CU

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“Spec

ializing in mak

ing your

“Specializing i

n making you

r fairlytale

fairlytale

home a realit

y”home a

reality”

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BROCH

UR

E &

CA

TA

LO

G

www.customshingles.com

CALL us at (386) 487-1015

Custom Cedar Solutions has completed some of the most challenging and unique roofi ng projects, primarily in the Cottage and Storybook genres of architecture, and specializes in steam-bending cedar shingles for many different roof and wall applications. An essential component in these geometrically complex, wavy and undulating roof lines along with the curved cedar shingles, set apart any roof from the ordinary. Through the years you have likely seen our work; From a striking American Thatch home to pre-formed shingles on a towering church steeple, our work has been featured in dozens of magazines and achieved multiple awards for nearly four decades. One of the tributaries of the mainstream of medieval craftsmanship fl owed through the hands of peasants, who, with no formal training, graced the European countryside with their unpretentious cot-tages. It’s an appearance of spontaneous and natural craft. A look the drawing board and tee square rarely achieves. The unselfconscious, delightful simplicity that radiates from these pastoral, vernacular dwellings has captured people for centuries. The peasants intuitive skill at beautifying the utilitarian is no where more evident than in the cottages’ thatch roofs, with their undulating roof lines which roll gently over the irregular contours, it seems to have a way of making a building an integral part of the landscape.

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In the 1920’s, when English Tudor, French Norman andCotswold design fi rst came into prominence in this country,the European cottage style was also transplanted and took root.Since water reed thatch is a native plant to many parts of Europe, but rare in the United States, a build-ing product indigenous to North America, Western Red Cedar, was used as a roof covering to create a “thatch effect” roof. A company headquartered in the Buffalo, New York area, called Creo-Dipt, pio-neered the concept. They designed a framing system that produced all the rounded confi gurations of a thatch roof, and appeared in various architectural catalogues of their day. They also manufactured a bent shingle made from western red cedar, which was used on the rounded area of the roof. The courses of shingles, rather than being laid in straight lines, were run in long, irregular waves to simulate the texture of thatch. Creo-Dipt’s detailing was excellent and their attempt to reproduce the fl owing roof lines of the thatched European cottage was very successful. Before long, their “thatch effect” roofs were being constructed all over the United States. They soon had manufacturing plants in different parts of the country, as well as distributorships through regional lumberyards. But alas, the Great Depression did the company in, but not America’s love for the European cottage. In the early 1980’s these original cottage roofs were worn out and many homeowners, desperate to stop leaks, re-roofed with composition shingles; a gross imitation of the natural beauty of the original wood roofs, not to mention the dras-tic deviation from the European thatched cottage they were designed to emulate. Many homeowners, realizing the architectural signifi cance of their homes, patched and plugged leaks waiting for a roofer to come along who would accept the challenge of restoring their roofs.

Creo-Dipt had done sixty years before. After considerable exposure in national magazines, we sensed that the public was tired of the straight, stark lines of modern architecture, and was waiting to discover the romantic charm of the European cottage.

Realizing there was a limited need for bent wood shingles without builders being familiar with the construction of roofs with curved confi gurations, we set out to design a framing system which would incorporate our specialty shingles. As part of our newly trademarked roof system called Country Cot-tage Roof®, we designed and marketed pre-fabricated, curved framing components which would give the builder the luxury of framing the roof conventionally and attaching our components to the existing roof structure. The fi nished product retains the integrity of its hand-crafted appeal, without pricing itself out of the market. 1987 was the fi rst year the product was heavily marketed to new construction. Builder magazine, the offi cial publication of the National Association of Home Builders, rated it among the top fi fty new building products for reader interest in 1987. Model homes using Country Cottage Roof® were built in major cities across the Unites States, in a number of instances winning top exterior awards in their local builder shows. In 1990 Country Living featured the Country Cottage Roof® on it’s “House of the Year”. Since that time, the Country Cottage Roof® has received wide acclaim with it’s constant exposure in the national media. Installations have been completed from coast to coast, beyond the bor-ders, and as far away as Japan. Our work has continued to make waves, with our work being featured in Architectural Digest, and just this summer, at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

about usu

“We were awarded a U.S. patent for our steam-

How it all started

In 1982, we took the challenge of re-roofi ng a 60 year old home, which was a beautiful example of cottage architecture. After inventing and constructing our own steaming and bending equip-ment, we completed the sensitive restoration project, receiv-ing national publicity for our work. Shortly thereafter, we were awarded a U.S. patent for our steam-bending equipment. We had revived a lost art. The inquires began pouring in, and within half a year, we were traveling extensively throughout the United States, re-roofi ng these unique structures. With such a resurgence of interest in the country cottage style roof, Country Cottage Roof® saw a viable market for producing pre-bent wood shingles like

bending equipment. We had revived a lost art.”

The most striking characteristic of the Country CottageRoof is the rolled eaves and rolled gables. These rolled edgescan be achieved through our preassembled facia boards withattached radiused blocking. These are sold in ten foot sectionsand are nailed to existing roof framing members the sameway a conventional fasica board is installed. Any method of gableconstruction is acceptable, as our preassembled gable sections are nailed on like a conventional facia board. The radius of the blocking is designed to work with our pre-formed shingles.

portfolioCottages

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(above) The Sea Horse Palace in Barrington, Illinois was initially a conventionally framed structure, and was re-framed with curved roof edges, and installed using our steam-bent and pre-stained cedar shingle system.

