Roofers in Roundhay

Slate work in Roundhay

Roundhay is villa country: substantial Victorian and Edwardian houses, many of them still roofed in natural slate. The work we are best matched to in Roundhay is slating, tiling and Velux roof windows, because that is what these houses mostly need: large period roofs, natural slate coverings, and lofts that owners want to bring into use. Our base is in Crossgates, east Leeds; Roundhay is a short drive across the city, well inside our working range, and coming out to look at a roof is never an obstacle.

Working on Victorian and Edwardian slate

The Victorian and Edwardian houses here are substantial, and many of their roofs still carry the original natural slate, typically Welsh. Good Welsh slate can outlast its fixings by decades. What usually fails is the nails, so slates slip while the slate itself is still sound, a fault the trade calls nail sickness. The sensible repair is often to strip, salvage and re-fix rather than replace wholesale, making up the shortfall with matching Welsh or reclaimed slate so new work weathers in alongside the old. Colour and thickness matter: a mismatched slate stands out on a big roof for years. Original leadwork to valleys and chimney stacks deserves the same care whenever the roof is opened up, and with loft conversions common on houses of this size, fitting rooflights and Velux windows into a slate covering properly is a regular part of the job.

Getting a price

Slate work is priced by looking at it, not guessing from the pavement. We come out, get up to the roof, measure it and check the condition of the slates, battens and lead before writing anything down. You then get a written price stating what is included, what is salvage and what is new material. On period roofs there is sometimes more to find once the covering comes off; where that risk exists we say so before you accept the price.