Suffering substantial damage following an earthquake, the roof of a residential property in Christchurch, New Zealand has been given a new lease of life following the installation of 13,500 of SSQ’s Del Carmen, Ultra grade, slates. Following investigations, the previous slate installation had proved too brittle – following the damage to the roof, the Earthquake Commission approved the removal and re-usage of the slate, however it was discovered that only 20% of the original slates were suitable to use again. With that in mind, it was decided that a high-quality, timeless slate would be required to fill the void – step forward Del Carmen from SSQ.

The Ultra grade from Del Carmen comprises a selection of slates put together from the best available rock cleavage at the quarry. This cleavage of rock is such that the material is able to achieve exceptional levels of flatness and consistency, whilst still retaining the distinctive riven appearance expected of premium natural slate.

Carl Hamlin, General Manager for Enable Roofing said: “Using a copper nail fixing method to deliver a stunning aesthetic finish, the Del Carmen slates were all laid by the end of November 2014 meaning the residents could move back in time for Christmas. Due to the style of the building, we needed to make sure that any new materials installed were in keeping with the original look and feel – SSQ’s Del Carmen slates blend in perfectly – you could almost say that it looks as though the roof has always been that way!”