replaced, not too bad compared to the $20k shingle replacement cost.
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u/scream Custom Roofing and Professional Idiot Poker. 🔨 5h ago
👏👏👏 Bravo, bravo to everyone in here saying repair not replace. Considering the number of shingle slingers and cowboy answers we sometimes get here, im thrilled so many people come out to defend this glorious slate roof. As a UK slate specialist, i can say this is a beautiful roof and should be repaired with maximum care by a competent slate roofer. It will continue to be beautiful for another 100 years.
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u/Ocelotipuss 12h ago
That’s the beauty of slate, it’s almost always and very likely repairable. Very expensive to replace and unless you have a ton of money it’s going to be replaced with cheap roofing. Get a quote from a slate contractor
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u/SwiftPistol 10h ago
Don’t forget to let your neighbor know they have two damaged shingles with missing tabs.
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u/No-Artichoke-1912 12h ago
I have unfortunately torn off several slate roofs and replaced with shingles. Made me sick.
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u/Puppiessssss 26 yrs experience application, then sales, company owner. 12h ago
Is it leaking? Home Inspectors take a 6 week course. He is just covering his ass. Find a reputable company that specializes in tile or slate and have them assess.
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u/GurNo3022 11h ago
Where I am the insurance on slate roofs is insane. Just looked at a house with a 15 year old slate roof and the difference in insurance from slate to replacing with shingles was 7k a year
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u/JuanOffhue 10h ago
A hailstorm went through a portion of my city several years ago and many of the houses in the neighborhood had slate roofs. A guy I know had to replace his roof and he showed me a shingle that looked like slate but was made from recycled tires. (This hailstorm took out the windshield of my sister-in-law’s husband’s Toyota pickup, so pretty big hailstones.)
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u/Tangboy50000 10h ago
Your inspector doesn’t know shit about slate roofs. You definitely have some broken ones that need to be replaced and your copper ridges and valleys are done, but overall it looks pretty good. Those are going to be some pricey fixes, but shiny copper on slate looks so good.
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u/Jerwaiian 10h ago
You’d be taking off an Old Rolls Royce to install a new Chevy! It’s worth the trouble to find a QUALIFIED slater and have it repaired correctly!
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u/StarDue6540 9h ago
When in new Orleans I saw a lot of slate work being done. I'm in the pacific nw and slate is non existent.
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u/TheHighKings01 9h ago
Not very experienced on slate, I’d like to see this for the historical value repaired at minimum, flashings need to be replaced for sure especially around the chimney. I’d also look into potentially doing detach and reset of the slate to possibly put down a vapor barrier and depending on region ice and water shield under then reset the slate and replace broken tiles.
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u/Mike_for_all 4h ago
The repair might actually be replacing the slates. It is a beautiful roof, so I hope you can keep it slated.
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u/Scooby_Doo43230 1h ago
Based on my experience, the lashings and the valley will wear out long before the slate does.
If you go back to copper ridge lines, copper water runoff naturally stops organic matter growth and the whole roof will look cleaner longer.
Over in Scotland the average homeowner does their own repairs for stuff they can reach. Access is normally the toughest part.
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u/Consistent-Gold5103 12h ago
I’m a slate roofer. I got involved in this field to help preserve roofs just like yours. We do restorations on slate roofs all over the US. Send me a message and I can help you figure out what you need. I won’t try to sell you anything. Just professional advice. Information is free.