Once a Hollywood dream, the ‘Storybook House’ on South Yale Street in Spring Garden Township is turned into a nightmare as its whimsical wooden shingle roof, which has held up for nearly a century, is reaching its final chapter. developed.
With the help of one of only two roofing contractors in the United States to rebuild intricate wooden roofs, Susan Machado and Ed O’Brien are rebuilding a roof that will last another three-quarters of a century. So, I started the sequel to the house. full time business.
According to roofer Brian Calamita, the roofer who replaced the roof, the wavy wooden roof work that is characteristic of Storybook architecture first began in Hollywood, California, and spread across the United States from 1924 to 1932. Machado , Tudor-style homes are reminiscent of Cotswold cottages in the English countryside.
Construction on South Yale Street homes began just before the Great Depression. The Great Depression slowed down the construction process as the economy failed. The house was completed in the early 1930’s. Combining patterned brickwork, stucco, and stone, his three-story home was covered with an original wooden roof until it was replaced last summer.
Storybook architecture originated in Hollywood
“The roof was burnt, but it was 94 years old,” says Calamita. There was evidence of a water leak in the upstairs bathroom. I had to rebuild the roof dormer. “The shingles was what held it together. When they removed the shingles from the dormer, it was just gone.
The secret to the longevity of red cedar roofs lies in the multiple layers of the roof. Long stacks of shingles (known as headwraps) are layered to sculpt the roof creating multiple layers of shingles across the roof. Calamita says he will have 150 more square feet of material used compared to an asphalt shingle roof installation.
Kalamita said the new roof could last another 75 years if treated.
Non-kiln-dried Canadian Red Cedar is considered an environmentally friendly alternative to asphalt roofs that require three changes to match all the associated labor to move the material and durability with the fuel. The old wooden roof was taken to the York County Resource Recovery Center where it was burned and turned into electricity. Before one cedar roof reaches the end of its life, several asphalt roofs must be transported to the landfill.
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It took a crew of roofers almost four months to replace the roof. Approximately 10,000 steam-bent pieces are all formed by hand. About 25% of the roof is steam bent shingles. A set of shingles were specially bent and a boiling cauldron was installed in the stacked garage for the planned section of the roof. Calamita said he removes one section of the roof at a time to create a template. Custom-made copper flashings and caps are soldered at the joints.
From a distance, the hipped rafters form a gentle curve and look like a thatched roof with raised slopes. The grand flourish of the design flows out from the roof vestibule, where the shingles curve under the lower horizontal edge.
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Kalamita said the focus is on the tradition of what these roofs are: a combination of design and function. We are proud that the new shape of the annex entrance roof is “higher in design than ever before.” The roof of the remote garage also has a similar design to match the house.
Bend a cedar board by hand
“It’s really a custom and lost in our society today,” Kalamita added. I feel like…[my predecessor]was more than just a picture on the wall.” Calamita’s grandparents were immigrants from Italy.
Machado and O’Brien recently purchased the home after living in, restoring, and remodeling other homes within the South Yale Street home block. “None of the projects were meant to be flipped,” Machado said, adding, “It’s love, not business.” The couple plans to continue living in the Storybook home after the restoration is complete.
“They’re very expensive to maintain and very expensive to put back in. That’s a big challenge[for homeowners],” said Calamita. The roof was replaced with asphalt several years ago.
Expanding on the reasons for replacing a roof that is beyond the value of a home that has been “too much let go,” Machado explained: Being saved… trying to save something for the next generation. It was too cute to let go. ”
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I have been capturing life through a lens since 1983. Now she’s a visual his journalist for the USA Today Network. Please contact pkuehnel@ydr.com..