In 2018, owner Brad Caldwell attended the Slate Roofing Contractors Association Expo and Training in Pennsylvania.
This provided extensive classroom and hands-on learning of the slate trade. Some topics included proper decking, concerns of slate weight and how a proper 2×6 deck can usually support a slate roof, proper headlap based on roof slope (critical to ensuring no leaks!), proper fasteners, proper means of cutting and punching the tiles, and some demonstrations of making your own hand-soldered and formed copper flashings.
Slate guru Joe Jenkins (of Slate Roof Bible fame) was there and taught some of the classes too!
Further, attendees were schooled in the language of the SRCA General Installation Guidelines for Natural Quarried Roofing Slate, the official consensus of proper slate installation.
In 2019, Caldwell’s Roofing decided to become a member of the SRCA, and hopes to continue learning more about best practices in slate and copper roofing.
