Single Sisters'

House:

German CLAY TILE ROOF 

Salem Academy and College       

Winston-Salem, NC

The problem appeared when restoration of the Single Sisters’ House roof was planned (Old Salem, NC). A kind of the existing roof layout required a special attention and special research. The roof clay tiles overlapped each other only vertically: their bottom parts covered partially their top parts. Same time they did not overlap horizontally. They touched to each other side by side. It means the gaps remained between the nearest tiles. Water easily penetrated through those gaps.

It was done a special research of this German roof type in Pennsylvania area. Three locations were observed: Ephrata Cloister (Bake House), Conrad Weiser Homestead (Weiser House and Springhouse) and Daniel Boone Homestead (Smoke House). All these buildings are covered with the same German type of clay tiles with the gaps between them. It was an impression the water has to penetrate through the gaps dramatically. At the same time the wooden roof and ceiling structures were in surprisingly good and dry condition. Historic preservation specialists, who worked with those historic monuments also told: there is a very minor of water penetrates through this type of roof, which is not critical. So it was complete impression there is and original type of roof covering.

John Larsen, vice president of Old Salem, Inc., is a professional, who has learned the problem comprehensively. He presented a German book published in 1763 with a roof covering structure. A strip of wood has to be installed underneath of the gaps between tiles.

He also showed a local (Old Salem) kind of roof, where narrow and thin single shingles were installed underneath of the gaps instead of lath. It made a great advantage: the shingles, which getting rotten or damaged can be easily replaced from and attic instead of fixing a roof from outside and taking structures on apart. Such kind of roof covering has more important advantages: it is much lighter in weight (lack of a horizontal overlap; vertical overlap is only 3” with entire length 15”) and much cheaper.

The Single Sisters’ House roof has wooden board sheathing. It does not allow using the original type of wood shingle, because the sheathing prevents repairing the wooden shingles in case of their damage. It means a different kind of construction has to be used for thins building.

Igor Kiselev                                                              May 2005

 

German book: title sheet and types of roof cover.  NC

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