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Important points to note when buying a slate roof house

Important points to note when buying a slate roof house

Buying a house with a slate roof can be very exciting, especially if you have never owned a slate roof house. Having said that, there are some important points you should know beforehand, which might just save you thousands of dollars.

# 1 How old is your slate roof?

Many slate roofs are able to last for many decades if they are kept in good condition and the environment is not too harsh. In fact, you can still find some slate roofs in Sydney that are over 100 years old. But, if your going to buy an old house you need to carefully look at your roof to see if there are any damaged, cracked or loose slates.

# 2 Is there a warranty on the roof?

Many slate roofing companies in Sydney offer a warranty on all their work, however you will need to know when the roof was installed and if there has been any repair work done recently. If so, who guaranteed it and how long will this last? Also some warranties might not pass from one owner to the next. Be aware of this as you get your builder to inspect the roof before buying the house.

# 3 How much will it cost to replace broken or damaged slates?

 When maintaining slate roofs, there are likely to be two issues facing you; broken or cracked tiles. In most cases you can easily fix these broken slate tiles as you can just get your roof repairer to replace them. This is assuming he has them in stock. Fixing broken tiles quickly is far better than waiting for the problem to get worse as this will be more costly in the future due to water damage. While doing your pre purchase inspection make a note of all the broken tiles you can see and factor this expense into the purchase price.

Also read: 3 main slate roof installation mistakes

# 4 Who installed the slates?

You really need to know who installed the slates. Ask the agent or the owner to supply you with the details and do your research online. If there is no information about the company then you again might factor this into the purchase price as there may be future roofing work required through poor workmanship.

If you are thinking about buying a new house and need a roof inspection please contact us here at First Class Slate.