Mansard Monday ~ A Newly Wood-Shingled Mansard Roof. Roofing is a key character-defining feature for most historic houses. This is particularly true of the highly visible lower slope of a Mansard roof. This wonderful, faceted cedar shingle concave Mansard roof is on a Second Empire style house in Cape May, New Jersey. Historically, such roofs were often painted or stained with creosote-based stain for both decorative effect and longevity.
The Mansard roof form that turns an Italianate style house into a Second Empire style house comes from France and was typically called a “French roof” during the 19th century. Mansard roofs can be found with a straight slope, concave curve like this one, convex curve, or combined concave and convex curves for an S-shaped roof slope. Too much was never enough for some Victorians!
Understanding the style of a house will help you know which features are character-defining so you can prioritize their preservation.
Second Empire is one of 25 historic architectural styles described and illustrated in Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries related preservation and restoration tiles by other authors. Save on cost and shipping with our multi-book combo packs!
© Scott T. Hanson 2024.
#antiquehome #antiquehomes #traditionalarchitecture #historicalhomes #historicalhouse #historic #oldhousecharm #oldhome #oldhouse #preservation #preserveourhistory #houseandgarden #aplacetocallhome #homerestoration #houserestoration #ownapieceofhistory #vintagehome #architecturelover #restoringyourhistorichouse #yourhistorichome #restoration #houserehab #historicpreservation #secondempire #mansardroof #victorianhouse #victorianarchitecture #frenchroof