TILED ROOFS FOR MODERN BUILDINGS


larity in the "lining up" of the tiles,-that was impossible, they
were far too irregular in shape and thickness to permit of mechanical
perfection in the alignment. The modern commercial tiles are laid
to a chalk line with great precision, the result is an effect which is,
comparatively speaking, monotonous in the extreme.
NE of the illustrations shows the roof of a large bungalow
       laid with small Mission tiles, and incidentally the roof-line of
       houses beyond with the mountains in the distance.      The
small Mission tiles are only sixteen inches long, with a spread of eight
inches at the wide end, as compared with thirty-four by twelve.
They are machine-made and devoid of the human interest which
attaches to the old, but otherwise they are fairly good in shape and
color, and make a beautiful roof. It is not every building that will
carry the old tile, but they would be exceedingly handsome on the
large roof of this particular bungalow. The commercial reproduc-
tions of the large Mission tiles are not very successful. They are
ugly in their proportions, thin, and, for the most part, more or less
porous and defective.
   This particular roof was laid twice. The tiles first used were poorly
made, poorly baked and poorly laid; they absorbed water like a
sponge, and dripped like an olla, with the result that, after four or
five hours of heavy rain, countless small leaks would develop. As
the tiles rested in flimsy building paper, and this on ordinary sheath-
ing laid lengthwise of the roof instead of from ridge to eaves, there
was nothing in the foundation to turn the water which the tiles failed
to keep out; each tile was nailed so the paper was filled with holes
to begin with.
   The roof as relaid was first made tight underneath. A specially
cut sheathing, the joints of which would turn water, was used; on
this was laid an asphalted felt of almost the thickness and tough-
ness of sole leather; the strips ran lengthwise, and the over-lap
of four inches, though quite sufficient without cement, was thor-
oughly cemented; on this heavy felt the tiles were laid without nail-
ing, as the pitch of the roof was so low that nails were not necessary;
as a final precaution, the over-laps of all the lower tiles were joined
with an oil cement, fifty pounds to the square being used. As the
tiles were specially burned and selected, it is believed that the roof
is trebly tight, that the tile, the asphalted felt, the sheathing-each
independently of the other-will turn water, while the three are
quite impervious to heat and cold.
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