Roofing Options for Historic Buildings

Have you thought much about the choice of roofing for your historic house or building? When it comes time for a new roof, the choice of style or material can make a huge impact on the look of your property.

My first and foremost preference for historic buildings would be if the property happens to retain its original roof, repair it in-kind rather than replacing. Most of the time older roofs can be repaired, unlike asphalt shingle which often must be replaced.



1. Standing Seam Metal

Standing Seam metal is a very durable option for many historic buildings and is on the more affordable side of the range of roofing options. It looks great on farmhouses and agricultural buildings especially. It can be repaired instead of having to be replaced in whole, and should last about 100 years or more if taken care of.

2. Slate

Slate is a very attractive option for historic buildings as long as it is appropriate for the style of the building. It can be costly, but will last for hundreds of years if well maintained and repaired as needed.

3. Terra Cotta Tile

Like slate, Terra Cotta Tile is also extremely durable and will last for hundreds of years if maintained well and repaired in-kind as needed. Most terra cotta roofing has copper trim, wells, gutters, and downspouts to fill gaps and control water flow. Terra Cotta tile is a beautiful option well suited to Spanish, Mediterranean or Mission Revival style buildings and will make a bold impact upon the look of a property.

4. Copper

A copper roof is certainly luxurious and expensive, but has a patina that only gets better with age and can last for hundreds of years if repaired and maintained. Copper can grow thin and suffer from holes due to water damage in spots such as gutters, but many times the holes can be filled or patched with new copper. I especially like the use of copper for accents such as dormer windows, cupolas, and turrets.

5. Wood Shingle

Historically wood shingle roofing is perhaps the most popular early choice of roofing for our Colonial settlers. It works well on older Colonial and Georgian style houses and can last surprisingly longer than you would think, especially if the material used is a wood that is water resistant.

6. Green Roof, anyone?

A Green roof would work well if the roof is flat, especially if there is a bit of a parapet to conceal and contain the vegetation grown on the roof. Buildings suited to this are often civic or commercial buildings located downtown, or Victorian or early-twentieth century storefronts buildings. Occasionally modernist houses possess flat roofs that could possibly be converted into a green roof.

7. Architectural Shingle

Finally, an architectural shingle roof is a nice option that mimics the look of a more expensive slate or tile roof, but is much more affordable for the every day American. It is certainly a step up from the usual asphalt shingle roof and much more appropriate for historic buildings.

Which is your favorite?

Historic House Winter Upkeep 101

For those of us that live in old houses, performing basic maintenance and upkeep can prevent potentially more serious problems and keep your home running efficiently.  During the winter, energy efficiency and proper maintenance is especially important with sensitivity to its historic character-defining features.

Below are some tips for winter upkeep in your historic house:

1. If you must add insulation, add it to the attic and the basement, where most of the house's heat escapes. (Adding blown-in insulation to walls can cause problems in the long run for historic houses).

2. Have your furnace system serviced regularly to make sure it is working efficiently. Change your furnace filters. Bleed radiators and clean forced-air registers.

3. Install a programmable thermostat to save on heating costs when you are not home.

4. Insulate pipes and duct work.

5. Weatherstrip and caulk windows to prevent any air leaks. Repair windows that are not functioning or closing properly. Make sure they are locked tight.

6. Close fireplace flues or dampers when not in use.

7. If windows are proving to be a problem in heat loss, consider adding energy efficient storm windows, which can be just as effective as replacing with new window sashes. Additionally, you can receive a $1,500 tax credit.

8. Use heavy drapes or shutters to keep additional heat from escaping from your windows.

9. Inspect your doors for gaps where air can escape, and seal or fill any holes/gaps. 

10. Use a roof rake to remove snow and ice from your roof.

11. Consider getting an energy audit.



Hopefully these tips are helpful to you! Remember, always retain first, then repair, and if you must replace, replace in-kind. Stay warm, friends!

