Old House Roof Material

Asphalt shingles and roll roofing were used in the 1890s.

Old house roof material.

Many roofs of asbestos aluminum stainless steel galvanized steel and lead coated copper may soon have historic values as well. Interlocking ceramic tiles create a stunningly beautiful roof that can last for 100 years or more. 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. 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.

Lightweight tiles can weigh six pounds per square foot while heftier types weigh in at up to 18 pounds per square foot. As this material is out of most homeowners budgets there are fake slate options with the look. However these roofs have been reported to last over two centuries. Still in broad general use they ve been widely used since the 17th century both as roofing and wall sheathing.

But this type of roofing requires a beefy support structure. Awareness of these and other traditions of roofing materials and their detailing will contribute to more sensitive preservation treatments. Wood shingles are the oldest type of natural roofing material in the u s. 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.