Let's Shout it from the Rooftop: The Roof is Done!

Can I get a huzzah? Just over six weeks after they began, the two man crew from Ressler Construction, Brownsville, PA, finished up the roof and dormers on the Keith House earlier this week. We've been following the progress since the project began on August 24, so for the entire process from the beginning, see our previous posts here, here, here, here, and here. And now, because there isn't much more to say, the pictures:

Three-Quarters Done

So, how much more can I say about this roofing project? We're at the one month mark and it's 3/4 done. Hopefully just one more week to go to complete the upper slope of the north side and the re-siding and painting of the dormers. Since there isn't much to say, let's just start in with the photos. I actually managed to catch the two man crew from Ressler Construction at work on Friday afternoon (not to insinuate they're never working - just seems when I pop out at lunch they're also on break and they travel out from Lancaster County so they've left by the time I leave in the evening.)

After seeing that man standing on top of the roof I take back any thoughts I ever had that this would be a fun job, working with all that yummy smelling cedar outside in the gorgeous weather we've had of late -- if  you don't know our roof is very high.

Below is where the project stands as of the end of the day yesterday - the lower slope is shingled, the dormers are all stripped of their siding and have their roofing material on, so we only have the top slope to go, plus the siding and painting of the dormers, before the job is complete.

Roofing Now and Then

We mentioned in our first update on the roof that this is actually the third roof the state has put on the Keith House. The one currently being replaced was put on back in 1989 and before that the roof was replaced in the 1960s. Jim Houston, Preservation Construction Specialist for the PHMC's Architectural and Preservation Division, was recently able to track down the photos from the 1960s job at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and shared some scans of them with us.


Photograph from the Raley Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Used with permission.

Here is the contractor at work on the south side of the house: the side our current contractor, Ressler Construction out of Brownstown, Pennsylvania also elected to start with. I just love the bowler hat! So much classier then the baseball caps of today, don't you think?

The other differences are interesting to look at too - for starters, the observant among you (Herb, I'm talking to you) will have noticed the two dormers to the left: yep, when the state first acquired the Keith House, the south side had three dormers (the other was to the right of the contractor, out of view of the camera. Two were removed (see the Before and After Restoration photos here for more information on why this was done).

Our current project is being accomplished with a lift truck while in the 1960s they elected to use scaffolding and what looks like a pulley system to bring their materials up. They were also replacing structural members back then - you can see the contractor nailing new purlins to the rafters while the current project is just replacing the shingles.

The first job seemed to work right to left, while the current one started left to right on the lower slope, but is now going right to left on the upper - not that it makes a difference, but as long as we're doing a compare and contrast and all. Did anyone else pick up on any differences we missed?

Roof Progress

When we last left off, about mid-day on Friday, August 24, the lower slope of the south side was about half  done.

And if you're a Facebook Friend, then you saw where they were at the end of the day on Friday - about 2/3 done.

I made a quick trip out here Wednesday evening for something else, and saw that they had completed the lower slope on the south side, but didn't have my camera with me and my phone was too close to being out of juice to allow for photos, so just picture those lovely new shingles extending all the way over to the right side of the roof.

When I arrived this morning, the work had progressed to the upper slope of the south side, and while it is difficult to see well in the photograph, they've covered from the right end to the first set of chimneys, which is pretty close to half.

The crew is off today for the holiday weekend, so work will not resume until next Tuesday, but at the rate they're going, they should be on to the north side the next time we check in.

A New Roof

Well, after much anticipation, and an official state bidding process, the new roof project has begun on the Keith House.

The existing oak shingle roof was put on in 1989 (to replace the first roof the state put on the house back in the 1960s) and was really starting to show its age - both in the warped, curling shingles and in the fact that we had numerous leaks up on the third floor. Back at the very beginning of January a temporary rubber roof was installed to help protect the interior plaster from additional water damage through the winter and spring and we were told that the temporary roof could actually last for several years - we're very glad we don't have to test that out and the project is moving forward as planned.

Using a lift truck, Ressler Construction, out of Brownstown, Pennsylvania, is replacing the existing oak shingles with cedar, a material that will be longer lasting and is also most likely closer to the historic original. Rather than tearing off all of the old material before beginning the replacement, they're working a little at a time to remove and replace shingles. Each tapered shingle is individually nailed to the purlins, which span the rafters, and the shingles overlap so that only about 1/4-1/3 of the 24" length is revealed. The two man crew began work on Tuesday, August 21 and by Friday morning were about a third of the way done with the lower slope on the south side of the house, as seen above. By lunch, they had progressed to the point below:

What can't be conveyed via the internet is the wonderful smell of the new material - if you happen to be in the neighborhood of Graeme Park, stop in and see the progress and take a deep breath while standing in front of the house. We may have white-faced hornets, imperial moth caterpillars, hummingbird moths and walnut twig beetles on the property, but we certainly shouldn't have moths in the attic of the Keith House.

A part of Graeme Park you've never seen before ...

I'm making an assumption here that most or our readers out there have never been up the steep stairs that lead to the roof of Graeme Park. It's certainly not part of the tour. While in the house taking a few last pictures for a presentation, I decided to see what the camera could capture up under the roof. It was pitch dark up there, so I just pointed and shot. As you come up the stairs, one side is partially walled off with the brick chimney, but the other side you can "see" down to the stone end of the house. Notice the original hewn rafters (some with bark still on) that make up the rafters. I also think I see some of the lathework holding the ceiling plaster in place.

Stay tuned. When it gets warmer out, I'll bring you the basement.