I expect that Cedar Shake roofs will decline in popularity fast, as people
awake to the premium they pay for insurance. The house now inhabited by my
ex-wife had a cedar shingle roof, and when a hailstorm got a good part of
it, it was replaced by a composition roof. Insurance dropped substantially.
And my roof was no longer made of kindling.
Tile/slate roofs require substantial upgraded structure, and the average
American doesn't even begin to understand living in a house long enough to
see benefit. The average American wants the house to last until about a
month after it is sold to anew sucker/buyer, then it's someone else's
problem.
-----Original Message-----
From: Moose
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2016 10:53 PM
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] Solar Roofs - of course to power Olympus cameras - duh
On 3/8/2016 9:52 AM, ChrisB wrote:
That sounds very exciting, Ken.
I’m surprised that your roof covering needs replacing. Over Here the roof
tiles that we use last for a loooong time. Our slate roof is probable as
old as the house, or could be (1750s). Our Annex has concrete tiles which
are made to look like small clays and I expect them to last a hundred
years or two.
The vast majority of home construction in the US is focused on minimum cost.
Some of it may look fancy, but underneath,
even most of that is CHEAP.
Asphalt shingle is inexpensive to buy and to install. It's also light, so
the roof structure can be light and cheap,
too. And it doesn't require much pitch, again requiring fewer materials. It
lasts somewhere over a decade; most
importantly lasting longer than any home warranty. You can be sure that the
weight/grade for new construction is
carefully chosen with that in mind.
Then the light roof structure tends to dictate what replacement can be done
when it wears out. My roof is supported by
2x4s on 24" centers. When it needed replacement, I found that none of the
cement, tile or slate alternatives could be
used without expensive reinforcement of the roof. I ended up with a metal
roof that looks vaguely like shake, is very
light and lasts many years. It's proven so far to be an excellent choice.
My crazy neighbor was on a mission to make his house a showplace. He spent
endless hours and $ on it, including major
reinforcement of the roof so he could cover it with slate.
Cedar shake used to be a popular roofing material, at least out here in the
real west. It could last several decades.
But now most of the old roofs have finally succumbed to age and the
elements. Newer shake roofs don't last nearly as
long. All the old growth cedars are either gone or protected, and wood from
smaller, younger ones doesn't last.
...
I’m disappointed that you can’t go with integrated PV, but perhaps it
means that you could have new panels now which would be replace in 30
years’ time with more modern and more efficient panels.
That seems to me to be a critical factor. If BiPV efficiency deteriorates
with age, replacement could be horrendously
expensive. Replacement of separate panels is pretty simple.
Electric Moose
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What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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