upvc cladding or slate for large rear dormer - wwyd?

[omama]

We're planning a loft conversion, its going to have a large rear dormer which extends the full width & back of the house. House built 1910, red brick with large sash windows & slate roof. Plan to have either a large sash or door with juliet balcony on the dormer so it is in keeping with the rest of the house.

We're now considering our options for the exterior, loft conversion company suggested grey upvc cladding but as its such a large dormer I'm not too sure if its the best option appearance wise (dont want it to be unsightly as it will be visible from the road & we will have to look at it whenever we are in our garden!) & am wondering if slate to match the roof may be better.

What are the pros/cons of upvc v slate? Have you had upvc cladding & regretted it? Are there any other types that come recommended? Tia

No experience of either.... but I googled and would say based on the images that slate would look much better!

However is brick an option?

I don't like plastic.

And you say you have a 1910 house?

Slate or tile to match the roof. Lead to waterproof.

Thanks for the replies

Yes pigletjohn its a 1910 semi detached 2 up 2 down cottage with a slate roof & lead flashing

I've asked loft company to price up both options just hope the extra cost of slate isnt prohibitive. It really does look much nicer doesnt it?

I've noticed when googling you can also get grey tiles but am not so keen on the look of those, although I prob prefer it to upvc.

I guess I also hope to find out about potential maintenance costs with slate if anyone can help with that - are vertical hanging slates likely to slip regularly?

you can get synthetic slates, but they won't be a perfect match, in colour or texture, and they will get increasingly light grey as they age.

True slates are relatively expensive, but you aren't reroofing the whole house.

I have vertical hanging slates on the weather side of my (coastal) house. They have lasted better than the ones on the roof. They have to be fixed with copper nails and washers, or rivets; though my roofer is using stainless nails now. You are totally dependent on the nails to hold them and resist wind movement, unlike tiles which are heavier and have a ledge underneath to rest on the batten.

An experienced local roofer will tell you what fixings he recommends, and why. At the edges, he should use extra-wide slates, e.g. one-and-a-half width, not a cut half-width to make up the gap. Never accept galvanised nails, which will rust. If he is good he will take a pride in skilful lead work. Never accept plastic or zinc or bitumen band as a substitute.

Thanks pigletjohn you are very knowledgeable!

As it happens we are having the whole house re-roofed at the same time. It will be the loft conversion company doing the whole job rather than our usual & trusted roofer, but they come recommended by him so hopefully they will do a good job. I will be sure to ask about the type of slate & the fixings too - thanks for the tip.

We also did a full width rear dormer, our house is same like yours, red-brick but I think it's from 1920s rather than 1910s. Our roof has red clay tiles, but we decided for the dormer cladding to go with something more modern, so we used obscure glazed panels bonded onto the timber frame and insulated wall. Here is what we have ended up:

Take a look at Marley Cedral weatherboard - it is a cementboard.