The short answer
Yes, for the right house. Natural slate is long-lasting, non-combustible, handsome and holds its colour, which is why it has covered British roofs for centuries. Against that, it costs more to lay than most tiles, needs skilled fixing, is brittle underfoot and needs the right pitch and structure. Man-made slate gives the look at lower cost, with some trade-offs in life and finish.
What slate does well
The first strength is durability. A good natural slate does not rot, rust or burn, shrugs off frost because it absorbs almost no water, and keeps its colour for generations. Roofs are often outlived by their fixings, not their slates. The second is appearance: a fine, even texture that looks right on period houses and on modern ones with a restrained palette, and that weathers gently. The third is repairability. Individual slates can be lifted and replaced, reclaimed slates can be matched, and a roof can be maintained for a very long time. Our page on how long a slate roof lasts covers the ageing in more depth.
Slate is also a non-combustible covering, which helps near a boundary, and the surface sheds water and snow efficiently. It is lighter than concrete tile in many cases, which can make it kinder to older structures.
Where slate falls short
Cost is the main drawback. One published cost guide puts natural slate at £120 to £180 per square metre and man-made at £90 to £130, with labour a large part of that. Your fixed quote follows the survey. The skill required is real: every slate is individually holed and set to a gauge, and valleys, hips and abutments call for careful lead work and cutting. A rushed slate job fails early, because the fixings and laps are what hold the roof together.
Brittleness is the other limit. Slate cracks under a boot, so maintenance access needs planning, and the roof is harder to work on than a tiled one. Quality varies widely. Slate from different quarries, or imported at lower prices, can differ in how long it lasts, and some thin, poorly split pieces delaminate in a few decades. Ask where the slate comes from and what guarantee the supplier gives for it. Our guide to Welsh versus Spanish slate compares sources.
The roof has to suit the slate
Slate needs a minimum pitch, which varies with the size of the slate and the overlap, and the roof structure must carry it and be well ventilated. Lower pitches need more overlap and are riskier in exposed places, so a very shallow roof may suit another covering. See minimum pitch for a slate roof for how that works. In conservation areas and on listed buildings, natural slate is usually the expected material, and changing it may need consent. Ask the conservation team at the council before you order a different material.
Natural, man-made or tile?
Man-made slates, including fibre-cement and composite types, are lighter and cheaper and installed more quickly. Their appearance, lifespan and fire performance vary by product, so check the maker's data and guarantee. They are a reasonable choice where cost matters or the structure cannot take much weight. Tiles are a different material altogether, with a coarser texture and a wider choice of colours. Our comparison of slate or tile sets out the differences, and natural versus man-made slate looks at the choice within slate.
For a new roof on a house that already has slate, the decision is rarely close: stay with slate, repair where you can and reslate when the fixings give out. For a house with a different covering, slate is an upgrade in feel and longevity, at a premium.
Questions to ask before you choose
Ask what the house already has, because matching the existing covering is usually the easiest and least risky route. Ask how long you plan to stay, since slate pays back over decades. Ask whether the roof structure and pitch suit slate, and whether the loft is ventilated. Ask where the slate would come from, what the supplier will guarantee in writing, and who will lay it. A fair comparison of two quotes looks at the slate, the underlay, the battens, the lead work and the fixings, more than the headline price. Slate is a material where, more than most, the detail of how it is laid counts for as much as the stone.
It is also worth asking what happens at the end of its life. Slate can often be reused, which keeps it out of landfill and gives a head start to a later repair. Reclaimed slates from a stripped roof are in demand for period work.
Our survey includes close photographs of the existing covering and timbers, and an honest recommendation, including keeping what you have if it still has life. See the full range of slate work we do around Basingstoke.
Every roof is different. A free survey with photos settles it for yours.
Get a free survey