Old House Roof Material

Interlocking ceramic tiles create a stunningly beautiful roof that can last for 100 years or more.

Old house roof material. Lightweight tiles can weigh six pounds per square foot while heftier types weigh in at up to 18 pounds per square foot. Asphalt shingles and roll roofing were used in the 1890s. Probably the most long lasting roof material for an old house is slate. But this type of roofing requires a beefy support structure.

Many roofs of asbestos aluminum stainless steel galvanized steel and lead coated copper may soon have historic values as well. It s also by far the most expensive as a thousand square feet of slate roofing costs over 40 000. Still in broad general use they ve been widely used since the 17th century both as roofing and wall sheathing. 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.

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. As this material is out of most homeowners budgets there are fake slate options with the look. Awareness of these and other traditions of roofing materials and their detailing will contribute to more sensitive preservation treatments. Most often they are cut and dressed or sawn smooth.

By the mid 1800s metal roofing became more common as mass produced steel began covering ordinary homes and barns.