Scottish Slate Roof Construction

Full application and sitework details are given on pages 8 to 22.

Scottish slate roof construction.

The relatively small and thick scottish slates were produced in a variety of lengths and widths and laid with the largest slates at the base of the roof with the smaller ones at the top. Overview the roof covering is a building s first line of defence against the weather. Cwt y bugail quarry is currently producing a range of sizes varying in length from 400mm down to 300mm at 25mm intervals and in random widths. Slate has been used for this purpose for centuries.

82 2017 the clients are safe in the knowledge this roof will last for decades. Often slate outlasts other elements of a building. Many traditional scottish buildings have roofs that are covered with local slate or stone. Typically a scottish practice the roofing underlay is laid directly over a series of sarking boards fixed to the roof rafters with the roof slates nailed directly to the sarking boards.

This method was introduced for purely economic reasons. Effective design of a slate roof must take into account a number of inter related factors including site exposure the pitch of the roof the type of slate selected and the slate lap. Recent research supports scottish slate s reputation as a long lasting material. The specification on this slate speak for itself the slates conform tobs 12326 1 2014 w1 s1 t1 hold bs kitemark accreditation and are generally expected to outlive the life of a building when fixed in accordance withbs 5534 s r.

These include features such as diminishing courses random lengths and widths of slate single nailing and laying onto sarking board rather than battens figure 1. Scottish slate roofs have a number of characteristics which make them well suited to both the local climate and the nature of the material produced by slate quarries in scotland. It is particularly well known for its use as a roof covering on many traditional scottish buildings. A sealed roof system is achievable using a vapour permeable underlay such as monarperm 700 if a minimum 2mm gap can be guaranteed between the sarking boards which should be a minimum of 150mm wide.

For more information on what is considered a permitted development when adding to your roof read the scottish government s guidance on householder permitted development rights publication and go to section 4 42. It s wise to inspect slate roofs regularly to spot potential problems as soon as they appear. Scottish slate is a long lasting roofing material and although slate roofs have a finite life a lifespan of up to or beyond 100 years is quite common.