We’ve had #30 roofing felt (tar paper) covering the roof of the smithy for two years now. It’s held up remarkably well (though we did recently replace the ridge piece). It’s amazing how time flies as other responsibilities pull you away from projects.
But that felt only lasts so long, so after sending Issue Eleven to the printer this morning, I joined Mike C and Mike U on the staging and started nailing up courses of super-thick (3/4") cedar shingles we purchased from a local shingle mill, who sourced the trees only a few minutes up the road from us.
The afternoon was hot… real hot. In the blasting sun, we only got the first few courses on before quitting time, but now that we’re on our way, the rest will go much quicker. We had to take a dip in the spring-fed pond at the end of the day – a nice relief.
I’ve always loved cedar shingles, and this building certainly deserves the extra special touch. Because they’re so beefy thick, these things should last a long time.
Longer than felt anyway.
– Joshua