That’s how I see it. What a pain in the ***** that would be otherwise.
David, in all these inspections, you’re seeing the work of the same guy. During the time these homes were built, he was the guy who lived around there and who everyone hired to do their roofs.
It’s not real good work whether it’s slate or wood, and I can’t tell which from the photos, but what you see in your photos is sidelaps. I’m betting its wood.
What you should be seeing in decent work with either wood or slate, in photographing them from the ground, is just the butt ends. You should not be seeing shingles overlapping shingles, which is what is visible in these photographs. In these photos, you see roofing materials graduating in size from right to left. If you were seeing the butt ends of slates or wood shingles, you’d see no taper. Poke 'em with your finger and you’ll know whether they’re stone or wood.