Fibre cement slates are a new cheaper solution to original roof slates, where as orignal slates can break easily due to weather climate, every fibre cement is rivited down to stop wind entering underneath and makng the slate vulnerable. The spanish slate leaves a more attractive finish but comes at a higher price, there are other slates similar to the Spanish slate such as the Brazilian slate, Canadian trinity and China good roofing slate. The melbourn interlocking slate is a developed to provide a lightweight alternative to natural slate.
When a roof starts giving you more than one major problem, thats when you need to think about having a new roof. An average roofs life span is 70 years, but it all depends on the roofs material and environment.
