The Construction of the Small House / A Simple and Useful Source of Information of the Methods of Building Small American Homes, for Anyone Planning to Build

by H. Vandervoort Walsh

While asbestos shingles can show great practical durability, even superior to slate and tile in some cases, yet there are many instances of ugly weathering. Tile and slate roofs develop warm, lovely tones with age. Asbestos shingles, since they are chiefly made from cement under pressure, must necessarily depend for their color upon inert pigments introduced into their composition at the time of manufacture, and for this reason their color is apt rather to fade than become richer with age. Their tendency is to return to the natural color of the cement. For this reason we see on every hand red asbestos shingle roofs which have bleached out to sickly and thirsty pinks, and brown roofs that have blanched to whitish-brown, much like the color which chocolate candy develops when it is very stale. Then, too, certain makes of asbestos shingles show, as time goes on, salt-like deposits on the surface, like the whitewash which appears upon brick walls. This gives a motley appearance to the roof, for some shingles will develop this white stain more than others.

The reader should not draw from these statements the general conclusion that the asbestos shingles should not be used, and that there have been none made that overcome the above difficulties, but it would be well for him to observe these defects before deciding upon any one brand.

The manufacturers of tin advise that the tin be painted on both sides when laid, and thereafter kept painted at four to five-year intervals. In other words, the tin roof is as good-looking as the paint which covers it, for it has no color or texture of its own. Can there be much charm in a roof of this kind? Can one picture a cosey and homelike small house with either a flat or standing seam tin roof? Perhaps the flat decks which do not show are satisfactory, when covered with tin, but those upon which any walking is to be done should be covered with wood lattice or else the nails of the shoes may punch through the tin and cause a leak. Tin roofs have their place and their duty to perform, but they are hardly suited to flat roofs over which is to be done much walking. Heavy deck canvas, laid in paint and covered with paint, is the best for this purpose. The ferry-boats give evidence of the practical wear of this kind of roof.

Tin or galvanized-iron shingles or imitation tiles are often seen applied to the roofs of small houses. The owner probably admired a real tile roof, and the nearest approach his pocketbook would permit him to come to it was the use of imitation tile of tin, copper, or galvanized iron. Most architects ridicule this peculiar weakness in human nature which chooses imitation diamonds, glass pearls, oil-paper stained-glass windows, and pressed-metal tiles, instead of real ones, but they should look to themselves before they throw stones, and ask who invented the imitation thatched roof of wooden shingles.

Shingle Roof

The wooden-shingle roof is of such old and traditional origin in this country that it seems useless to describe the essential features of its construction, yet for the sake of completeness we shall call attention to the important points to be observed. Cypress, cedar, and redwood are considered to be the best woods from which to saw shingles. The grain of the wood should be vertical and show the edge. It is generally conceded that creosote-dipped shingles which are treated at the factory are easier to apply than those dipped on the job, and, as all wood shingles should be treated with some preservative, it is well to consider them. However, much criticism has been aimed at factory-dipped shingles, in that they are generally too brittle from overdrying in the kilns, but this is not true of all makes. The sizes and the weathering of some of the standard creosoted shingles are as follows:

16 inches lengths, random widths, laid 4½ inches to the weather, and either 5 or 6 shingles at the butt ends to 2 inches.

18 inches lengths, random widths, laid 5½ inches to the weather, and 5 butt ends to 2½ inches.

24 inches lengths, random widths, laid 7½ inches to the weather, and ½ inch thick at the butt ends.

There are about thirty varieties of colored stains to select from, and special shapes are cut for constructing the so-called thatched roof, the shingles being bent to a curve of about 20 inches radius. The pitch of wooden-shingle roofs should not be less than 8 inches rise per foot for the ordinary weathering shown in the above statements. The tops of rafters are covered with shingle lath, with a spacing suitable to the weathering arrangement of the shingles. There are some who advocate the use of sheathing to cover the rafters in a tight manner and also the use of building-paper underneath the shingles, but, although this gives a tighter and warmer roof, dry rot attacks the shingle much quicker because of the accumulation of dampness on the under side of the shingle courses.