Background:
The owners of this listed detached home were keen to ensure it remained as traditional as possible during its much-needed roof replacement. The contractor, John Wood Roofing Ltd., a slate and tile specialist, therefore submitted the new roof design for planning permission, as the property was located in a conservation area.
Many of the neighbouring homes had Spanish slate roofs, but the client wanted to replace the Scottish slate roof with either indigenous Scottish slate or a premium replica. As Scottish slate is now difficult to source in this volume, the contractor opted for Burlington Slate, a premium stone from a Lake District quarry and a perfect match for Scottish slate. The slate is available exclusively through SIG Roofing in Scotland and was therefore supplied by their local roofing branch in Broxburn.
Workmanship
The work involved the complete removal of all the incumbent slates, followed by the replacement of any rotten sarking boards beneath the tiles. Sarking boards are softwood boards attached to the roof rafters to provide structural strength, weather protection and a secure base for slates. They are most commonly used in Scotland instead of battens due to the more extreme weather conditions.
A Permavent Apex 3-layer air-open and vapour-breather membrane was fitted over the sarking board, and the slates were fitted on top.
14 tonnes of heavy Blue/Grey Burlington slates were delivered to the site, offering all the same characteristics as Scottish slates of old, being small, genuinely random in size, thick, rough-textured, with definitive weathering properties. The slates were supplied in a sized format (fixed lengths with random widths), which helped retain a traditional random element to the roof design whilst speeding up the laying process and keeping the cost of installation down. Produced in random lengths and widths, the slates were laid in diminishing courses, with the largest slates used at the eaves and gradually smaller sizes laid working up to the ridge. This tradition of laying slates in diminishing courses gives a distinctive visual perspective to the roof. They still required holes to be drilled, and they are hard slates to cut. The slates were fixed with double-nailed copper nails. The end result is a high-end finish that the client was delighted with.
The team from John Wood Roofing also replaced all gutters, valleys, and ridges, as well as the rotten fascia boards. New timber fascia boards were then crafted to match the original ornate hand-carved versions. Finally, a conservation skylight completed the work, retaining the light source on the original roof.
All the roofing materials supplied by SIG Roofing, including the Burlington Slates, were covered by the One Warranty scheme, which provides a 15-year product warranty for the project. Together with the contractor’s installation guarantees, this provides a whole-roof guarantee with a single point of contact, offering peace of mind for the property owner.
Roofing Product Choice:
- Burlington slate is sold exclusively through SIG Roofing in Scotland. Stocked and supplied by SIG Roofing Broxburn branch.
- Permavent Breather membrane.
Summary:
Last word from specialist roofing contractor John Wood:
“The client wanted an authentic refurbishment of their large roof space and was delighted with the result. SIG Roofing played an important part in the project, with their slate specialist James O’Hara providing assistance with the initial roof specification and their local branch in Broxburn stocking and supplying the tiles to site. The Burlington slate was a great alternative to Scottish slate and much easier to install.”
