Slate restoration
Stone cottage on Mill Row
We kept 70% of the original slate, replaced the rest with reclaimed stone of the same quarry colour, and rebuilt both chimneys with copper flashing.
(The brief)
Slates had been sliding off this roof for three winters. Two quotes had recommended stripping it and putting asphalt shingle on, which the owners did not want on a stone cottage of this age.
The slate itself was sound. The iron nails holding it had rusted through, which roofers call nail sickness, and the chimneys had been pointed with mortar instead of flashed.
Job sheet
- Job
2291
- Address
Mill Row, Ashford Old Town
- House
1880s stone cottage, 1½ stories
- Foreman
Colm Brennan
- Crew
Slate and heritage crew · 4 roofers
- Inspection
Thu 2 Apr 2026
(What we found)
48 photos, 3 findings, one plain answer
The report the owners received within 24 hours of the inspection, trimmed to its findings. Every one has a photo reference and a rating.
Replace
Worn out across the area
Repair
A specific fault letting water in
Watch
Not urgent, check again next year
Inspection report
HR-2291 · Mill Row, Ashford Old Town
P-05 Front slope
P-13 Both chimneys
P-21 Battens
Repair
P-05
Nail sickness: iron nails rusted through, 1 in 5 slates slipped or loose
Replace
P-13
Mortar fillets instead of flashing, cracked and letting water into the chimney breast
Replace
P-21
Original battens soft along the eaves, sagging under the lower courses
48 photos · 3 findings
Inspected by C. Brennan
(Scope and numbers)
The written price, and what it came to
The quote the owners signed, and every change agreed on site, each one photographed before the work was done.
Written scope
Q-2291 · fixed price
Item
Qty
Price
Scaffold, 12 working days
1
$2,400
Strip, sort and set aside original slate
18 sq
$4,320
Breathable membrane and new treated battens
18 sq
$3,240
Relay slate with copper nails, 3 in headlap
18 sq
$14,040
Reclaimed slate, matched quarry colour
5.4 sq
$6,210
Copper step and cover flashing, 2 chimneys
2
$3,860
Agreed during the build
Sister one cracked rafter at the rear eave (photographed)
1
$420
Fixed price
$34,070
Final invoice
$34,490
Includes permit and disposal
No deposit until materials were delivered
70%
original slate kept
12
days on site
6,100
copper nails
100+
years expected
How it was paid
- 40% on materials delivery
$13,628
- Balance at sign-off
$20,862
(Build log)
Day by day, as the owners saw it
Each entry is the daily text the owners received at the end of the day, with the photos left out.
Build log
Job 2291 · Slate and heritage crew · 4 roofers
Fri 1 May
Scaffold up, reclaimed slate delivered
Slate sorted against the original on the ground
Mon 4 May
Strip front slope, slates sorted and stacked
Sound slate chalk-marked for relaying
Wed 6 May
Front slope membrane and battens
Cracked rafter found and sistered · photo sent
Mon 11 May
Front slope relaid, rear slope stripped
Original slates on the street side, reclaimed at the rear
Thu 14 May
Copper flashing, both chimneys
Stepped into raked-out joints and repointed in lime
Tue 19 May
Ridge, clean-up, scaffold down, sign-off
Walkthrough with the owners 15:00 · warranty W-2291 issued
Daily text at 18:00
Foreman: Colm Brennan
Sign-off photo · May 2026
(The result)
How it turned out
From the lane the roof looks as it did before, which was the point. The street-facing slope is almost entirely original stone, the reclaimed slate is on the rear, and the chimney breasts have dried out for the first time in years. With copper nails and copper flashing, the next job on this roof should be somebody else's in the next century.
25 yr
Workmanship warranty
W-2291 · expires May 2051
(Free inspection)
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