Victorian Homes Roofing Materials

The biggest manufactured roofing innovation of the mid 19th century was the introduction of shingles and rolls of material composed of asphalt felt and a granular coating which came into wide use in the early 20th century because of their low cost fire resistance and ease of installation.

Victorian homes roofing materials. Unlike the boxy greek revival style victorian homes have wings and bays in many directions. Awareness of these and other traditions of roofing materials and their detailing will contribute to more sensitive preservation treatments. Asphalt shingles and roll roofing were used in the 1890s. The use of the historic roofing material on a structure may be restricted by building codes or by the availability of the materials in which case an appropriate alternative will have to be found.

Victorian homes are usually large and imposing. It may take some time and patience to find the best material for your victorian home but retaining its historical charm will be well worth the expense and effort. Many roofs of asbestos aluminum stainless steel galvanized steel and lead coated copper may soon have historic values as well. Some municipal building codes allow variances for roofing materials in historic districts.

Originally hand split from local woods oak and pine in the northeast to cypress in the south wood shingles were typically shaved smooth for high style and garden variety houses. The majority of victorian styles use wood siding but the second empire and romanesque styles almost always have outer walls made of stone. Wood or stone exterior.