Architects designing individual residences, and self-builders constructing their own homes, have long appreciated the distinctive qualities of Burlington slates and the choice of traditional formats they are available in, allowing them to choose a roof covering that differentiates their project from the uniform, homogenous imported slates used by the larger developers. The thickness, surface character and broad whittling to the edges of Burlington slates produces a roof that is comprised of a collection on individual natural components, which makes a connection to the building that it covers, and speaks to the other natural materials used in the construction – the stones, metals and timbers – giving a very different aesthetic to that of the thin, regular, appearance of other slates, which sit atop of the building as a one dimensional, disparate and disconnected element.