Old House Roof Material

But this type of roofing requires a beefy support structure.

Old house roof material.

Wood shingles are the oldest type of natural roofing material in the u s. Many roofs of asbestos aluminum stainless steel galvanized steel and lead coated copper may soon have historic values as well. Asphalt shingles and roll roofing were used in the 1890s. By the mid 1800s metal roofing became more common as mass produced steel began covering ordinary homes and barns.

Interlocking ceramic tiles create a stunningly beautiful roof that can last for 100 years or more. Still in broad general use they ve been widely used since the 17th century both as roofing and wall sheathing. 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. 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.

However these roofs have been reported to last over two centuries. Most often they are cut and dressed or sawn smooth. It s also by far the most expensive as a thousand square feet of slate roofing costs over 40 000. 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.