Wood Shingle and Shake

Wood shingle and shake are roofing and siding materials split or sawn from durable, weather-resistant wood, traditionally cedar or redwood, with a shingle being machine-sawn to a uniform, smooth, tapered profile and a shake being hand-split for a thicker, more irregular, rustic texture. Used across vernacular architecture wherever suitable timber was locally available, from colonial New England saltbox houses to Pacific Northwest bungalows, wood roofing weathers to a distinctive silver-gray patina over years of sun and rain exposure, and though largely displaced by asphalt shingle for cost and fire-resistance reasons in most modern construction, it remains a valued historic-preservation and high-end residential material.