Projects & Design
History of Roofing - American Asphalt Shingles
In the 1930s there was an asphalt shingle and roofing manufacturer in East Saint Louis called Old American. It was a division of American Asphalt of Kansas City. In those years it was common to make shingles using rags. Yes, common rags were shredded and chopped into small pieces then blown ...
Cedar Shingle Roofs - A Little History
Wood shingles have been used for over a hundred years to protect the homes across America. The plentiful supply of forest in our country has made wood roofs very popular as a roofing covering. Over the years our American history is full of old mills that would make shingles and shakes ...
A Roof That Costs a Lot of Clams
A roof that costs a lot of clams or not? Roofing is one of the most expensive investments for your home. From roof removal, dry-rot-repairs, permit cost and the labor with materials. It can be thousands of dollars. Roof covers are made from many kinds of materials from asphalt, steel, concrete, ...
See a Roof that is 230 feet long
Up in the Sierras of California, there is a small town called Bridgeport. It was established when the miners came looking for gold. It is said that “more money was made selling staples to the miners than the miners made finding gold.” This was also true when having to make your ...
What is a Slate Roof?
Slate roofs are one of the longest-lasting roofs you could have and are found all over the world. It is not uncommon to see these rock roofs last 100-200 years I recently had this photo sent to me from Scotland. These beautifully aged stone roofs can be found on a ...
Custom Bird House on a Roof
Many years ago I contracted to install a Cedar Shake roof in Sacramento... After we finished up the project, my customer was very happy but the lady asked me if I could go for a ride, she wanted to show me a house around the corner. So we jumped into my ...
Creating a Solar Roof Using Glass Shingles
In a small Northern California town, called Grass Valley, I found this glass roof several years ago. I was fascinated by how the maker has used glass, as shingles, to provide a wonderful waterproof roof for a greenhouse. This glass roof can be called the ultimate solar roof, the direct sunlight ...
Bird House on a Roof
Here is a very unique way to incorporate the love of birds into your home. Over the years it seems there is a shrinking population of birds in our cities. As humans build homes we overtake the neighborhoods that belong to the wildlife. Creating a habitat for these creatures becomes ...