What both the Preservation and Homesteading Movements Have in Common

Hello, friends! I first just want to welcome all my new followers- I'm so excited to get to know you and am humbled that you are interested in my musings here at the Roost :)

Oh, and this is totally off the subject, but recently I found Rosemary (our old, ruthless hen who is desperately trying to maintain her top pecking order spot) trying to lay an egg underneath the old church pew bench on our porch! LOL

Rosemary trying to hide from everyone and lay an egg in peace

I know I've talked before on this blog about historic preservation and sustainability--and why the "greenest" building is the one that has already been built. If you missed this post, please click here to learn more.

Today I want to discuss ways in which the recent homesteading or "back to the land" movement can also be tied into the historic preservation movement (or at least, in my mind). Hopefully we can educate the throngs of people jumping onto the homesteading bandwagon about the merits of historic preservation and why it should be relevant to them!

So, here we go:

Historic farms and their siting/topography: most old farmsteads were sited in ways that maximized energy conservation and efficiency (winds, sun, access to water, etc.) For example, in the North Carolina mountains, early settlers positioned their homes often at the bottom of hillsides surrounded by mountainous terrain that offered protection from harsh winds, but high enough to be above the flood plane. A stream, creek or spring ran near the house most of the time, in order for a spring house to be placed upon it for easy access to water as well as a method of keeping dairy products cold.  Energy independence is a common theme/goal in today's homesteading community, and the farmsteads of yesteryear achieved this without even knowing it by the siting of their houses to best take advantage of the outside elements.  Many modern homesteaders are forgoing their dyers for outdoor line drying of clothes, hand-washing of dishes, and even weaning themselves from electricity.

 historic farmstead in Haywood County, NC

Some historic farmsteads retain their various but useful outbuildings which were meant for practical purposes: springhouses, smokehouses, bank barns, root cellars, poultry houses, corn cribs, livestock barns, etc. Some of these, such as a root cellar for example, can be extremely practical for the modern homesteader as it essentially preserves fall and winter root vegetables and squashes without the need for refrigeration. Already existing outbuildings from a historic farm reduces the need to build new, thus saving energy and money!

outbuildings in Haywood County, NC

Historic buildings themselves (until around the mid 20th century) were designed to be as energy efficient as possible without having air conditioning. The careful placement of windows, the use of fireplaces or wood stoves, and the materials used in construction were meant to last and aid in keeping the house cool in summer and warm in winter.

Many historic farms already have infrastructure in place for the keeping of animals (chickens, goats, turkeys, cattle, hogs, etc.) and often had a water source nearby.

Even through the first quarter of the twentieth century, some cities and many small towns allowed yards for the keeping of a small flock of poultry and a garden. Many cities are returning to this idea, with chicken ordinances allowing for a small flock of hens to be kept in the city limits. This is more difficult to attain in suburban neighborhoods with so many having homeowners association restrictions. Of course, historic districts too have local design guidelines but many downtowns are now allowing homeowners to keep a flock of hens in their backyard.

Both movements share a fundamental passion for saving and preserving old traditions, whether they be homesteading, gardening and farming traditions or traditional building patterns.

I'm not sure about you, but I think this connection between the homesteading and preservation movements is pretty darn cool!

Save the Historic Preservation Tax Credit!

I'm not sure how much or whether you've noticed all this talk between the 2012 presidential candidates, Gov. Romney and President Obama, on reforming the tax code.......but the historic tax credit is one thing that SHOULD NOT be cut.

Why, you ask?

1.  Because it creates jobs -- 2.2 million of them!

2. It fuels local economies-- this credit has generated nearly $100 BILLION in rehabilitation projects.

3. It revitalizes communities-- 38,000 of our historic buildings have been saved because of this credit!!!


It's simple and clear, folks -- you don't have to care about aesthetics or history or even architecture to know that historic preservation works and this tax credit is worth saving. The historic preservation tax credit helps the economy. Period.

A tax credit project: Murhpey School, Orange County, NC. "Before" rehabilitation.

A tax credit project: Murphey School, Orange County, NC. "After" rehabilitation

A tax credit project: Murphey School, Orange County, NC. "After" rehabilitation

Obviously, I think we can all agree that the federal deficit is a major problem. But this tax credit more than pays for itself. It helps generate tax revenue.

