SIGA Slate has been awarded Best Domestic Property Application Using Slate in the 2018 Pitched Roofing Awards. The judges commended the high standard of workmanship in the use of traditional random diminishing slates on Underwood House.
Underwood House, Craigie is a 19th century Grade B listed residential property in Dundonald, Ayrshire. The vast 500m2 pitched roof features a half turret with six dormers and sweeping/curved valley details.
Underwood House is Grade B listed
Over the years, the property had been refurbished and extended, and it was discovered that the roofs were tiled in two types of Welsh slate, which is not the uniform appearance of Scottish Ballachulish slate that is used in the local area.
After discussions with Historic Environmental Scotland, the architect specified SIGA 120 random diminishing slate for the project which provides an indigenous alternative to traditional Scottish slate. It is a 9mm dark blue grey, textured slate which is supplied in random-width diminishing courses, providing an excellent alternative to extinct Ballachulish slate, sourced from the British Isles.
SIGA 120 (New slate) on the right and brush “cleaned” reclaimed Scotch slate on the left. The slate thickness and dressed edge are very similar.
Main contractor G Middleton of East Kilbride chose experienced roofing contractor DM Roofing & Roughcasting Ltd (DMR) who specialise in listed and historic buildings to carry out the refurbishment of all the roofs to the property, and the slates were supplied by SIG Roofing’s Linwood branch.
Work on the roof was completed in 14 weeks and DMR chose to see the complex roofing challenge as an opportunity to provide additional training for younger slaters not only in random diminishing slates but also on the beautiful turret with its dormer stack and sweeping valleys. A craftsman with many years of experience in roofing and slating led two less experienced installers to pass on heritage knowledge, skill and experience in this specialist field.
Underwood House – close up of turret and dormer slating
The pitched slate roof on this project is covered by SIGA’s 75-year warranty. The judges of the Pitched Roofing Awards, a panel of industry experts with over 150 years’ experience in roofing between them, commented:
“This is an impressive building, whereby a considerable amount of complex detailing was
carried out to a very high standard. The degree of difficulty in working with random slates, rather than standard slates, made this project challenging. It was also an excellent opportunity for young talent to experience traditional roofing methods.”
This post was written by SIGA Slate Team
