Old House Roof Material

Wood shingles are the oldest type of natural roofing material in the u s.

Old house roof material.

However these roofs have been reported to last over two centuries. Interlocking ceramic tiles create a stunningly beautiful roof that can last for 100 years or more. Probably the most long lasting roof material for an old house is slate. As this material is out of most homeowners budgets there are fake slate options with the look.

It s also by far the most expensive as a thousand square feet of slate roofing costs over 40 000. Most often they are cut and dressed or sawn smooth. Awareness of these and other traditions of roofing materials and their detailing will contribute to more sensitive preservation treatments. For builders in timber rich north america wood shingles were the obvious choice for the earliest roofs and ultimately the most common roofing material for houses well into the 20th century.

Lightweight tiles can weigh six pounds per square foot while heftier types weigh in at up to 18 pounds per square foot. Originally hand split from local woods oak and pine in the northeast to cypress in the south wood shingles were typically shaved smooth for high style and garden variety houses. But this type of roofing requires a beefy support structure. By the 1920s lightweight no rust aluminum entered the market as did paint coatings that added color and longevity to both aluminum and steel roofs.

Still in broad general use they ve been widely used since the 17th century both as roofing and wall sheathing.