Roofing History 101

Ever since humans realized they needed shelter, roofing has always been around. Maybe not as a profession, but shelter was one of the main ingredients in staying alive in the wild. Eventually, roofing evolved over time, with people even insulating their roofs with mud, leaves, and other natural building materials they could find.

But the first fancy roof made from clay was used in China over 5,000 years ago. They glazed clay and made roofs similar to how we do so today. This was followed by the Greeks and Babylonians, and then later the Romans took the Greek tiles to England in 100 BC.

In 735 AD, thatched roofs were used. Around 1000 AD, they switched to wood shingles, but noticed they caught fire very easily. In the 12th century, the King of London decreed that the people switch from thatch, reed, or wood to all clay.

Because of this, factories soon started mass producing clay roofing tiles. In the 19th century, there were notable changes to the industry: Germany was the first to create green roof systems, and asphalt became readily available. It was cheap and easy to produce.

Today, there’s a huge variety in roofing material, including ones that aren’t so common, such as glass, polymer, and even smog absorbing tiles. No one really knows when the rise of the roofing industry came about. One thing’s for sure though, hiring a professional to fix your roof has always been a good choice.

Blue Angels Roofing is the preferred roofing repair company in the Birmingham area, covering Cahaba Heights, Mountain Brook, Hoover, Irondale, and Vestavia. We do both residential and commercial complexes, according to HOA guidelines. Courtesy, efficiency, and safety are our team’s top priorities, and it’s not finished job until the customer is truly satisfied. We take a lot of pride in making sure your home is in tip-top shape for you.

Source cited: https://www.roofrocket.com/roofing_blog/roofs/history-of-roofs/