Moving away from a slate roof unfortunately...Options

Roofing/Construction Questions
#1

Hello Roofers. I’m a homeowner that is almost 2 years into an insurance claim process that seems to finally be coming to an end. 3rd party public adjusters involved.

No need to get into all of the backstory, but the short version is, I currently have a slate roof (100 years old), insurance will not pay to replace only repair, which I’ve had some slaters say is not a good option. Additionally, I’ll still have 75% of a roof that is 100years old. I think I’m coming to the realization that I’m going to have to move away from slate and go with something else. I’ll not be able to cover the discrepancy between the insurance settlement for repair and replacement.

I’ve looked at synthetic slate (looks like plastic), I’ve looked at GAF Trueslate (lot of bad stories out there), standing seam metal would be period correct, but it seems those are going up all over the place. Stamped metal might be a good choice but I don’t know much about it. I’d like to stay away from just plain architectural shingles, but that may be where I end up.

Are there a good high quality roof that has some level of being slightly unique? Of the options I listed above, any additional inputs? Thanks for your thoughts!

#2

No on synthetics and double no on Truslate. I like CertainTeed Presidential TL but it will be a totally different look for you, slate to a kind of shake similar comp. The region you’re in has a lot to do with your decision. We won’t touch synthetic products of any kind in our area of the Pacific Northwest because of failure rates.

#3

Australians seem to have a better grip on roofing quality and materials with their zincalume and colorbond roofing profiles
CertainTeed attempted to enter the Australian market but were not successful
No one is going to spend thousands on a home to have it rely on decorated tar paper.
Australians want a roof that is going to last 40 - 50 years without maintenance, other
than water harvesting gutters

#4

Post some pics of your slate roof. I’d be interested to know what type of condition its in. Also what state are you in? Ideally repairing the slate would be best just depends on the condition.

#5

I’m always amused by the “we do it better in our country “ guy. Of course metal is better than comp but it is also 2 to 3x more expensive and most people live in their homes 5-10 years and do not have the money for it. I could easily say metal roofs in Australia are junk because Europe is filled with slate and clay tile that lasts 100+ years. People use what they can afford.

2 Likes
#6

Here are a couple pictures. One shows the worst side, the other is representative of the other 3 sides. I’ve been told it’s Vermont Unfading Grey.
It should be noted that the gutters will be replaced, and the first 2 or 3 rows will come up to take the old out and put the new in. This is addition to replacing ~200 tiles. Total roof is about 20sq.

East side
East side1511×850 187 KB

North side
North side1485×1399 291 KB

#7

That’s a beautiful roof. From those pics those slates appear to be in repairable condition (perhaps they not but I doubt it). Why would the bottom rows bed to be removed to replace the gutter?

#8

Slate Roofing Contractors Association of North America, Inc. - Directory of Contractors See if you can find someone on this list who can take a look at your roof.

#9

Yes, I’ve went through this directory, that is how I found the few slaters to look at it.

#10

Steel gutters on slate roofs have a built in apron on them. So you have the normal gutter rolled, but then on one side the steel comes off and there is about a 6-12" flat section that goes up under the first row or two of the slate.

If the roof didn’t need any repair, I could technically cut off the gutter then hang a regular K-style gutter, but there is a lot of damaged tiles in those rows.

#11

If the gutter isn’t too rotten you can reline it.

#12

Its either slate or shingles.

One is 20 years and one is 50 years.

#13

If you want unique and don’t mind paying a bit extra, diamond steel tile is such a cool look.

Otherwise I really recommend standing seam! Its “going up everywhere” for a reason. With the right installer you’ll have another 100 years leak free.

Screenshot_20210110-124433_Instagram
Screenshot_20210110-124433_Instagram1079×1088 281 KB

#14

Diamond tile. That looks very interesting, I’ll dig into that a bit more. I’ve seen the asbestos from the 50’s and the new asphalt version, but I’ve never seen the metal version. Do you have any knowledge about the cost difference in price from standing seam to this just at a high level?

Does anyone have any info on Interlock metal? Good, bad, ugly?

#15

Interlock is decent stuff, diamond steel is also pretty nice. I prefer steel shingles over the aluminum interlocks.
Cost wise, it depends. Likely similar to standing seam depending on the complexity.

#16

Depending on where the slate your roof is made from was quarried it could still be in very good condition. Other slates get spongy with age. Normal problems come from slates cracking over time due to hail and other debris.

If your remaining slate is good a repair will last as long as a asphalt shingle roof. Standing seam metal has lots of variations and the quality can vary from a 20 year roof to 50 year roof or longer. There is also flat seamed metal and even soldered metal roof systems if you can find someone who knows how to install them but they are not any less expensive than slate.

1 Like