1927. That's right...86 years, that's how old the roof was on ol' 173! Well, yesterday marked the end of an era. The Bangor slate roof, original to the house, was replaced with shingles. Believe it or not, it was a difficult decision to make.
When we bought the house in '97, one of the things that attracted us was the slate roof. We had a roofer look at it and he said it was in decent shape but needed regular maintenance. With said maintenance we'd get anywhere from 15 to 50 more years from the roof. Well! That sounded great! I wish we had the internet back then, well I suppose we did but certainly not in its current iteration! I found this great site called
Slate Roof Central, which gives a great tutorial on identifying and caring for slate.
One of the more common of the PA black slates is "Bangor" slate from Bangor, PA. It is a smooth surfaced finely grained slate that lasts about 90 years. - from Slate Roof Central
So every year or two we'd get some maintenance repairs done. The problem is, 173 is a tall house with a steep-pitched roof and I gotta tell ya - I ain't goin' up there!
So every couple years we would have to dig around to find a reputable roofer who could do slate! Then came 2012...yet another roofer went up there and when he came down he told us what he found. The slate was just really getting brittle and was crumbling badly.
It had to be replaced. The roofer gave us an estimate that included so many details that goes into a roof that I had never before considered.
After about eight months of mulling, thinking, studying, considering and delaying... the decision was made! So here are a few pics of the project: First I have to say I love the care and consideration the crew gave to the side of my house:
And my neighbor's house:
After removing all the old Pennsylvania Bangor Slate, they put down a new roof deck...
Then of course...the underlayment (felt paper):
Then they did all their stuff and in two days time, a new roof!
Now, a new roof isn't flashy, and in a picture you can barely tell, but in person - a world of difference! And a new roof, while not flashy, is a big deal and here at 173 - it's done!
