On 04/07/2016 11:51, James Wilkinson wrote:
On Mon, 04 Jul 2016 11:45:23 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

On 04/07/2016 10:28, Tim Watts wrote:
On 03/07/16 23:27, James Wilkinson wrote:
On Sun, 03 Jul 2016 23:01:07 +0100, Tim Watts
wrote:

On 03/07/16 22:58, James Wilkinson wrote:
I accidentally spotted some A5 sized pieces of roof felt/bitumen
(like
we use on garages and sheds here in the UK) on an American house,
placed
to look like tiles. Is that common over there and why?


I believe they are called asphalt shingles.

Wouldn't that leak?


No - they're laid like tiles - or wooden shingles. They are not used on
flat roofs.

The also have an advantage, they can be laid very fast since they are
just nailed on to a fully boarded roof. No need for tile battens etc.
With pneumatic roofing nailers, you can get a whole roof finished in a
couple of hours.

Don't they flap bout in the wind?


That's the whole point. In Tornado alley they are gone in jiffy, but
wont kill you. Quick and easy to replace.

More of a problem in North east USA where the racoons can easily rip
through them and rummage through your loft.