Roofs and flat roofs
What did the visit record about Delabole scantle slates, about the catslide over the scullery outshot, and about the secret gutter behind that slope?
The visit recorded Delabole scantle slates where they could be seen, the catslide over the scullery outshot, and a secret gutter behind that slope. Those are visual notes. The survey has not decided that the slates are fixed soundly, that the catslide is weathertight, or that the hidden gutter is clear. A ground view and a loft glimpse do not lift slates or clear a concealed channel. What stays open is the bedding, the laps and the gutter the catslide hides from the scullery side.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Scantle slating uses small slates, often with mortar. The report names the covering it saw. It does not certify a quarry or test each fixing. A catslide is a long face that sweeps down over an outshot, here the scullery. The secret gutter is the channel hidden where that slope meets a wall or a higher roof. Debris can sit there out of sight. The visit can point at the arrangement. It cannot call the channel dry or the scantle coat sound.
Ask the solicitor whether the seller knows of leaks in the scullery or of any clearance of that secret gutter. A roofer with safe access would need to see the slopes and the hidden channel, which this visit did not open. Do not tell a lender the roof was passed because the slates have a regional name. The survey described a traditional covering and a concealed gutter. It did not test either.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How much of the scantle slating was visible, and from where?
- What was recorded on the catslide over the scullery?
- Was the secret gutter seen, or only placed behind the slope?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read all three as visual notes, not as a roof test.
- Ask about leaks at the scullery and about gutter clearance.
- Use a roofer if the hidden channel must be checked.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does mortar between scantle slates mean the slope is sealed?
Mortar is how many scantle roofs were finished. Seeing it does not prove the laps keep water out of the scullery. The visit did not lift slates. A roofer can advise on the mortar and the stone. The survey has not called the covering sealed.
Is the secret gutter the same channel as the eaves gutter?
No. An eaves gutter is the open channel at the foot of a slope. The secret gutter is the hidden channel behind the catslide. The report names that difference. Clearing one would not clear the other, and neither channel was tested on this visit.