Please, please PLEASE contact your congressional representatives and urge them to support the historic tax credit and to consider making it a permanent program. If you would like to sign the pledge, click the link here: historic tax credit pledge.  Otherwise, it would be awesome just to let your representative know that this program is good for America in so many different ways.

Thank you!!!!

PNC Conference Recap

Last week was the annual Preservation North Carolina conference in Asheville. In case you missed it, I thought I would share a few key points discussed throughout the various sessions as well as some things I took away from the event.

But before I get to that, let me just say that ASHEVILLE. IS. AWESOME. Just plain incredible. This was my second year to the city during the fall and we plan to go if not every year at least every couple of years. (For some photos from our previous visit, click here.) From the architecture...to the food.....to the art scene.....to the beauty of the mountains and nearby outdoor adventures, it is definitely one of my favorite places to visit every autumn. Period.

Visit to the Biltmore Estate in 2011

Okay, so back to the PNC conference. Here are some interesting thoughts and points made during the lectures that I feel are worth revisiting:

• The time is ripe to engage folks in the movement who may not consider themselves "preservationists" in order to give historic preservation a broader base of support. Lots of diverse people are actually doing preservation and they don't even know it. We have to make sure they know there is a name for what they are passionate about.

• According to recent research from the National Trust, 65 million people care about culture and historic places!!!!!!!  They feel that the "soul of the community" is important to where they live. What they don't realize, is that this "soul" or "sense of place" and even "pride of place" would not happen without historic preservation.

• We as preservationists need to rid ourselves of the typical stereotypes. We must STOP being known as the hall monitor type with "a culture of no" or the "paint police," "hysterical preservationists," or any other type of elitist organization that emits negativity. We must change our culture in order to change the national culture.

• We can learn a lot from the conservation movement. The green movement has now moved into the mainstream, and the preservation movement can easily do the same as long as we work hard and take the right steps. We must make ourselves accessible and look to accomplish things not through enforcement. We must be relevant, and we must lead with the vision and not with the rules.

• Demographics in the preservation community are rapidly changing. Young people are moving back into downtown (and traditional neighborhoods) and they no longer desire to live in the suburbs. They desire community, real community. They want walkable, vibrant communities with mixed use buildings, a corner pub, a local food co-op, etc. and a safe place where people hang out on their front porches and know your name.

• We must be problem-solvers as preservationists. We must think like a marketer and manage our message well. We must be knowledgeable about real estate and be approachable. We MUST show that preservation is a better kind of economic development and that it is preservation that revitalizes communities, economically and aesthetically.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts about this. If you love old architecture, if you are passionate about saving our historic places for future generations and want to retain the "soul" of your town, or maybe you are more fiscally supportive of downtown revitalization because it brings jobs and boosts property tax values -- Do you consider yourself a preservationist?

If not, why is that so? 

Abandoned Farmhouse Love (Part II)

A long while ago, I posted about a sweet abandoned farmhouse just down the road from where we live. To read about it, click here. We like to take long walks and sometimes we will pass by it and dream.

I thought today I'd share with you a few more dilapidated farmhouses to love............

possibly the overseer's house at Sandy Point in Chowan County, NC. ca. mid-19th century

side elevation of the above property

This unique late eighteenth century house which looks to be constructed in two parts perhaps at different times: half gable and half gambrel roof --is located in Pasquotank County, NC. This is a RARE find to see early historic houses like this one in North Carolina. It is remarkably intact with its wood shingle roof, weatherboards and massive exterior end chimneys. The porch looks to be a later addition but is in and of itself an impressive feature.

And, of course, there's still the adorable farmhouse right here in my neck of the woods:

 I have a sad update about my sweet farmhouse down the road from where we live. I was driving by the other day and noticed after some recent storms that a TREE HAD FALLEN ON IT and the roof appears to be falling in! Something must be done soon or else the entire structure will begin to waste away and slowly crumble due to exposure and water damage. Its obvious the owners are just waiting for the property to fall down :(  But I can't help but hear it crying out, "Save me!"

So now I want to hear from you, readers! Have any old farmhouses caught your eye lately or tugged at your heartstrings?

