It is disappointing when the owner of an historic building is not considerate of the community and not concerned about wasting good resources on a new roof. Although this is happening every day in the United States, it is not legal in Europe to tear off a perfectly good traditional stone roof and staple a tar paper product on instead. It is considered a breach of community standards and therefore prohibited. The entire community has a stake in the appearance of its buildings, and although this may be considered an unacceptable intrusion on personal liberties here in the USA, in Europe many quaint towns and villages continue to display the elegant charm they have demonstrated for centuries. Why? Because their building codes display a higher set of community standards which take into account such things as tradition and aesthetics. I fear that by the time we in the United States have evolved to that level of standards, there will be few if any, traditional slate roofs left.

new roof