Shingle thatch or American thatch is the technique of using cedar shingles to recreate the texture and look of a reed-thatched roof. The shingles are bent along a curved framing support and roof edges, and laid in undulating, wavy courses. www.customshingles.com
Incredible Steam Bent Shingle Roofs
American thatch home with carrot rake detail. A carrot rake or gable run is where the roof starts with a large diameter at the ridge, and tapers down, sometimes to a point, at the eave. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in a wave pattern. www.customshingles.com
Steamed and woven shingle roof and custom made doors and windows. This is a playhouse (large enough for adults) built by Robert Mahrer of RMGC, Inc. www.rmgcinc.com
Steam bent shingles, as above. Built by Robert Mahrer of RMGC, Inc. www.rmgcinc.com
False thatch roof with cedar shingles and mild wave coursing. www.customshingles.com
False thatch roof with cedar shingles and mild wave coursing. www.customshingles.com
Large rolled roof edge. Steam bent wooden shingles laid in a wave pattern and rolled under at the eaves. www.customshingles.com
Rolling, undulating wave coursing. Large rolled roof edge. www.customshingles.com
Stacked roof edges on false thatch. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in an extreme wave pattern and rolled under at the eaves. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in an extreme wave pattern and rolled under at the eaves. Check out those chimneys!
Steam bent cedar roof stained light gray in Japan. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in a wave pattern, with molded copper gutters. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent shingles rolled under eaves. Carmel Cottage. The roof edges are first framed with rounded edges, and then the shingles are steamed to fit the curve. Image by Linda Hartong.ย www.imagekind.com
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in a wave pattern and rolled under the large exaggerated eaves. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in a wave pattern and rolled under at the eaves. www.customshingles.com
Cottage roof with carrot rake detail. www.customshingles.com
Cedar roof stained light gray in Japan. www.customshingles.com
The roof is a two part system: curved framing is placed over a standard decked roof with a heavy base sheet then a framed lattice system is installed over that, allowing the wood shingles to breath. The roof will last three times as long.
Steam bent cedar roof in Connecticut with mild waving. www.customshingles.com
Steam bent shingles on an old home in Bridgeton, New Jersey.ย www.city-data.com
Steam Bent Shingle Cottages
Storybook Cottage in Rhinebeck, NY.
For rent: www.storybook-cottage.net
Steam bent wooden shingles laid in a wave pattern and rolled under at the eaves. Long Beach, California. clarityofverity.blogspot.com
Hansel and Gretel Storybook Cottage a.k.a. the Spadena House, 1921, by set designer Henry Oliver, Beverly Hills, California.ย you-are-here.com
Cottage in Biaลka Tatrzaลska, Tatra Mountains, Poland. Although not steam bent, the roofing is unique.ย www.flickr.com
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Santarella barn in Tyringham, Massachusetts. In 1920, sculptor Sir Henry Hudson Kitson decided to turn the barn on his property into a studio and envisioned creating a rolling, thatched roof similar to the traditional thatched-roofs in his native Britain. He enlisted the help of several local farmers to grow a crop of rye for the thatching, but the crop went bad, and he turned to asphault shingles to create the effect he desired. Each tile was hand-cut to a wave-like shape and then was laid in thick layers of different-colored shingles. The whole project took three workers twelve years to complete.
www.santarella.us
Windamere Cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea. There are still craftsmen in Carmel who do this type of roofing. Linda Hartong Photography.ย www.flickr.com
Steam bent shingles on the Winckler Cottage. Handmade by Timothy Lindberg and Daniel Huscroft. British Columbia. lindcroft.com
Books With Info On Shingle Roof Styles
Storybook Style: America’s Whimsical Homes of the Twenties is the only book we know to be devoted entirely to storybook architecture. Written by Arrol Gellner and photographed by Douglas Keister, the book briefly details the history of the style, and contains many beautiful pictures.
Roofing by Taunton Press
Bungalow Details: Exterior by Jane Powell, photographs by Linda Svendsen
Bernard Maybeck at Principia College: The Art and Craft of Building By Robert Michael Craig.
An image of another beautiful old home with bent shingle roof in West Virginia called the Ricketts House can be found at the bottom of this pdf:ย www.wvculture.org
Shingle Roof Online Resources
Bell shaped roof: www.jlconline.com
Soaking and Microwave:ย forums.finehomebuilding.com
A curved eave:ย www.chiefarchitect.com
Shingle Roofing Companies
Custom Cedar Solutions
Based in Florida but frequently build roofs in all the US states, Canada and the Caribbean. Have provided and installed hundreds of cottage roofs over the last 35 years. Brochure:ย issuu.com
Craftsman Roofers, Inc
Colorado, will travel.
Cost= Expensive! Similar in price to a slate roof.
DIY Wood Bending And Shingle Making
Bend ’em with or against the grain. For: rounded eaves, rounded gables (or rakes), bay windows, bell towers, flaired roof edges, flaired side-walls, circular column walls, cupolas, domes, and geometric homes.ย www.custommade.com
Brilliant idea to build a house.
I came across this article and thought I’d let you know that there are more of us out there that do this style of roofing. Based in Cleveland but we travel. We will be starting work on a cottage-style roof in Louisville, KY next month. Happy to supply photos.
http://www.roofingresponsibly.com
I cant imagine the time and effort that goes into preplanning or possibly freestyle method of laying these out. What an art. I’m going to tear my roof off.
https://rockintheboat.us
the first house i applied a wood shingle wave on a roof was in California in 1978.
this is a dying art. I am about to do one here in Hawaii and I am willing to train others to carry this craft to other generations of.
I have extensive experience with the steam- bending process. I would like to reconnect with a company that is actively involved with the cedar application of artistic cedar roofing.
We are planning to build in Idaho. What is the price of a typical 2,000 sq. ft. house ?
Is it fire resistant ?
Would it be OK in a cold/snow weather area ?
Thanks,
Sarah
Wood shingles are my specialty if anybody needs help installing wood shingles send me an email. I’m in Southern California . Kenny
626-705-5397
Hello Kenny,
I’m really interested in building my own home and I have always wanted to have a roof like this. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer as far as written resources and publications on the subject. Please send me an email at badge463@yahoo.com. Thank you.
Troy.
Wow! very good in Quality.
Simply wish to say your article is as surprising. The clarity in your post is just great and I can assume you are an expert on this subject.
We live in home wood, I’ll. 60430.
The house has a simple roofline. The garage as well.
The patio roof is separate, 21 x 18= 380 sq. ft.
A estimate of 1700 sq. ft. For the house/garage.
One and three qt story, (attic bedrooms).
Front, has two dormers upstairs.
We have a cedar shingle thatch roof that is 20 years old. When it is time to replace it, are there non-cedar wood alternatives to replace the steam bent cedar shingles?