Roofs and flat roofs
Stone roof slates are delaminating on a listed cottage and the ridge looks even. What of the slates was not a reason to reroof the whole slope in the report?
The delaminating stone slates were not, in this report, a reason to reroof the whole slope. Delamination is those slates splitting and shedding, which the survey can record on the slope it could see. An even ridge is the line of the ridge, not a test of every slate. The report has not written that the whole slope must be stripped because some slates are delaminating. It has also not used the even ridge to declare the covering sound. Local failure and a full reroof are different decisions, and only the condition that was seen has been recorded.
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?
Stone slates fail by flaking, often a few at a time, while neighbours still hold. A surveyor records the ones that are opening up and the lie of the roof. An even ridge says the crest looks straight. It does not say each slate has its thickness, its peg or its lap. The report can note delamination without ordering a new roof for the entire slope. Where wholesale renewal has not been specified, the failing slates are a repair question about those slates, not a sentence that condemns the rest.
Ask a stone-roofing firm which slates are failing and whether they can be replaced in kind, as a separate look. Tell the solicitor the survey has not specified a full reroof of the slope. Because the cottage is listed, ask whether slate repairs need consent, and do not treat the survey as that consent. Keep the even ridge as a comment on the ridge line. It is not evidence that every remaining slate was passed, and it is not a reason the report gave for stripping the slope.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which stone slates were delaminating, and on which slope?
- Did the report specify a full reroof, or only the slates that are failing?
- What did an even ridge actually tell you about the rest of the covering?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read delamination as a note on the slates seen, not a whole-slope reroof.
- Ask a stone-roofing firm which units need replacement.
- Ask the solicitor whether listed-roof repairs need consent.
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
If the ridge is even, can the delamination be ignored?
No. An even ridge is the crest, not the face of each slate. Delaminating stone slates are still failing where they were seen. The report did not turn that into a reason to reroof the whole slope, and it also did not clear the covering. The two observations stay separate.
Has the survey chosen a new covering material?
No. It has not specified a reroof of the whole slope, so it has not chosen a substitute material either. Delaminating stone slates are the condition that was recorded. What replaces any failed unit, and whether the slope stays in stone, is a later specification the report has not written.