Green Building Forum - Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Bluemoon — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:57:30 +0100

Still working on a spec for loghouse project. Which is greener of the two?
A picture of my present 20year-old roof, do the latest cement-fibre slates discolour and get mossy like these?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/Pontrhydfendigaid/slateroof.jpg

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

tony — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:55:11 +0100

No doubt about it if you can afford slate then use it.

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Chris Wardle — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:45:37 +0100

I recently stayed in a timber lodge at a forest park in Yorkshire that had a profiled metal roof. Sounds horrible but I thought it looked quite good. I guess it is high embodied energy but long lasting, cheap and can be recycled.

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

OIMO — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:26:51 +0100

Salvaged slate tiles from a reclaimation yard?

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Paul in Montreal — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:31:57 +0100

Slate doesn't last forever so beware of salvaged tiles. We just replaced a 107 year old slate roof and ended up using new slate - hopefully it'll last another 100 years or so.

On the new house we built, though, we used a profiled steel roof. Should also last at least 100 years or more. Much less environmentally unfriendly than the typical asphalt shingles people use by default in North America (a horrendous shock for this transplanted Brit I must say). Most steel these days has a reasonably large recycled content so the embodied energy is probably not as high as one might imagine. Anyway, quarrying slate and hauling it around is not low energy either.

Paul in Montreal.

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Wojtex09 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:14:35 +0100

Dear Paul

We have more problems not with roof but with terrace.

Leakage it is a big problem at the moment. We have not problem during 5 years and after started.

Have any idea?

Regards

Izabela
izabela.adamkiewicz@op.pl

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Novy Mlyn — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 23:15:54 +0100

I'm just looking at the same sort of calculations myself... We have an asbestos roof which needs replacing - another example of a new 'wonder' material that didn't live up to expectations.

At the moment I'm erring towards having a larch roof installed, if we can afford it. Not cheap, but very sustainable, and with hundreds of years proof in action and a 70 year guarantee.

(Ideally I would have had photovoltic but the pricing of these is insane at present).

Bluemoon, what did you decide in the end?

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

GBP-Keith — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:35:38 +0100

Nothing wrong with recycled slate. In fact if you can get good quality recycled welsh slate that is 100 years old then it has passed the durability test and, if fitted correctly probably good for another 100.

To test, hit with fingernail. If they ring they are good if dull sound then they are bad. I would avoid 'compo' slates if you can afford to.

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

GBP-Keith — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:37:48 +0100

Posted By: Novy Mlynerring towards having a larch roof installed, if we can afford it. Not cheap, but very sustainable, and with hundreds of years proof in action and a 70 year guarantee.

70 year guarantee on a larch roof. Is that a misspelling?

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

stroudy — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 22:35:27 +0100

Ive just got a sample 'slate' from http://www.lowimpact.org/acatalog/roofing_materials.html#a173 made out of recyled tyres. It looks quite durable, but havent heard of anyone who has experiance in using them! The price seems roughly comparable with reclaimed slate though.

Welsh slate vs artificial slate

Bluemoon — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 23:07:35 +0100

Posted By: Novy MlynI'm just looking at the same sort of calculations myself... We have an asbestos roof which needs replacing - another example of a new 'wonder' material that didn't live up to expectations...

Is the asbestos roof the corrugated cement coloured sheet material or slate shape and colour?