Roofers in Perth And Kinross

Roofing in Perth And Kinross

Perth and Kinross straddles the Highland Boundary Fault, and the roofs change as you cross it. In the Carse of Gowrie and around Perth itself you get Georgian and Victorian terraces, Rose Terrace and the streets around the North Inch among them, roofed in Scots slate laid in diminishing courses with the largest slates at the eaves. Head north to Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Blairgowrie and the buildings sit higher, colder and wetter: estate cottages, converted steadings and stone villas that carry real snow load through January and take the full force of water coming off the hills. Two very different jobs, often quoted by the same firms.

The failure most Perthshire homeowners meet first is nail sickness. Original slates were fixed with iron nails that rust through long before the slate itself wears out, so a roof can start shedding slates in ones and twos while the slate is still perfectly sound. The second is skew and chimney pointing. Cement mortar on skews and stack flaunchings cracks under freeze-thaw at altitude, water gets in behind it, and the damage shows up as damp at the head of a gable rather than as a drip in the middle of a room.

If you own a slated property here, ask any quote to be explicit about what happens to the existing slate. Sound Scots slate is scarce and valuable, and a good contractor will strip, sort and re-lay salvageable slates with new copper or stainless fixings, making up the shortfall with matched reclaimed stock rather than substituting an imported slate across the whole roof. On a listed building or in a conservation area that is not just preference, it is usually a planning condition.