Cornwall Roofs | JS Roofing Services

Roof Coverings in West Cornwall (If you just want to see the pics click here!)

There are a lot of different ways to replace your roof, this page is going to touch on the more popular choices for this part of the world. Lots of factors will come into the equation - cost, appearance, weight etc but the most important thing is what the local council will allow. It doesn't matter what you can afford or what you would like - if your house is a Listed Building or in an article 4 direction area - then the choice is pretty much out of your hands and you will have to deal with your local planning office and be dictated to by them. This is not always a bad thing as it's good to keep properties looking as traditional as possible but it does grate a bit when you are told you must have an expensive wet laid roof, despite the fact that all your neighbours have continental or cement fibre slate, just because their roof was replaced before the article 4 direction was introduced to the area.

In all instances the property owner should contact their local authority and ascertain exactly what they should do.

As an extra service JS Roofing can apply for planning applications, fill out building regs forms, draw and submit scale drawings etc all on your behalf, but ultimately the responsibility to have the correct roof will always lie with the property owner.

The following are guidelines only, there are no 'black and white' rules to follow with planning, each case is judged on its own merits, but the following is a general guideline.

If a property is listed it is likely that the property will need Listed Building Consent to replace the roof with any material other than that which is on the roof at the time it was listed. Even if you replace 'like for like' you will HAVE to speak to the local authority about what you intend to do. To do things to listed buildings without consent is punishable by firing squad these days. No, it really is.

We recently replaced a completely dilapidated roof at the Lands End complex. To the left of the main building somebody about 30 years ago decided to replace the small roof - on a 200 year old building - with Spanish slates fixed with roof hooks. And a nice coat of bitumen to waterseal the wall. Or it may have just been an act of vandalism by the Spanish Armada (I know, I know, that was way before but it seemed such a good thing to say), but you can see why the Listed Building rules are there - to protect old buildings like this from abuse!

Not all Listed buildings with Scantle roofs HAVE to be replaced like for like. Sometimes the LA will allow it to be re-roofed in wet laid 12" x 8" continental slates - (for some reason roofers still deal in feet and inches) - 300mm x 200mm to everyone else. The most popular foreign (read foreign as 'cheap') slates for wet laying are Chinese slates or Brazilian or Spanish slates. (Bear in mind that the LA are not interested in the substance or quality of the slate - merely the appearance). The reason that these particular continental slates are popular is because their small size and colour is similar (ish!) to the traditional Cornish Delabole slate. Actually Chinese and Brazilian slates are very good slates with a long life span in excess of 80 years.

If a property is not listed but is in an article 4 direction area - This withdraws the properties permitted development rights. Usually article 4 directions are aimed at properties in conservation areas, but this is not always the case. Minimum requirement would usually be 12" x 8" (300mm x 200mm) nailed slate - either Brazilian, Chinese or Spanish. Colour needs to be green/grey or grey, but a sample would need to be given to the planning office as each area can have specific demands, and a full planning application would have to be made - with scale drawings and building regs. Currently for a new roof in an article 4 direction area the planning application is free (with some exceptions) but there is a charge for building regs which has been set at £100.00.

If a property is not listed but in a conservation area but not with an article 4 direction (gets confusing doesn't it?) - Then the LA would prefer you to use traditional roofing materials, so you could use any of the above or 16" x 8" (400 x 200) continental slate, nailed or hooked, but by definition if they are saying they would prefer you to use something then it means you can use something else. The LA would advise that you obtain a certificate of lawfulness - which basically states that you do not need planning permission for what you want to do- which is half the cost of a planning application (which is free anyway for a new roof!). You will also need to apply for building regs.

If the property is not listed and not in a conservation area - the world - in the immortal words of Del-Boy Trotter - is your lobster. You can do what you want - any of the above or 20" x 10" (500 x 250) continental slates or 24" x 12" (600 x 300) cement fibre (synthetic man made) slates, or even tiles. The only restriction you will have then is the weight of the replacement covering - you would need a structural survey if for instance you were replacing slates with tiles. The LA recommends that you apply for a certificate of lawfulness and building regs have to be applied for. The following is an extract from PDC's web-site. As of the 14th April 2006 the Council resolved to end its procedure of providing informal advice as to whether planning permission is required. Therefore, if individuals wish to find out from the Council whether their proposed development would require planning permission, an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development is required. There is a statutory application fee that is charged which is calculated as 50% of the fee for an application for planning permission for the same proposal. Any decision that is made is a formal decision of this Council as to whether planning permission is required. If it is decided that the proposal does not require planning permission, a Certificate of Lawfulness will be issued. It does not grant planning permission. If individuals do not wish to submit an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development, there are other sources of information available, though none would constitute a formal determination by this Council:

Advice is given on various web sites, including www.penwith.gov.uk www.planningportal.gov.uk and www.onlineplanningoffices.co.uk.
Refer to Government publications. A relevant Government booklet is available free of charge from the Council's Sustainable Development and Improvement Service reception.
Seek the advice of a planning consultant, architect, surveyor or other relevant professional. They are not obliged to advise you and can charge for any advice that they give.

The best advice I can give in choosing the roof you want (assuming you have a choice) is to look at the type of property it is - granite built or block & render? - Any granite walled house would look much better with natural slates. What do the neighbours have? If the majority of the neighbourhood has been re-roofed with cement fibre slates, it may be nice to have natural slates but I doubt it would put any extra value on the property. Also money will be a factor. Slates are more expensive than tiles, and the smaller the slate the more labour it will take to install them so the costlier the job will be. Yet another consideration is how big is the roof? A small roof or big roof with small elevations lends itself to small slates, a big roof with large elevations lends itself to large slates or tiles.

This is a big granite property with large 20 x 10 Brazilian slates which do not look at all out of place.

Other possible factors in choosing a new covering could be roof pitch. This is where concrete tiles come in - most tiles will go down to a 15 degree pitch, the Forticrete Centurion will even go down to a 10 degree pitch (with some limitations ). They are cheap and can be an answer to a problem. The problem I have with tiles is that they are generally a single lap covering and because they are usually laid to a low pitch they can be susceptible to wind driven rain so rely on the under-felt too much for weathering. Also, if they lose a corner from the bottom of the tile they are compromised and much less weather resistant. I would think that tile manufacturers would disagree with me, but I am unbiased - it doesn't affect my pocket if I put tiles or slates on your roof - I am just saying that I think double lap roofing (slates) is a better system than interlocking single lap roofing (tiles).

To put the size of slate into some sort of perspective there are some pictures of work we have carried out below. Cost is also in direct order. (Most expensive at the top getting cheaper until you get to concrete tiles!)

Please click on the pictures to enlarge.

Hayle Wet Lay Wet lay extension Penzance Hanging Lelant wet lay

Penzance wet lay St Ives wet lay Newlyn wet lay Cape Cornwall wet lay

Scilly Isles wet lay Lands End complex

Large wet lay above Jeffreys Florist, The Greenmarket, Penzance on behalf of Penzance Heritage Trust.

Wet Laid Chinese 12 x 8 Wet laid Chinese

12 x 8 Brazilian graphite Brazilian graphite

(Fantastic colour variations)

12 x 8 Brazilian green 12 x 8 Brazilian green 12 x 8 Chinese Grey 12 x 8 Brazilian Green

16 x 8 Spanish slate Cambrian tile (low pitch) 16 x 8 Brazilian graphite 16 x 8 Spanish Lugo

Passmore Edwards building in Hayle - Large public building re-roofed in the existing Delabole 16x8 slates with all new underlay, ventilation, leadwork, insulation etc etc. Partly funded by Hayle Townscape Heritage.