Over the course of multiple blogs, I’ve shared my opinion about the history and evolution of snow guards, as both the roofing industry and new technology have dictated. As I write and reread these postings, there are several underlying themes. One theme is that, in our quest to find better solutions to problems, change is Keep reading . . .
Tag: roofing and snow guard history
Alpine SnowGuards shares its knowledge about the history of roofing and evolving snow guard design.
Snow Guard Evolution from 1981-1985: Part 1
Up until about 1980, my involvement with the hard roofing industry was primarily with the salvage, sales and distribution of “used roofing slate”. For those of you who are interested, you can read more about our history on the About Us page on the Alpine SnowGuards website. In the early 1980’s, my salvaged slate customers Keep reading . . .
Lessons Learned
Back in 1983 I was living in Vermont, taking on some slate roofing repair jobs, the occasional small addition (2-3 roofing squares), cleaning out bird droppings for church steeple projects and was generally just trying to figure out how to make my way. By chance, as I was focusing on slate salvage, I had run Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Evolution During the Me Decade (1971-1980): Part 2
As I mentioned in my previous blog, the roofing industry of the late 1970’s was beginning to mimic that of the late 1800’s. Slate, tile and metal roofing (traditional or hard roofing materials) began a renaissance….what an interesting time this must have been. There were a handful of roofing companies who were still installing these Keep reading . . .
1961-1970: Peace, Love and….Snow Guards?
The 1960’s. It sure was an interesting era for Americans. The era was dominated by Civil Rights protests, the Vietnam War, social unrest, the assassination of President Kennedy, peace, love and rock & roll.In the construction industry, from about the time of the depression up until this point, hard roofing and the recognized need for Keep reading . . .
Snow Guards and Depression-Era Construction
For those involved in construction 2008-2012, we had a taste of what the 1930’s may have been like. This was the era we sometimes still refer to as the “Tool Belt Recession”. Many projects that were pending when the bottom dropped out were never started. Projects that were underway cut as many details as they Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Designs of the 1920’s
Ah, the Roaring Twenties. It must’ve been a fun time to be alive! The economy was booming, the country was growing, we weren’t involved in any military conflicts and it seemed that everyone was making money. In general, it was a really good time in US History. I’m told that there’s even still a speakeasy Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Evolution from 1910 to the Roaring Twenties!
I’ve spent a good deal of time combing over old notes, documents, and patents. I thought it appropriate to point out a concern about the credit given to Emri W. Clark in my previous blog. Let’s explore snow guard evolution a little further. First, as with all patent claims and awards, the public assumes that Keep reading . . .
Snow Guard Designs of the 90’s….1890’s That Is.
In my last blog, we looked into the evolution of snow guards through the history of roofing. This time, we’re taking a giant leap backwards, into the 90’s….The 1890’s! Below is a patent for snow guards that were made in the late 1800’s, a pipe-style system made and sold as Dugan’s Patent Snow-Guards. The date Keep reading . . .
130 Years of Roofing History Drives Snow Guard Evolution
From the industrial revolution of the 1890’s until roughly the mid 1940’s, slate, tile and metal roofing was commonplace among roofing installers and builders. The craftsmen of the era understood the materials, how to work with them, handle them, maintain and repair them and they understood that snow and ice would slide off suddenly (and Keep reading . . .