Going solar in your historic home?

Are you curious about the use of solar panels on historic homes or historic properties in general? For some time this has been a contested issue between preservationists and members of the green community. Most preservationists certainly are not against the use of solar panels for producing energy to power a historic building, but do have valid concerns with how it might affect the a historic property's character. Additionally, solar panels may not be permissible according to a local district's design guidelines.

There are many ways to effectively place and install solar panels in a manner that does not adversely impact a building's integrity or historic character while at the same time remaining viable and efficient for conducting energy. For example, a historic property with a flat roof or parapet roof may be an ideal candidate for solar panels due to the low visibility from most vantage points. If a historic property happens to have a gabled or hipped roof, as is the case with many historic homes, a compromise can be achieved by sighting the panels on the least visually obtrusive elevation; many times this occurs at the rear of a building.

However, other times low or no visibility of solar panels just isn't an option for high energy rewards from solar power. In some cases, we preservationists must cringe and let this one go if we want our historic building stock to be recycled and meet current consumer's demands. This was the case for the owners of a historic home in one of Michigan's historic districts who embarked on a total green renovation of their home, resulting in the first net zero green home rehabilitation in a historic district. Read about and view photos of their story here. The couple's use of solar panels on their gabled roof sheltering a century-old home is quite bold and unusual for a historic district (even more unusual that the commission allowed this type of placement), but their decision to restore and weatherstrip the original windows, making them more energy efficient with compatible storm windows, makes my little preservation heart smile.

Image via Natural Home and Garden

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently released a report on "Implementing Solar PV Projects on Historic Buildings and in Historic Districts." The report offers a wealth of information on solar energy and historic properties, and I encourage you to study it if you are a historic homeowner and also interested in solar power.

Additionally, the National Trust for Historic Preservation published a great article on utilizing solar energy for historic properties. If you are interested in reading, click here.

This Place Matters!

Historic Preservation can mean many different things to different individuals. Sure, it's about preserving, restoring and rehabiltating historic structures, it means saving our high style as well as our vernacular architectural history, it's even associated with economics and sustainability, but I think even more importantly preservation should be about community.  Without our historic places, our landscapes, our memory of the stories of who and what came before us, our communities would lose much of their value and would lack a sense of place.



We as citizens need to be instilling in our young folks a sense of pride and place in our communities, and we need to be teaching children the local history of our communities in order that they may value what is there and perhaps someday stand up and fight for the places that face the wrecking ball. I see so many young people with an apathetic attitude towards history in general; a dangerous outcome in my mind. Our nation's history is certainly important to learn, but I believe our state and local history is crucial to solidifying the bond that we often form with our historic sites.

As a tribute to our local historic sites and the architectural gems in our communities, I want to introduce you (if you don't already know) to the National Trust's This Place Matters campaign. This effort is geared towards drawing attention to the historic buildings and places that matter to us personally. To participate all you have to do is print off the This Place Matters sign from the National Trust website, take a photo of yourself with it in front of a historic property whose history matters to you, and upload it to the Trust's website.

former Sellars Manufacturing Company textile mill, now rehabilitated and adaptively reused, Saxapahaw, NC

I would love for you to send me your "This Place Matters" photos (restoringtheroost@gmail.com) and feature you here on my blog. Just be sure to provide a brief description of the place or building with your photo and why it matters to you. If you work in a historic building that is receptive to this message, all the more reason to post a "This Place Matters" sign up in a window. Don't forget about special mid-century buildings from our recent past-- they are equally important. In order to win even the smallest fight, we must advocate for the importance of preservation in our communities. So, with that said, get out and start finding and learning about those historic places that matter to you!

