Any opinion on slate roof?
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A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
If you can afford it, go for it.
Probably not ideal if you ever get large hail where you live.
We are in Chicago area.
How costly is it to repair?
Older house?
The life expectency of slate varies tremendously depending on where it was quarried.
If it's an older house consider talking to a good home inspector, they don't have any interest in selling new roofs and they often develop good contacts in the various trades.
Try giving this guy a call: Corey Friedman , Greater Chicago Home Inspections, Northbrook, IL 60062
http://www.inspectbuilding.com (847) 509-9339
I know and recommend him.
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Quite a few things to think about. Slate is heavy. Your structure may need evaluation if older or low pitched. Slippery so you need to use staging. Valleys must be done in open fashion. Special equipment needed for cutting and hole poking. High cost for material and labor but long life. Difficult for ridge venting. Doesn't like high fly balls. Looks awesome. Installation is not for the inexperienced.
I live in upstate NY near the slate quarries, so a lot of the old houses here have slate roofs. Every roof has several slate that fail from seasonal expansion/contraction and need to be individually replaced. Since there will be some maintenance work required, the availabilty of a local roofer with slate skills would also be an issue. Even in this area it is a dying art.
Around here the finest upscale homes all use either slate or cement tiles.. shingles try to look like slate (and fail miserably) It is extremely durable, just don't walk on it!!!!! keep others off your roof!
The two best roofing materials are copper and slate. But beware of some kinds of slate that decompose and turn into flakes. I went with copper because it's much lighter and I weigh too much to walk on slate or tiles.
-- J.S.