a copper roof for christmas

The farmhouse got a copper roof for Christmas!  We have wanted a copper roof over the front porch of the farmhouse ever since we renovated the house and added the composite roof, but at the time it wasn't financially feasible.  Since removing the black exterior shutters this past summer when we repainted the house HERE we felt the house would look especially fabulous with a front portch copper roof.   We also have a couple of places where we desperately need gutters, over the front door being one, where water run off was causing damage.  For those of you who don't live in a cold/snowy climate gutters in the north are a love/hate item.  You love them until the snow melts and creates ice damns and the weight of the ice pulls the gutters off the house, then you hate them.  You could call them a necessary evil.  I would guess that the majority of houses here do not have them.   This past summer we got serious about copper gutters and roof and sought out bids from several companies/individuals (that were across the board crazy btw.)   We decided upon which roofing company to go with,  then...  as we are wont to do 😏 with projects after a busy project-filled summer, we got tired,  then lazy and simply let the roof slide off our to-do list.   Then we were really bummed as we watched copper prices quickly started to inch their way up, thinking we had missed the copper boat.  

A week before Christmas the metal roofing company called totally out of the blue and asked if we would like them to start the roof tomorrow.  Tomorrow??  We had snow on the roof and heavy rain and wind in the forecast.  So, what did we said,  but  "Of course!!!"  The company also held to our original bid price, so that sealed the deal.  Much to our surprise we found out that roofing companies work year-round here.  I asked what they would do if we had 8" of snow on the roof and they said they would (snow) rake it and use heaters to remove the rest.  New Englanders are a hardy bunch... a little lot of snow doesn't deter them one bit. It was a two-day project with demo starting two days before Christmas and the roof was completed two days after.  It was a delightful Christmas surprise for us and the farmhouse!  This old girl (yes, our house is a girl- she has a skirt HERE :) is wearing her new bling proudly.  The roof is a standing-seam roof.  

We will let the roof naturally patinate (which will take years, first turning brown) and will add copper half-round gutters next spring.  

Thought you would like to see the project evolve.

The farmhouse "Before" with her black composite roof covered with a bit of snow.

The side view which shows the living room bay window to be covered in copper.

And it begins!  The rain and wind I mentioned, along with warmer temp (thankfully)  melted all our snow just in time for installation day!

Doesn't she look pretty?!

 

 We are quite smitten with the farmhouse's new jewelry and think she looks absolutely perfect now!  These last two photos were taken yesterday.  We had pounding rain the night before which melted all the snow on the roof and we have highs in the 50'syesterday and today.  Crazy.  It feels more like a spring mud day than winter in New Hamphsire.

  

So... what do you think?!!!  Do you like the farmhouse's new bling?!!