The best answer to this question is no. That answer should include other tradesmen like house painters, satellite dish installers, etc.

The problems with walking on slate roofs include both safety concerns and damage to the roofing material.

Safety Concerns

Steep pitched roofs are both difficult and dangerous to walk on. The risk of personal injury is significant. It ought to go without saying but we’ll mention anyway that a slate roofing professional is much cheaper than a hospital or funeral home.

Even lower pitched roofs at 28 degrees or less still pose significant hazards. Melbourne roofs are prone to moisture, moss, and other naturally occurring growths that are harmless to the roof but make the surface slippery. Slippery + slope + gravity = quick trip to the ground.

Roofing Damage Concerns

The quality and age of the slate roofing material is a major determining factor in how well the roofing holds up under human feet. Good quality slate holds up well under everything Melbourne weather can throw at it, but is doesn’t necessarily hold up to foot traffic. Lesser quality slate most definitely caves under pressure.

Without the knowledge a slate roofer has for being on the roof, any attempts to walk on the roof can and probably will result in snap, crackle, pop, perforation, or even dislodging of the slate tiles, along with other potential damage.

Here’s a great way to put this in proper perspective: In 10 minutes, an inexperienced person can do more damage to your slate roof than 100 years of nature could!