cedar roof question (and another 'what style...?')

17 years ago

Hi, I've been lurking for a while and now have a question of my own... we just bought a house built in 1927, and it has a gorgeous cedar roof (picture below), but it's not like most we've seen - at the edges the roof looks like it is at least 6 to 8 shingles deep. Also, where the roof lines meet there is no flashing, rather the shingles have been shaped... Is there anyone here who can recommend a builder/preservation firm in the Chicago area who would work on this kind of roof (we have a small, very slow leak during heavy rains) - the places we have called so far won't work on it!!

Also... any ideas on what style this home is??

Thanks for any input you might have!

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Comments (7)

aprilwhirlwind
17 years ago
Your house has the marks of the Storybook Cottage style that was around in the 1920's and 30's. That roof and the oddly cut siding shingles go along with that style.
sombreuil_mongrel
17 years ago
Hi,
The style of roof is sometimes referred to as "American Thatch" a simulation of European thatched roofing made from grass/cane. Obviously your house is copying an English Elizabethan/Medieval style of architecture.
The roof is very material-intensive and off-the-charts labor intensive! I love the rolled eaves. I wonder if the shake siding is original or if there is stucco and half-timbering lurking underneath.
Looking a second time, I don't think it would have been built with brown aluminum gutters- they kind of kill the illusion that it's 1492.
Casey
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Well, I have a low-slung rustic ranch and in my opinion, anything but the real thing or a really good faux shake looks wrong (unless the house has been modernized--I'm in a pretty big 1950s subdivision so I see a lot). I don't get any weather where I live now so I am less concerned about durability than you might be. But the old Tudors...different story! You want faux slate! :P I've seen some good metal wood-look roofs on Tudors. Since they're taller you don't always get as close as you do on a ranch. But there's always a bit that dips low, where you can see it up close, isn't there? You might need to just drive around and see what others have used that works, or check with a historical district in your area an see what's recommended. Ask the old house forum here at GW. When I was looking at paint options for my Tudor a few homes ago (the POs had roofed it with nasty flat "architectural" shingles so I was stuck there) I drove around Indian Village in Detroit for inspiration--if you have a similarly cool old neighborhood locally, spend some time in it. (All I can say about the durability of the treated shingles vs untreated is that they'll probably last longer in a fire. Haha you'd hope so at least!) Do see if you can get any recs at the old house forum. I don't think they'd allow you to misshingle up a cool old house. Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/oldhouse/
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kec01
17 years ago
I'd give Von Dreele-Freerksen in Oak Park a call. They do alot of historic preservation and often work on the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Oak Park. They are a contracting firm but I believe they'd have roofing specialists for your house. They are on Madison in Oak Park. Your house is really neat!
jench
Original Author
17 years ago
thanks everyone for the comments!

Casey - we are pretty sure the siding isn't original (unless it was very well matched)... if you look at the picture of the back of the house, the "chunk" that would be closest to you is certainly an addition - (1) the windows aren't the same small pane cottage-type, and there's lots of glass block (2) part of that addition was a master bathroom, which doesn't scream 1920s to me. As for the gutters/drainspouts, we have yet to even tell if they are copper or aluminum... so far we have found there is a copper overhang for the backdoor which was painted dk brown to match the trim - arrrgh!

kec01 - THANKS for the name. We're in Waukegan, so I hope we can get someone to come all the way out here!

Jen
kec01
17 years ago
Jen, You might also call the Lake Forest Preservation group and see if they have ideas. With all the great homes up that way, there have to be some roofing specialists. When we lived in St. Paul, MN, we literally walked up to the front doors, knocked and asked the homeowners who had specific work that we admired. I know it's bold, but we never left without the info that we were looking for. Another idea, take down names from the signs in yards of homes having work done.
sharon_sd
17 years ago
"Another idea, take down names from the signs in yards of homes having work done."

Don't do that without speaking to the homeowner. Our neighbour hired a contractor who was doing work for us, just because he was doing our work. They didn't ask us. If they did, we would have told them that he only half listened to what we said and didn't use common sense when doing his work. We would never have recommended him to anyone, especially to someone as particular as our neighbour.
a_reiford
17 years ago
Hi,

A company called Custom Cedar Solutions (www.customshingles.com) supplies bent cedar shingles specifically for that style of roof. You may want to give them a call, they could probably help you out. Their phone number is listed on their site. - (386) 487-1015

Hope this helps!

AR

cedar roof question (and another 'what style...?')

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cedar roof question (and another 'what style...?')

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aprilwhirlwind

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