Slate Roof Repairs in East London & Essex

Natural slate can last a century or more, but nail fixings rust, slates crack in frost and the odd slip becomes a leak. Slate repairs are about keeping the roof's original look while fixing what lets the water in. We check the nails, the battens and the lead around the slates, not only the slates you can see from the pavement.

Across East London and Essex we repair natural and concrete slate on Victorian and Edwardian houses, and we work to match the existing slate where we can. In conservation areas and on listed buildings, the council's rules may apply, so we will tell you early what permission is needed before any work starts.

Natural and concrete slate

Natural slate is quarried in Wales, Cumbria and other parts of the world, and each slate has its own colour, thickness and pattern of weathering. Concrete slate is manufactured, more uniform and often chosen as a lower-cost alternative. The two are not interchangeable. They weigh different amounts, they fix differently and they weather differently, so a repair has to suit the roof it is on. Where we need to match a roof, we look at the existing colour, size and texture first, and use reclaimed or sourced slate where it suits the building.

Slipped, cracked and missing slates

A slipped slate has usually lost its nail, or the nail has rusted through. We release the slates above, remove the damaged slate with a slate ripper and fit a replacement with fresh fixings. Copper or stainless steel nails are the usual choice, because the fixing should outlast the slate. Cracked slates are often the result of frost, impact or a nail that has been driven too tight, and they are replaced in the same way. Where iron nails have rusted across a roof, the whole course needs checking, not only the slate that has fallen.

Nails, battens and underlay

Many slate roofs on Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Hackney, Walthamstow and Leyton were fixed with iron nails, which rust and fail over time. The slate itself often outlasts its fixings, so we check the nails and battens before anything else. Where battens have rotted or the underlay has broken down, water runs into the roof space and rots the timbers. Renewing the underlay and battens beneath a repaired section is the work that makes the repair last.

Ridges, hips, verges and valleys

The edges of a slate roof are where most leaks start in the wind-driven rain of an Essex winter. Ridge and hip tiles are bedded in mortar or fixed with a dry ridge system, and where the mortar has cracked or fallen out, water can get in at the top of the roof. Verges need careful pointing and tight edge details, and valleys are lined in lead or fitted with slate valleys. We check each of these, rather than repairing only the slates that have slipped. Lead around the slates is checked at the same time, as it is often the weak point behind a stack or a dormer.

Slate repairs on East London and Essex homes

Slate is common on the Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Hackney and Walthamstow, on larger family homes in Epping and surrounding Essex villages, and on some period houses across North London. These roofs are usually steep and long-lived, and the repairs are often small, precise and carried out from the scaffold or a ladder with the roof kept as intact as possible. You can see more of our local work on our <InlineLink to="/locations/hackney">Hackney</InlineLink> and <InlineLink to="/locations/epping">Epping</InlineLink> pages.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

Slate roofs on older homes are often within conservation areas, and some properties are listed. In these cases, repairs may need planning permission or listed building consent, and changes to the roof covering can be restricted. The council's planning team is the right place to check. We will tell you what permission is needed before any work starts, and we will explain what those rules mean for the materials we can use.

How slate repairs fit with a wider roof job

Slate repairs often sit alongside wider work. If the roof is near the end of its life, or the battens and underlay have failed across a large area, a full re-slating may be the better long-term choice, and we will explain what that involves. Our <InlineLink to="/services/tiled-slate-roofing">tiled and slate roofing</InlineLink> service covers complete re-roofs, and our <InlineLink to="/services/lead-flashing">lead flashing</InlineLink> repairs cover the lead around the slates.

Guarantees on slate roof repairs

Each repair is carried out to written terms and comes with the written guarantee that applies to that work. Our 25-year company guarantee applies to qualifying new roofs, and our 10-year insurance-backed guarantee applies only to qualifying new GRP Cure It installations. Ask us for the written terms before work starts, so you know exactly what is covered and for how long.