Can my existing slates be reused?

Often yes. If slates ring solid, are not delaminating and have enough sound edge to take a new fixing, a large proportion can usually be relaid, with the shortfall made up in matching new or reclaimed slate.

What is the minimum pitch for a slate roof?

Slate needs a reasonable pitch to shed water, and the required head lap increases as pitch decreases and exposure increases. On very low pitches an alternative covering is usually the correct specification.

Slate or tile — which should I choose?

Slate suits period and conservation properties and lasts longer; concrete tile is cheaper to buy and quicker to lay. On many Cumbrian streets, matching the neighbouring roofs is also a planning and aesthetic consideration.

Do you work on listed buildings?

Traditional slating methods and matching materials can be used where a property is listed or in a conservation area. Any consent required is confirmed before work is specified.

Roofing service

Slate Roofing in Carlisle and Cumbria

Slate roofing uses natural or reclaimed slate laid in courses with a head lap set by the roof pitch and site exposure. It is the traditional covering across Cumbria and, correctly fixed, is among the longest-lasting roof coverings available.

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Roofer working on a wet natural slate roof above a Victorian terraced street in Carlisle, with the Cumbrian fells behind

Slate Roofing in Carlisle and across Cumbria

Slate defines the look of Cumbrian buildings, from Carlisle's Victorian terraces to Lakeland stone cottages. It is also unforgiving: the covering itself outlasts almost everything around it, so slate roofs usually fail at the nails, the battens, the underlay or the leadwork rather than at the slate.

That is why reslating an old roof is often possible using much of the original material. Sound slate is cleaned, sorted by thickness and re-laid over new membrane and battens with new fixings, and only the shortfall is made up with new or reclaimed slate.

When to call us

Slates slipping one or two at a time as nails corrode
Slates delaminating, flaking or breaking underfoot
Incorrect head lap letting driven rain track under the courses
Failed valley and chimney leadwork
Cracked mortar at ridge and verge
Cement fillets used in place of proper flashings
Previous repairs using mismatched slate sizes
Perished underfelt visible from inside the loft

How we approach it

Very long service life

Good natural slate commonly outlasts several sets of fixings, so a correctly reslated roof is a genuinely long-term solution.

Right for period and conservation properties

Matching size, thickness, colour and coursing keeps the character of older buildings and satisfies conservation expectations.

Excellent in driven rain

Correct lap and side lap, set for the pitch and exposure of the site, handles the wind-driven rain typical of west Cumbria and the fells.

Existing slate can often be reused

Reusing sound slate reduces cost and waste and keeps the weathered appearance of the roof.

What happens, step by step

1. Assess the slate, not just the roof
We check whether the existing slate is sound and reusable, and measure size, thickness and coursing so any new material matches.
2. Set lap and fixing specification
Head lap and fixing method are specified for the pitch of the roof and the exposure of the site, not to a default.
3. Strip and sort
Slates are stripped by hand and sorted into reusable and scrap, with sound slate stacked by size for relaying.
4. Membrane, battens and relay
Breathable membrane and treated battens are installed to the correct gauge, then slate is laid and fixed with new nails or hooks.
5. Leadwork and details
Valleys, soakers, apron and step flashings are formed in lead. Ridge and verge are finished with a mechanically fixed system where appropriate.

Properties we work on

Victorian and Edwardian terraces and villas
Lakeland stone cottages and traditional rural housing
Farmhouses, barns and outbuildings
Listed buildings and properties in conservation areas
Churches, halls and other traditional public buildings
Extensions being matched to an existing slate roof

Materials and systems we use

Westmorland green slate: The characteristic Lakeland slate, usually laid in diminishing courses and matched carefully on traditional properties.
Welsh slate: Dense, consistent and very long lasting, widely found on Cumbrian Victorian housing.
Spanish slate: A cost-effective natural slate available in consistent sizes and grades for new roofs and larger reslating projects.
Reclaimed slate: Used to match existing roofs where new slate would look out of place; each batch is sorted for soundness and thickness.
Copper and aluminium fixings: Nails and slate hooks chosen for corrosion resistance and for the wind loading at the site.

Mistakes and shortcuts to avoid

Tingles as a long-term fix

Lead tingles hold a replacement slate in place but signal that the fixings across the roof are failing.

Cement fillets instead of lead

Mortar fillets at abutments and chimneys crack and let water in. Lead soakers and step flashings are the correct detail.

Insufficient head lap for the pitch

A lap suited to a sheltered site fails on an exposed one. Lap must be set for pitch and exposure together.

Mixing slate sizes and thicknesses

Mismatched repairs look poor and break the coursing, causing water to run where it should not.

Slate Roofing: common questions

Where we carry out this work

We are based in Carlisle and cover the city, the wider county and across the border into South West Scotland.

Roof Problems & Warning SignsWhat a failing roof actually looks like from the ground, from the loft and from above — and what each sign can and cannot tell you.