Repair or replace the roof?

[Typo22]

Just after some opinion please 😊

We have some slipped tiles on our roof (built 1930s, slate tiles, probably the original roof) and are stuck between whether to repair or replace.

One company said they wouldn't bother repairing as slate tiles mean they are more brittle and they could cause more damage doing the repairs. Other companies have quoted £300 for a simple repair up to £2200 to replace the section of the roof.

To replace we have been quoted between £6000 to £15000 (North East based)

Our fixed rate is ending next year and I don't think we will be in the position to move up so are looking to fix for another 2 years and see how we are financially then. If we were definitely planning to move soon we would probably just patch it up.

Would you repair the roof and have peace of mind knowing it had at least been done, or repair the damage and do any more repairs if and when needed (we are at the mercy of the weather, Storm Arwen caused the original damage!)

We are stuck as its a lot of money for us to spend (we will have to borrow to afford to replace the roof) but I dont know if it will be for the best having that peace of mind it was done, especially if we are thinking of selling up in the next few years.

I'd be really grateful for any opinions!

If you spent £15k on the roof, it would not increase the value of the house by the same amount.
Personally I’d repair the damaged slates for now.

I would as a minimum get the damage repaired asap, as your insurers will require it to be done to minimise the risk of the problem worsening. If the rest of the roof is in a reasonable condition and is watertight, I would leave it for now rather than replacing. But, the cost of a new roof is likely to keep increasing so it might be best to bite the bullet and get it done as soon as you can.

Try a local man rather than a company. Two circa 1900 houses with slate roofs have had repairs. Latest one was a slipped slate, local roofer did it for £40 about 4 years ago now and still sound. So long as no water ingress I'd keep repairing🤷

Are they real slates or concrete tiles?
Slates have a very long life and often slate roofs can be repaired, however that depends on the quality of those slates.
Our 150yo house has its original slates although it was stripped felted and the new tiles re-laid.
Our 1920's garage was stripped and the slates re-used last year - there were very few crumbly or delaminated slates.
It may depend on how good the original slates were but older slate roofs in this country tend to have U.K. slate which is good. Cheap Chinese slate (generally a newish import) isn't as great and some Spanish slate isn't great although some is ok too.
It would depend for me how much damage there was however slate roofs are ultimately very repairable.
Concrete or clay tiles I'd be more inclined to replace as their lifespan is less.

I am an architect and often recommend repair for clients with slate roofs.

Thank you for the replies. They are real slate tiles, there are 2 problem areas, one is worse than the other.

My worry is with the prices increasing if we waited how much more it would cost 😣

The third roofer who quoted was the cheapest by far, he didn't have any objection to just repairing the damage already there whereas the second quote came from a company who said about it not being worth replacing and they probably wouldn't accept the job if it was just to repair. It all seemed like a big hard sale with their show home discount that could only be honoured for 3 days and pushing us to take finance out over 10 years. I had already made my mind up not to go with them.

The roof also hasn't been felted (not sure if that is the correct term!) which 3rd roofer mentioned and said would obviously affect temperature of the flat and make it less enefy efficient.

I'd repair if it is slate.

Have you asked for roofer recommendations on the FB community pages? People tend to reply and pm you if they've had a bad experience with anyone. I'm in the NE on the coast and the 2019 flat roof on my newly purchased bungalow was blown off last November in Storm Arwen - the loss adjuster said it had only been nailed down, not screwed as it should have been. The seller had left me the invoice, and I saw this roofer's van cruising down our street touting for business after the storm.

I can recommend the company that came to replace my roof, they are in Blyth, pm me if you'd like their name.

How bad is the damage? Do you know, roughly, how many slates you need to replace?

Can you try some reclaim yards to get some slates and then find someone to fit them?

Felting won't make it more energy efficient. It isn't insulating, it just stops the rain getting in if a tile breaks by providing an extra barrier to the water.