We’re all much more environmentally aware these days, and reusing and recycling has become second nature.
The architectural salvage market is booming, and salvage yards are the best place to pick up old fire surrounds, plaster mouldings and railway sleepers. Many of these yards stock building materials too, but can you really save money by using second-hand slates, tiles or shingles on your roof?
What about using reclaimed roofing materials in conservation areas?
If you live in a conservation area or in a listed building, you may not have any choice over whether to use reclaimed materials or not.
Most conservation officers will demand that any new tiles or slates put on your roof match exactly with what was there originally, and the easiest way to achieve this without lengthy discussions with the local Council is to buy reclaimed tiles.
Price really isn’t a factor in this situation as buying new is not an option.
Using reclaimed slates
Slates are often salvaged from buildings which have been demolished, and are easy to find in architectural salvage yards across the UK.
Prices will vary depending on the size of the slate, but average out about £1.75 per slate.
This is roughly equivalent to what you would pay for the same slate brand new, but many people prefer the look and appearance of used slates as they are not as uniform and straight-edged.
Check out local newspaper adverts and sites such as Gumtree or Ebay for people selling small quantities of slates at knock down prices, especially if you only require a few for repairing a roof rather than a large number for replacing the whole roof.
Using reclaimed tiles
Tiles are more problematic when it comes to salvaging, as the design of tiles varies much more than slate.
Tiles vary in both colour and style, and if you are trying to buy tiles to match an existing roof this could prove difficult.
However, if you are buying tiles to replace a whole roof, this is less of an issue.
The average price of salvaged roof tiles comes in at slightly less than buying new, but finding a large enough quantity of the same sort of tiles can be a challenge.
Again the local free adverts can be a good place to find a small quantity.
Other recycled roofing materials
It is much harder to find other materials such as felt or roofing beams in salvage yards.
Felt does not have a long enough lifespan to make it worth recycling, and it is relatively cheap to buy new.
Most people prefer to have the internal structure of their roof such as beams and joists to be brand new, as this will ensure the roof is structurally sound and safe.
Bricks can often be sourced from second hand suppliers to build a chimney stack, but again unless you live in a conservation area, new bricks will work out to be more cost effective in most cases.
If it is proving difficult to find salvaged roofing supplies in your area, ask a local roofing firm to point you in the right direction.
