Re-Use Natural Slate vs Modern Roofing Failures — Why the Roofing Industry in Northern Ireland Is Now Beyond Crisis

What I’m Seeing on Roofs Right Now

I’m seeing more and more roofs now where direct ventilation has just been taken out altogether. Everything is being left to the membrane.

Doesn’t matter what the roof is, doesn’t matter the build-up“it’s breathable, it’ll be fine.”

It won’t.

Every manufacturer has conditions. Drape, airflow, how it’s fixed, whether a VCL is needed. That’s all in the small print. And the truth is, most lads aren’t reading that. Not because they don’t care—because nobody has ever properly shown them.

So what happens? They follow what they’ve seen before. Or what they’ve been told in a merchant. And they get caught out.

I’m getting the calls when it goes wrong.

Wet battens. Damp coming back. Roofs that should be right, but aren’t

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What We’re Losing — And Why It Matters

Re-use natural slate works. That’s already been proven.

But instead of building on that, I’m seeing good slate being thrown away and replaced with systems that rely on products being installed perfectly—when most lads haven’t been properly shown how those systems actually work.

So we’re moving away from proven methods and into guesswork.

And that’s where the problems start.

I Took This Directly to the Top — And Heard Nothing Back

Four weeks ago, I sat down with the Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Training Board to talk about exactly this.

I laid it out clearly:

• the level of poor workmanship

• the lack of understanding around modern roof systems

• the complete absence of proper roofing training here in Northern Ireland

It wasn’t a complaint. It was an attempt to fix something that’s clearly broken.

Four weeks on—nothing.

Not a word back.

Meanwhile, the calls are still coming in.

Where Is the NFRC?

Where is the National Federation of Roofing Contractors in all this?

They talk about training and standards across the UK.

But here in Northern Ireland, where is it?

Where are the apprenticeships?

Where is the structure?

Where is the support for lads actually on the tools trying to do this work properly?

Because I’m on roofs every day, and I’m telling you now—it’s not there.

The Reality on the Ground with The NFRC

Look at the reviews. One star. Across the board.

That’s not one bad experience—that’s a pattern.

There is also a report on the roofing industry carried out by David Burns. I’ve seen that report, and some of the findings involving members of the NFRC are shocking.

So you’ve got:

• no proper training structure here

• roofers left to figure out complex systems on their own

• and an organisation that’s meant to represent standards carrying that kind of feedback

That doesn’t give anyone confidence.

We are beyond crisis levels now.

Confidence with homeowners is at an all-time low. People don’t know who to trust anymore—and you can’t blame them.

Customers are waiting months with active leaks because they can’t get someone competent to deal with it properly.

At the same time, we’ve got no one coming through.

What young lad is going to commit to five years learning a trade when there’s no proper structure—and not even a recognised certificate at the end of it?

There’s no pathway. No incentive. No future being shown to them.

We’re now averaging four named storms a year.

Extreme weather isn’t coming. It’s already here.

Demand is going up. Complexity is going up. Failure rates are going up.

And the industry is standing still.

If the people meant to support the industry aren’t trusted when things go wrong, then what exactly is the system worth?

Because out here on site, it’s not working.

And while nothing is being said, nothing is being done, and no one is stepping in—

the problems are stacking up on roofs all over the country.

We are running out of time to fix it.

Stuart Penrose

Stuart Penrose Roofing