HISTORICAL SLATE ROOFS
Nothing rivals the beauty, durability and functionality of natural slate. Innovative Construction & Roofing specializes in repairing, replacing and maintaining historical slate roofs throughout the St. Louis region. Our highly trained craftsmen have replaced more than 200 historic slate roofs and repaired hundreds more.
A LABOR OF LOVE
Built in 1886, a beautiful new scalloped slate roof adorns this home in a historic St. Louis neighborhood.
Installation of slate roofing requires patience, care, an eye for detail and a true craftsman’s skill. Innovative has installed the entire range of slate roofing styles and systems, and is skilled in slate roof repairs. From custom graduations and a full palette of colors, to custom sizes and a wide range of finishes, we can install any pattern, size or style to match the historic look of your home.
Natural slate roofing is available in three levels of quality—S1, S2, and S3. The highest-quality slate, S1, provides the longest life expectancy with regard to resistance to water absorption, weathering and breakage. Standing behind our commitment to excellence, Innovative offers a free upgrade to S1 grade slate from S2 or S3 slate.
SLATE ROOFS: REPAIR OR REPLACE?
When properly installed, a natural slate roof requires relatively little maintenance and can easily last 100 years or more. Deciding whether a slate roof should be repaired or replaced can be challenging. Consequently, each roof should be evaluated individually by a professional.
Our experienced slate roofing crews are rigorously trained to accurately assess the condition of your roof and determine if it is in need of repair or replacement. Innovative Construction & Roofing’s detailed analysis and reporting process uncovers even the smallest roof defects. After a roof inspection, we will give you an objective report on the condition of your roof and our recommendation on whether it needs repairs or a full roof replacement. This documentation is required to maximize your chances of claim approval.
Things to consider when determining whether to repair or replace Historical slate roofs
- Determine the age and condition of the roof. Factor in the roof’s life expectancy given the quality of slate.
- Assess the number of damaged and missing slates. Typically, if the number is less than 20 percent, the roof is evaluated for repair rather than replacement. If damaged slates are found all over the roof, they are probably too old to salvage, and it’s time to replace the roof.
- Check for active leaks in the attic and living areas. Be aware that gutters, valleys, and flashings are more likely to cause leaks than slates are.
- Check roof rafters and sheathing for moisture damage. Old, delaminated slates will hold moisture and cause rot.
Because slate is so durable, metal flashings often wear out before the slate does. Even a tiny hole can allow large quantities of water to enter the building. If deterioration of the roofing material isn’t uniform, it’s possible that only one slope needs replacement and the other slopes can be repaired.
Tip: Knock on fallen slates with your knuckles. A full, deep sound means the slate is in good condition, while a dull thud suggests the slate is in poor condition.
MORE ABOUT SLATE ROOFING MATERIALS
When we know where to look, it seems that almost without fail nature provides the most simple and ingenious solutions. In this case, that comes in the form of a metamorphic rock which has served as among the earliest industrialized and best roofing materials ever employed. That material is of course slate, and despite some very clever man-made alternatives, it remains without equal as the hardest, most durable, and intrinsically handsome material available.
Extraordinary time and compression are its two essential ingredients. The result of these tremendous forces is a dense material that is highly resistant to the effects of temperature and extremely impermeable to water. In fact, it’s even a consequence of the mineral foliation (the planes of mineral crystals), due to the extreme pressures, that slate achieves its uniform cleavage planes, accounting for its practicality of use, as well as its handsome natural color variation.
BONUS: SLATE IS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
Of all roofing materials, slate’s carbon footprint is almost certainly the lowest, requiring no involvement of petro-chemicals beyond the energy investment of extraction and transportation. Similarly, its durability means that energy investment may only be required once in a hundred years.