Our company restored the historical roof at The MacNider Art Museum, in Mason City, Iowa, using laminated photos of each roof plane, and precisely mimicking the roof’s original wave pattern. (below)

The soft, fl owing curves in the roof lines of the CountryCottage Roof truly distinguish it from all others. Our pre-cutlevel change components are nailed to the existing framingand allow the changing roof leves to roll gracefully over doors, windows,or whatever you want to protrude above the standard plate line.“Eye brow” dormers add an even greater appeal to an already strikingly beautiful roof.These dormers rise subtly out of the sea of shingles to blend harmoniously with theundulating curves of the roof.

portfolioCottagesu

(above)Being one of the pioneers in the 1920’s, Roscoe Harold Zook began designing homesimitating an english reed thatch, created a signifi cant and lasting impression. We roofed his iconic home and studio back in the 1980’s. Nearly 25 years later, this historically signifi cant building was divided into pieces and moved to another location. Although the roof was still in good condition prior to the re-location, we were priveleged to re-roof this project again.

portfolioCottages

uCedar shingles can be pre-dipped with a preservativestain in nearly any color desired. Or, after installation, the shingles can be sprayed using a preservative stain,which helps extend the life of the shingles, and can be applied evendecades later, and also adds pigment, giving a brand new appearance.

(above) The semi-transparent stained shingles shown above are stacked at the roof edges, a faux english cottage appearance, but with the lasting beauty and durability of cedar shingles.

(above) The over-sized rolled roof edges are a create a visually striking element, coupled with the random fl owing wave pattern, make this home truly spectacular.

Here is another amazing home with exaggerated rounded roof edges. The roof waves fl owup and over the front entrance; a seamless transistion between the dormers and roof planes.

(below)

(above) Necker Island is Sir Richard Branson’s home and favorite hideaway. He fi rst purchased the island in 1978 and it opened as a luxury retreat available for private hire in 1984. We had the privelege of roofi ng this logistically challenging resort, and is now adorned with cedar shakes.

Our on-going relationship with many clients in the Caribbean, has allowed us to provide and install many projects there, including the beautiful Little Thatch Resort, also located in the B.V.I. (below)

uCedar shakes differ from cedar shingles, as they are knownfor their handsplit surface texture, and are more characteristically rustic than sawn shingles. They are also generally thicker, anddepending on the specifi cation, can be up to 1” or more in thickness.Popular on traditional, ranch, vacation homes, or non-residential structures,and are designed to blend with the natural and/or rustic surroundings.

portfolioShakes

uCedar shingles can be used in many diverse applications,and are different from a Shake, as both sides are smooth sawn,providing a more refi ned and tailored appearance. Cedar shinglesare what we use on our cottage roofs, but this gallery takes a look at themany other conventional and unconventional applications of cedar shingles.They can be a decorative or fancy cut, such as a fi shscale, diamond, or sawtooth pattern, steam-bent or, as shown below, cut into wafer-thin shingles. This project below is the Japanese Tea House lo-cated in Chicago’s Botanical Gardens. These stacked shingles give the roof a much thicker and fuller appearance, and the small shingles seem to give the structure a larger scale.

portfolioShingles

(above) The Ocean Course Clubhouse in Kiawah Island, SC, hosted the 2007 Senior PGA and will host the 2012 PGA Championships. Under a strict time constraint before the PGA Championship, this project allowed us to excersise our abilities, using pre-dipped, steam-bent and decor-ative cut cedar shingles, all while completing the project with-in a specifi c time window. (below)

uCedar shingles can also be stained in nearly any color desired.This can be done before the shingles are installed, or any timein the future. Staining cedar shingles not only helps extend the lifeof the shingle, but also gives seems to give the roof a brand-newappearance. This pictured home shows how cedar shingles can be used to seamlessly fl ow the roof to wall planes, as well as around and beside windows.

portfolioShingles

(above) Above is a beautiful example of the crowning touch cedar shingles provide on nearly any home. Th is summer, we were honored to be featured at the Southern California Museum of Architecture. Th is contemporary exhibit explores the many uses of cedar shingles, and the aesthetics that canbe achieved specifi cally through the use of curved cedar shingles. Th is scaled mock-up is for therestoration of a historic one-room schoolhouse, showing the harshness of Utah’s winter climate.

(below)

Rawhide exhibit photos by Joshua White

uWe used re-claimed teak, chamfered-edge shingles ona private residence in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Because ofthe roofs’ unique rounded surface, the teak shingles werebent on-site using our mobile steam-bending unit. Theshingles were cut into graduated sizes, keeping the courses perfectly elliptical over the entire roof’s surfaces. The beauty and durability of teak assures this project will be a lasting masterpiece.

portfolioTeak Exotic&

(above) Th e level of precision refl ected in the installation of the roof’s shingles can only be performed by true craftsman, skilled and versed in the most ornate roofi ng application. Nearly each shingle course is graduated to a smaller size, keeping the roof uniform and courses elliptical. (below)

CU

ST

OM

CE

DA

R S

OL

UT

ION

S

|

“Spec

ializing in mak

ing your

“Specializing i

n making you

r fairlytale

fairlytale

home a realit

y”home a

reality”

|

BROCH

UR

E &

CA

TA

LO

G

www.customshingles.com

CALL us at (386) 487-1015