The Hundred Year Roof

Good news!  The roof didn't collapse under the weight of 20,000 pounds (9072 kg) of slate!  

Of course we still have to see what happens when the first snow falls!

If everything holds up, this roof should last at least 100 years.  I have personally seen slate roofs in England, and Italy that have been in operation for even longer than that.

The slate is from China, and is nominally 10 mm thick, thicker than typical American slate that you see sometime in the Eastern U.S. The color is called Forest Green.  We used copper flashing and copper nails, at the urging of the roofer, since it holds up the longest and resists corrosion better that other materials.

There are actually four roof sections, the main roof and smaller roof sections over the dining room pop-out, the front porch, and the balcony.  Here are some pictures:

Ronnie Sensiba holding a roof slate in the left hand and a floor slate in the right hand.

The front porch roof.

Note copper in the valleys where the main roof and dormers come together.

Front door with porch.

Roof over dining room pop-out

Shining in the rain

You may be thinking it's crazy to spend that much money on a roof; however, if you consider the cost over the entire life-span of the roof, slate is actually more economical in the long run.   

I hope that's true.  I'll be very disappointed if this roof doesn't last 100 years!

Rough Electrical

We ran into an unanticipated problem.
In the winter, it's hard to get work done because of the cold and bad weather.
In the summer, you can't get anything done because every one's too busy!
Consequently, the rough electrical work took almost 2 months to complete, with the electrician working in spurts.

The trench has been dug to connect us to the city water main.
The windows are on site, waiting to be installed.
The HVAC (heating,ventilation and air conditioning) is done.  It is very simple - just one fan to circulate air from the cold basement to the hot loft, and a few bathroom ventilation ducts.

The roofing slate is on site, stacked on the ground, just in time for the summer monsoon which has just started.

The fireplace installation plans had to be altered because we discovered at the last minute that the flues would not fit in the chimney the way it was originally designed,  However, by putting the Napoleon Gas Insert Fireplace in the basement, and the free-standing wood stove in the loft, everything will fit, and we will have a gas or wood burning stove or fireplace on each level.

I'm seriously thinking about becoming a survivalist, based on niece Krista's experience with the major storm and power outages in the northeast.  It's becoming clear that if you want to survive what's coming, you need to stockpile food, water and fuel, and be able to live off the grid with your own generator.  Alpine would be a good place to make your stand.

You have to study this closely to see the changes since the last picture.

Trench for the water and sewer line.

Electrical Rough-in completed!

Windows,awaiting installation.

20,000 pounds of Chinese Roofing slate, awaiting installation.
Will the beams and trusses hold the weight?  Or will it all collapse?  Stay tuned!