Keith A. Schneider wrote:
Hi, I need some advice. I'm in the process of buying a Victorian
house in Rochester, NY. It needs some work, including a new roof.
The roof has tongue and groove sheathing boards (3/4 inch thick) that
are still in good condition (as seen from the attic) and a 45 degree
(12:12) pitch. The house originally had a slate roof. In fact, I
just realized by carefully examining a hole in the porch that the
originaly slate roof is still there, and 2 or 3 additional roofs seem
to have been simply nailed on top.

I think a slate roof would be a good fit for this house, but I think
it is a bit out of my price range. Do you think it would be possible
to somehow recycle the existing slate that is there, or at least some
of it? The shingles that I could see through the hole didn't seem to
be cracked, but on of them had a nail through the middle. I was
thinking that if some fraction of these originaly slate tiles could
be salvaged, that would save money on a slate roof, and I might be
able to afford it.

As you've noted, slate can be very expensive ($1K / square isn't
unusual, especially for a 12 pitch roof).

You could remove and recycle the existing slate if it is in good
condition, but there sure will be a lot of labor involved in that. Even
the cleaning of any recovered slate would be a big job.

I wouldn't put shingles on a roof that large and complex -- after all,
you'd have to replace them in another 10 years or so. Instead, consider
cement tile ($450 / square on low slope, higher on steep roofs).