A high quality natural slate if installed professionally will last more than 100 years with proper ongoing maintenance and over its lifetime with outlast any man made product. The key however is buying a high quality slate and employing a specialist slate roofer who knows how to install natural slate properly. (See Natural Slate page ) Unfortunately the market is full with cheap low quality slates and poor roofers. It is vitally important when using natural slate that it is installed professionally. A quality natural slate by its nature will also be heavy and this has implications for roof support beams and design limitations. It cannot be done right cheaply! Installation costs alone for a good slater will be at least double that for a standard roof tile. However if you can afford it and you get it done professionally and maintain it regularly you will have a beautiful roof that will outlive you.
So where does AthyECOSlate fit in? The vast majority of houses are roofed with cheap slates or manmade slates and tiles. The biggest issue with these is that when fitting cracks often occur and if they are not noticed during fitting, the slates can leak or break later on, leading to repairs and continuous maintenance problems, typically long after you builder is gone. It can lead to very expensive repairs where water damage occurs to the property. A quick look at many "new" houses and housing estates will reveal significant colour deterioration, slate impurities and pyrates coming to the surface, cracked and broken tiles, degradation and poor installation in houses that are only built in the last 5-10 years. Have a look at our " Getting It Wrong " page for a selection of photo's.
The labour savings in installation of an AthyECOSlate roof ( typically 30-40% quicker ) plus you only order what you need along with its competitive pricing means you can get the natural authentic roof slate look at a much reduced cost over the lifetime of your roof. You can also save in your roof support costs and have greater flexibility in your design due to the lower weight you roof has to bear. You also never have to worry in the future about cracking or replacing a slate. General house maintanance tasks can be carried out without worrying about damaging your roof. One customer in recent 70mph winds (Feb 08) had large sheets of plywood crash into his newly installed roof. The result - not one cracked or even out of place slate!
AthyECOSlate will not crack or break and so can be fitted much quicker than other types of roofing tiles and slates by any competent roofer.
1. It can be walked on and installed without fear of splitting or cracking.
2. It is designed with pre marked guidelines for quick and simple installation.
3. It does not require any special cutting tools saving valuable time not having to get up and down roofs for cutting.
4. To save you time, we will precut your starter slates if you give us the required quantity.
5. It does not require drilling for nail holes.
6. It does not have to be pre sorted/graded. Pallets come pre-mixed.
7. Prepacked into handy 20 slate bundles and as they are lightweight they are easily carried.
9. You do not need to order extra to cover for damages in transit or installation.
10. When comparing costs remember that you only pay for exactly what you need. We pay for only what you use ( other suppliers often insist on full pallets only, to the nearest 500-1000 usually).
11. We custom make your ridge & hip tiles to the angles that you want.
We have several sites throughout the country that you can visit if you would like to see our slate. We guarantee you won't be able to tell the difference. Call us now for a fast & friendly service or if you would like us to forward a free sample.