10 tips for energy savings in your historic cottage

It's still pretty chilly outside, and we can all use some advice on making our historic homes more energy efficient during the winter and sustainable at the same time. Here are 10 tips to think about:

1. Restore and weatherize original windows and doors, sealing the exterior envelope of the house. Visit here for more information on weatherizing original windows. Refrain from replacing windows with energy-efficient models; the result would adversely affect one of your cottage's  most character-defining features. Nor is it worth it in the long run.
2. Have the efficiency of your HVAC system checked and if necessary upgrade to a more efficient model. If you are especially ambitious, consider geothermal.
3. Switch to LED light bulbs or CFL's if possible. Consider installing motion sensors.
4. Add insulation strategically to the attic and/or basement to prevent heat from escaping rather than to the walls, which can harbor moisture and contribute to other problems.
5. Invest in quality, heavy draperies that when closed help to prevent heat from escaping from single pane windows.
6. Don't forget the basics. Close off rooms that are rarely used, turn off lights, unplug appliances that are rarely used. Monitor your energy use.
7.  If your cottage has an existing wood-burning stove, use it! If you know your historic house previously contained a wood-burning stove, investigate where it might have been located and consider installing a period-replica. Some homes can be heated entirely from wood-burning stoves.
8. Consider installing solar panels on an inconspicuous place, perhaps on a rear or side elevation of your roof if your historic district ordinance allows for them.
9. If you are still convinced that your original windows are contributing to the problem, carefully install low-E exterior storm windows.
10. Make sure your appliances have an Energy Star rating.

By living in a historic home and virtually recycling all the materials, you are already saving a HUGE amount of embodied energy! By making some initial investments, you can save a lot more on your utility bills in the long run. And if you produce more energy that you consume (a possibility with solar panels), you may even end up with your utility company paying you!

Have a great day and stay warm!

"The greenest building is the one that's already been built"

Coined by Carl Elefante, we hear this phrase a lot from preservationists (myself included) about how our historic buildings are inherently 'green.' Preservationists have literally been touting this for decades, long before the 'green' movement became all the rage.  I'll admit, I even have a bumper sticker that says "Historic Preservation: The Ultimate Recycling." But what does this mean?

There is a ton of literature and data out there that supports the relationship between historic properties and sustainability, and it can sometimes be daunting to sort through all of it.  I thought I would use this post as an opportunity to provide some useful links and distill some of the research into the basics for those of you who are new to the field of historic preservation:

- Embodied Energy: Historic buildings contain within them a form of energy called "Embodied Energy," meaning the energy it took to originally construct the building, manufacture the materials that form its structure, transport those materials, etc. By demolishing a historic building to build a new 'green' facility, you essentially waste all of the embodied energy which on average is not recouped by the new 'green' facility for at least 50 years.

- Reuse of Materials: Our existing buildings, many of them being historic, act as a very important renewable resource. By recycling our built environment, we cut back considerably on demolition and construction waste piling up in landfills. Additionally, we conserve precious natural resources that would otherwise be used in new construction or development.

- Energy Efficiency: Contrary to popular opinion, historic buildings can be very energy efficient due to their innate architectural characteristics. Some of these features include high quality construction (solid brick walls for greater thermal mass), passive heating and cooling systems such as transoms, awnings and roof overhangs, and large and plentiful windows found in many historic buildings, providing natural daylighting and less need for artificial light. Also, features such as operable wood sash windows were built to be repaired rather than replaced, and their old dense wood will last for a very long time if kept painted and maintained. Non-sustainable vinyl replacement windows are a petroleum-based product, can off-gas toxic substances into the air, and will only last a small fraction of the lifetime of an older wood window. Weatherizing, installing storm windows, using heavy window treatments, and installing insulation in the attic and basement are better ways to minimize heat loss in an old home.

- Historic Site Setting: many historic buildings usually have some old growth trees and mature landscaping, which, equals better natural cooling during the summer months.

- Smart Growth: Historic buildings are often located in historic districts, which, in many cases are walkable, mixed use communities. Historic districts contain and promote high density building practices, conserving green space and reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.

Be sure to check out the blog, The Greenest Building is the One Already Built, for more in depth information, resources, articles and links!

These are just a few of the ways historic buildings are inherently sustainable, and I've barely touched on the partnership between the green movement and historic preservation. To learn more about this topic, The National Trust has some great information located here: http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/sustainability/ . Also check out the National Institute of Building Sciences Whole Building Design Guide  as well as http://www.sustainablepractice.org/2010/04/04/historic-preservation-and-sustainability-go-hand-in-hand/

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