Seven Hearths finally has a new roof! When the historical society realized that the old asphalt roof on the house had reached the end of its life, a dilemma arose. Since the house is the flagship of the Flanders Historic District, it seemed inappropriate to put another asphalt roof on the 18th century building. Investigation into alternatives revealed the fact that modern cedar shakes are not what they used to be - they have a shorter life span and require much maintenance. In other words, expensive. A third "green" alternative caught the eye of KHS board member Jeffrey Morgan and we chose to go in that direction. The new shingles are called Enviroshakes, and are made of recycled plastic, rubber, and natural wood fiber. They have a 50 year life span, need no maintenance, and - from a distance - look exactly like aged cedar shakes, giving the house a much more appropriate appearance.

The installation is complete, and we are pleased with the results. It has been an interesting experience for Hudson Valley Preservation, the firm in charge of the restoration work at Seven Hearths. As the shingle installation progressed, a sizable long bump became apparent that briefly caused some concern. But the rubber shingles layed down nicely over the hump, and now just add another layer of interest to the ancient building. As Mason Lord, principle of Hudson Valley Preservation says, "The building has a huge hump in the center on the back side that is not so visible from the ground. Another unique characteristic of this old gal. Not that other old buildings don’t have bows and bends and sags, but Seven Hearths has her own special ones!"

The hump is noticeable in the photo above. It runs from ridge to eave, and is probably caused by a mortise and tenon joint in the attic that came loose early in the life of the structure. We don't plan to fix it.

The up-front cost of this roof has been staggering, though it will save the historical society money in the long run. If you would like to make a donation to help us pay for it, we would welcome your gift!

Please send a check to Kent Historical Society, PO Box 651, Kent, CT, 06757, and note "7H roof" in the memo line.

If you would like any more information, please email the KHS at kenthistorical@att.net or call 860-927-4587.

Visit the Enviroshake website at www.enviroshake.com