Slate roofing in Four Oaks

The Four Oaks Estate is Welsh slate country. What went up here from the 1880s was large, architect-drawn and expensive, and it was slated in the best material available at the time — which is why, well over a century later, most of that slate is still perfectly serviceable. When a Four Oaks roof starts shedding, it is nearly always the nails, not the slate. We have re-laid roofs on this estate where the salvage rate came in over ninety per cent.

What makes these roofs difficult is not the material, it is the geometry. A Four Oaks roof is rarely a simple pair of pitches. There are multiple planes meeting at awkward angles, deep swept valleys, dormers, ornate ridge detail, and long runs of lead tying it together. The valleys are where the work is. A slate valley done properly — swept or laced, or lead-lined with the right code and the right laps — is a genuine piece of craft, and it is also the first place a rushed job announces itself.

Then there is consent. Much of the estate sits in a conservation area, so the covering is not entirely your decision. Like-for-like repair in natural slate is generally fine. Swapping natural slate for a fibre-cement substitute, or for tile, is a change to the appearance of the building and can need permission. We deal with Birmingham City Council on this often enough to know the shape of it, and we will tell you at survey which side of the line your job falls on. We would rather have that conversation on day one than after a neighbour has made a phone call.