Traditional and natural roofs

The final group consists of natural roof coverings. Distinctive coverings: once the only ones available, now one of a kind, and rarely seen on new roofs. Traditional coverings include:

• timber shingle roofs,
• aspen shingle roofs,
• thatched roofs,
• natural slate roofs.

Timber shingles, aspen shingles and thatch are rarely seen in Pomerania. These roofs are certainly unconventional and give any house or restaurant an idyllic charm. Today, such coverings are associated with avant-garde design and experimentation. Why? Admittedly, we do not have much experience installing coverings this traditional. However, we have often had to remove them after just a few years of use.

Unfortunately, clients experienced problems after a relatively short time and usually decided to replace the covering after only a few years. We therefore consider these coverings closer to an experiment than a durable roofing solution. What happened during those years? Numerous leaks caused by timber degradation and retained moisture, fungal growth in living spaces, and insects and wild animals taking up residence in the roof. Martens often damage such roofs, although in some cases a woodpecker caused the most damage. Clients most often replace these coverings with stone-coated roof tiles, as these offer the closest visual match.

A rotting aspen shingle roof

One of the main problems faced by owners of aspen shingle roofs is fungal growth. But consider this: people built in this way for decades, perhaps even centuries, without problems. Indeed they did. But they did not have living space in the loft either.

Leaving shingles aside for a moment, I know of a case where an old house with clay roof tiles several decades old was bought by a new owner. The loft had never been used as living space and was ventilated through small windows in the gable ends. The client decided to convert the loft for living. They fitted airtight insulation from inside and, unknowingly, sealed the roof so that it could no longer breathe. The tiles quickly began to darken on the outside, as though covered in moss. It turned out that the tiles had started to rot. The client only realised it was not moss when fungal growth appeared in the loft. As a result, the roof and its rotten structure had to be replaced 2 years after the client moved in, and the newly finished room needed refurbishment.

With today’s requirements from clients and clay tile manufacturers, and above all roofers’ specialist knowledge, the problem of inadequate roof slope ventilation has practically been eliminated. Ready-made solutions such as ventilation grilles, ventilation tiles and established installation principles are available. Such solutions do not exist for traditional roof coverings. An unused loft used to be the solution.

One of our clients who replaced aspen shingles with stone-coated tiles had two buildings with aspen shingle roofs: a house and a garden gazebo. The house, with its converted loft, needed a new roof, while the gazebo still looked new after 10 years. How was that possible? The gazebo was not heated and did not need ventilation. In the house, the loft was heated, but roof ventilation had not been provided. The result was predictable: the covering started to rot. Remember that, with coverings such as aspen shingles, the absence of the necessary ventilation automatically rules out converting the loft.

Natural slate

Among natural roof coverings, I recommend natural slate roofs. Installing them requires a skilled craftsperson. A roofer laying stone slate must examine each piece individually before shaping it and fitting it on the roof. This skill has a price that affects the cost of the entire project. Slate is regarded as one of the most durable and beautiful roof coverings you can choose.

It is the only fully natural roof covering that is, in a sense, eternal. Proper insulation and ventilation mean the roof will not need servicing or replacement for many years.

This is part of the article Attractive roof coverings. If you have not read the introduction yet, I encourage you to do so.

Introduction: attractive roof coverings
1. Attractive roofs – clay tiles
2. Attractive roofs – concrete tiles
3. Attractive roofs – metal roof tiles
4. Attractive roofs – stone-coated tiles
5. Attractive roofs – fibre cement sheets
6. Attractive roofs – natural and traditional coverings