[Cob] Alternative shingles

[Charmaine Taylor]

Karen...something I read a while back which made a LOT of sense...WHY do we
chop up roofing material into little squares?   The article  promoted using
larger size material, or plastering a solid roof over a sheathing.   wish I
could remember where I saw the dang article.

considering that shingles leak if not applied correctly,  (ask me how I
know) require lots of extra tarpaper each row to keep the leaks to a
minimum ( ask me how I know) , s require framing of any skylights to be
done perfectly to prevent leaks ( ask me how I know!! sheesh)   so it seems
logical to look at a solid mass roof, which could be a  durable plaster
material that sheds water.

Ken Kern wrote about this in his books too, and I saw a photo example of a
troweled clay stabilized roof.  He had a chicken wire mesh over a ply I
think, with a soft plaster placed over...It may also have had sawdust
fiber, but it prolly had lime too

Jack bays who invented Rub-R-Slate in the 1920s troweled his stabilized
clay onto cardboard, and canvas sheets to make big roofing shingles.

Canadian cobber  Pat Newberry (sp?) suggesting  cutting up the flat sides
of tossed out washers and dryers, and using their sheet metal as roofing
squares.

Some have proposed cutting up auto tires into long strips, by removing the
rims, and nailing down the  long tire strips as overlapping  shingles (
Like curved Mexican roofing tiles I think)

And of course printers metal sheet plates are tossed out, they have been
used, as well as auto license plates overlapping..

My all time favorite for an outdoor roof is  dozens of overlapping auto
windshields, giving a clear roof, and looking like the shell of a turtle or
scales of a fish.  ( Sorta looks like a clear version of the  Australian
outdoor theatre with large shell roofing)

The was created by the late architect Samuel Mockabee; shown in his book
Rural Studio, about housing for the poorest, made from recycled salvage
materials.


so there is a lot of options if you think "out side the box"

Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
.www.eurekareporter.com/community

Dognyard wrote:

> I know it would be a lot of work, but has anyone made their own shingles
> out of an alternative material (not wood, metal or concrete)?
>
> Karen in Alberta
>
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