The Roof
Interior of the Roof
A large-diameter ridgepole was placed at the peak of the roof, supported by the stone walls.
If the span was too great, a center vertical post was used to support the ridgepole. A center vertical post is incorporated into the wattle and daub wall in the Hutmacher House.
An alternative to a center vertical post was to use a center ridge pole at the top and additional poles at the midway point in the roof. This technique is evident in the Garage/Summer kitchen where a center pole would have been undesirable.
Smaller logs were used as rafters running from the ridge pole down to the stone walls.
A layer of brush was placed on the rafters. A layer of wheat or flax straw was placed on the brush.
The Hutmachers used a layer of clay as the last layer to waterproof the roof.
The roof needed yearly maintenance to replace the clay that washed off. One day Frank Hutmacher was adding clay back onto the roof when a neighbor stopped by and asked him what he was doing. Frank told him “I’m re-shingling the roof”.
The Roof
