If you are thinking about putting a slate roof on your home, you should definitely be using a custom roofing contractor. You will want one who specializes in the installation and maintenance of slate roofs. The following is an in-depth list of reasons why it’s imperative that you use a slate roof specialist and not just any old roofer.
- Proper installation – if you spend five minutes learning more about slate roofs, you will discover that installing one is a lot easier said than done. The biggest reason for that is that properly installing a slate roof requires tedious skilled work. Installing a slate roof is not like building an Ikea desk, it is not something you can just wing. If someone knows how to install a slate roof properly, it’s because they apprenticed under someone for many years and that person taught them how to do it the right way.
- There is a duality to slate roofing, on the one hand, it’s one of the toughest building materials out there. Slate roofs can have a lifespan of close to two hundred years! On the other hand, it can be easily damaged while being installed and or cleaned by someone who is not intimately familiar with slate tiles and its delicate needs. Like any properly installed roof, the many layers of slate that make up each slate tile enable the roof to repel heat and trap cool in the hot climates and repel cold and trap heat in the cold climates. A slate roof that is properly installed can repel practically all punches mother nature and father time can throw at it. That being the case, a hastily installed slate tile can easily be cracked and rendered useless if the installer does not know what he or she is doing. Keep in mind that a slate roof with one single tile damaged compromises the integrity of the entire roof. While slate is very resilient to the weather, it is very susceptible to novice installers.
- A slate roof is a work of art; no slate roof is the same as it’s neighbor. Slate is not just another roofing material, it is an artisan’s tool. To have just any old roofer install a slate roof is like using a rare twenty-year-old French wine vintage to cook some pork chops! Could you do it, sure, will some people tell you ‘don’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink’ of course, people say that, but using a once in a lifetime bottle on some pork chops is tantamount to a criminal offense. So too, having a run of the mill roofer install a slate roof. The example is more accurate than you think, remember a slate roof properly installed will outlive its original owner.
- Any homeowner will tell you ‘it’s all about the warranty’ whether they are discussing a fixed rate mortgage or a warranty on the home’s appliances if you are going to invest in something for your home you want assurance from the seller that it’s going to last. The same logic applies to your slate roof, the problem with using a “joe schmoe” roofer and not a custom roofing contractor to install your slate roof is that when you try to get a warranty, you may run into problems. Chances are that “joe schmoe” is not offering warranties for his slate roof. Why? Because he knows that when it comes to slate roofing he does not know what he is doing so, he does not want to sell you a warranty that you are going to be calling on him to honor on a regular basis. Yes, slate roofing is forecasted to outlive its original owner but keep in mind the one caveat to that statistic is if it’s installed by a knowledgeable and experienced slate roof installation company.
If you are looking for a custom roofing contractor that you can rely on in the Appleton, Little Chute and the Fox Valley area, Sheboygan, Oshkosh, Madison, Milwaukee, Shorewood, Sheboygan, Oconomowoc, Verona, Waukesha, Green Bay, and De Pere areas in Wisconsin, call Van De Hey Refined Roofing, LLC (VR Roofing) a roofing company that specializes in custom roofing.
4065 Old Car Ct De Pere, WI 54115