[MassHistPres] slate roof on a cape

[Diane Gilbert]

I have to agree with James Hadley.  Wood shingles were the material of
choice for exteriors.  I would not put a slate roof on a pre-georgian or
later Cape style house.  It¹s too much roof for a modest house.  Our
preservation-in-progress 1762 Elihu Akin House in Dartmouth has a shingle
roof and it looks fabulous, especially after years of inappropriate asphalt
shingles, what a difference it makes!  I will send along a photo outside of
the list serv.  

Diane Gilbert, Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc.


On 10/19/09 10:11 AM, "James Hadley" <jameswhadley at hotmail.com> wrote:

> As chair of the Historical Commission in Orleans, I have not seen a Cape Cod
> house with a slate roof. Think of houses here as an outgrowth of boatbuilding,
> with wood used and sealed as it would be in boats. Wood shingles were the
> material of choice for exteriors. They still are used, although now on roofs
> they are nailed onto sheathing with a breather material below them instead of
> on the spaced wood lath as originally installed.
> The book - The Cape Cod Cottage by William Morgan, (Princeton Architectural
> Press, NY, 2006) is a source for photos of old Cape Cod houses and plans.
> Amazon has it. You should also contact Historic New England:
> www.historicnewengland.org .
> James W. Hadley, AIA
> Orleans, MA 
> 
> 
> 
> From: hhsdir at verizon.net
> To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
> Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:47:30 -0400
> Subject: [MassHistPres] slate roof on a cape
> 
> A colleague writes:
> 
> 
> ³I'm having a devil of a time finding the right roof for this 1780 Cape and
> trouble with research. Was slate ever used, or is the Cape so modest that it
> would not have been used?²
> 
> 
> I¹d be grateful for wisdom from the experts in the list serve, or perhaps a
> reference book or article that might be helpful.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks.
> 
>  
> 
> Suzanne Buchanan
> 
> Hingham Historical Society
> 
> P.O. Box 434 Hingham, MA 02043
> 
> 781-749-7721
> 
> www.hinghamhistorical.org
> 
>  
>        
> 
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