If you have always wanted to have a slate roof, you may finally be in a place where you can get one on your house. Before you make your final decision about getting a slate roof, make sure that you talk to your local roofing contractor and get some answers from them so that you know that you are making the right decision for you. 

Natural vs. Cultured

One thing to talk to your roofer about is whether you should get natural or cultured slate. Natural slate is a slate that is more or less in the same state as it was when it came out of the ground. The stone will have been processed so that it is shaped and cut for shingles, then finished to look their best. But, that processing doesn't change anything about the stone itself. Cultured slate is a slate that takes the bits, pieces, and dust leftover from processing the natural stone. All of those leftovers are then mixed with a dyed epoxy or resin. The product gets dyed so that it matches the color of the bits and pieces of the slate that are being turned into a cultured slate. Cultured slate is generally less expensive than natural slate, and it lets the majority of the slate that comes up from the ground be used. 

Ease of Installation

You should also talk to the roofer about how easy it is to install these shingles. The harder it is to install anything, the longer it is going to take to install it, and the more you are going to have to pay to have it installed. The roofer may want to take a good look at your roof before they can give you more information about how it will be to install it on your roof. The roofer can tell you the general difficulty in installing a slate roof, but they can get more in detail when looking at your roof, because you may have things that will make it harder to install the slate on your roof, like extreme angles or multiple protrusions. Those things will affect the ease of installation, letting the roofer get a good look at your roof will let you prepare for their estimate. 

If you have always wanted to have a slate roof on your house, this may be your time. Before you finalize your decision, make sure you talk to a roofing company (for example, Sweers Eavestrough and Roofing Co, Inc) and ask some questions.