Should a period house be re-roofed in natural materials?

Many owners assume a Victorian or Georgian house must be re-roofed in whatever it started with. The law does not put it that way. What counts is whether the building is listed, whether it stands in a conservation area, and whether an Article 4 direction or a planning condition takes away rights that would otherwise exist. An unlisted house outside any designated area can usually be re-covered in a material of the owner's choosing, although a visible change can still raise a planning question.

Listing changes things. Under the 1990 Act, alterations that would harm a listed building's special character need listed building consent. The South Downs National Park Authority says upkeep and minor in-situ repairs of the same kind need none, whereas a new roof in a different material would normally fall inside the control, so the question to ask is what exactly is changing. Our guide to re-roofing a listed building sets out the route to consent.

Inside a conservation area the council has a bigger say in how the street looks. Bognor makes this easy to see. The Steyne and Waterloo Square conservation area was designated in August 1979 and extended in July 1994, and the council's appraisal there urges owners to restore the original slate or plain clay where an unsuitable modern covering has been put on. Along Aldwick Road, which was designated in July 1994, it notes concrete interlocking tiles where slate used to be, and counts that against the buildings and the street.

Craigweil House, a conservation area in Aldwick designated in April 2009, is a different case. Its appraisal describes local stock brick and plain clay-tiled roofs as the traditional materials. Its Article 4 direction does not take away roof rights, yet the material still shapes how the estate looks.

Councils differ, so check with the one covering your address before you place an order for tiles.

Where no rule applies, there is still a practical case. CORC, which advises on roofing materials, puts the life of well-maintained slate at more than a century, and Checkatrade says stone slate may outlast a hundred years too. For clay, Marley quotes a research-body minimum of 60 years, though conservation writing warns that old peg-tile roofs often outlive that estimate by a wide margin. These are typical lifespans, never promises.

Older houses also have details that suit traditional coverings: short rafter spans, steep pitches and junctions dressed in lead or lime. A large, heavy concrete tile can look out of scale on a small cottage roof, and the extra weight may not suit old timbers. A weight check against the existing covering is part of any change, and it is better done before ordering than after.

Our guide to the best roofing material in the UK compares the options on cost and lifespan.

Natural materials cost more than concrete, and not every owner can or should pay it. On an unlisted house outside a conservation area, a good substitute is allowed. Some manufactured slates and clay-effect tiles look close at street level, even if a trained eye usually spots the difference from the pavement opposite.

In a conservation area the council may accept a close match if the original covering was lost decades ago, for example on a terrace where the neighbours switched to concrete long before you arrived. Listed buildings are stricter. The aim there is to keep the original fabric, and any proposed change needs consent first.

We lay out what each option means for the house and for your budget, and we do not push the dearest one. The route that suits the building, the council and your finances all at once is the right one. Sometimes a mixed roof is the answer, with natural material where the street sees it and a modern match at the back.

Plenty of period roofs can be re-covered with their own slates or tiles, topped up with reclaimed ones for the broken ones. That keeps the character, saves money and avoids waste, and the rescued tiles weather in with the new ones. Whether it is possible depends on the state of what is on the roof, which only becomes clear on the strip-out.

Fixing needs care as well. BSI itself warns that BS 5534 could be an awkward fit for re-covering certain older roofs when traditional or reclaimed materials are in use, so the specification has to be thought through for the particular building. That is a reason to take advice from a roofer who knows older buildings, and to follow any conditions the council attaches.

When the survey is done, the price arrives in writing as a single sum. Our answer on reusing old roof tiles explains the salvage option, and the main roof replacement page describes the whole job from survey to clear-up.