The shingle roof turns them into fairytale houses

Not long ago we presented a beautiful house in England, what we commonly find as "cottage". A beautifully restored old house covered with reeds. This was the common way peasants used to cover their houses in the past, a roof that has become synonymous with 'cottage' and has been adopted in more and more countries in Europe. But there are times when this material is not available. A company in the US, where reed is not a readily available raw material, achieves the same effect using curved shingles.

Around 1920, European styles of house building began to be adopted in the US - Tudor (England), Norman or Costwold (France). These were those houses modeled on the peasant house, with beams set into the masonry but exposed, painted and with a reed roof. In America, reed was a rare material, but red cedar shingles were widely used. Wanting to replicate the reed roof as closely as possible, Creo-DIPT began to study the lines of the roof and, in order to do so, developed a shingle system. curved by steaming.

The system was a great success and soon all sorts of European-looking houses appeared all over America, with roofs made of curved shingles that perfectly mimicked the waves and bumps of the reed roof. Unfortunately, during the Great Depression (1929-1939) the company went bankrupt. But what remains are a wealth of curved shingle houses and the American love of curved shingle houses.

In the 1980s, there was an acute need for a new company to manufacture shingles and professionally execute curved roofs. The old houses, now historic, were beginning to deteriorate and needed to be restored as faithfully as possible. It was the perfect time for Custom Shingles to make an appearance. The first project, in 1982, was a 60-year-old house and was made with curved shingles using their own methods and equipment.

The project was a great success and brought them national recognition. Shortly after completion they patented the steam bending equipment used. Thanks to the publicity surrounding the restored house, they began a huge campaign to restore the roofs of old houses.

Old restored houses have reawakened people's interest in shingle roofs. There have been projects that have changed the sober, 'settled' look of old houses,

turning it into a fairy tale.

Before work begins, the roofs are carefully studied. Each piece of shingle is chosen to fit and is placed exactly where it needs to be to create the wave effect,

or to make a house look like Lord of the ring.

The company has done and rebuilt all kinds of houses. The system of executing cottage roofs - Country Cottage Roof - has become well known in the US and beyond. There is work being done all over the world, even in Japan, and the system is even being studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.