Mason Home
Historic Home Crowned with Beautiful Asphalt Shingles in Washington State
by Ali Turner, editorial & multimedia manager
The Mason Home is located in the charming Eldridge Historic District of Bellingham, Washington, situated on a bluff overlooking picturesque Bellingham Bay. This historic neighborhood boasts a wide variety of stunning architecture, chief among them the Mason Home, a two-story Queen Anne-style home built in 1898 by Joseph R. Mason, director of the local Bellingham National Bank.
All photos courtesy of PABCO Roofing Products
In 2021, the owner of this single-family residence decided to replace the failing roof. He sought a distinctive product that was as unique as the overall structure and would complement the architectural integrity of the home. The roofing material also needed to be cost-effective.
The home originally had cedar shake roof, but the price of installing new shakes combined with their short lifespan made them unsuitable. The homeowner also considered slate, but the combination of expense and the necessary structural reinforcements to bear the weight made it unsuitable as well.
After assessing the available material options and designs, asphalt roofing was chosen, primarily for the value and durability it delivered. The homeowner decided upon the Cascade™ line of asphalt shingles in antique black from PABCO® Roofing Products. The high-quality Cascade architectural shingles fit the character of the house perfectly and delivered excellent value. The owner also appreciated being able to source the product from a local manufacturer.
“In evaluating all of the roofing options, I really liked the crisp appearance of the PABCO Cascade shingle, especially in antique black,” said Cameron Miller, owner of the Mason Home. “These shingles were distinctive and a perfect fit with the formality and precise geometric lines of the house.”
Family-owned Pacific Northwest Roofing, a PABCO Preferred PRO Contractor based in Everson, Washington, was selected to complete the job. Serving Skagit and Whatcom Counties in Washington State since 2008 and having completed projects in the Eldridge Historic District, Pacific Northwest Roofing had the experience to install a period-appropriate roof on an historic structure like the Mason Home.
Patented Cascade shingles are the only diamond-shaped asphalt roofing product on the market. Inspired by the slate shingles that graced the roofs of many historic residences throughout the United States, the Cascade line is designed for roof renovation projects that honor the classic style of heritage buildings, just like the Mason Home.
“The Mason Home, with its grand gables and dramatic pitches, demanded a roof that complemented the home’s overall design,” said Zach Larson, project manager for Pacific Northwest Roofing. “Cascade shingles were really the only option that met the aesthetic requirements of the Mason Home.”
The 50-square project was completed in 2022. The Pacific Northwest Roofing team hand-nailed six stainless steel nails per shingle to achieve the PABCO Roofing Product’s 130-mph wind rating. Pacific Northwest Roofing hand-nails the shingles on all of its projects to ensure proper installation. This painstaking approach was critical for the Mason Home to deliver a precise, visually stunning result, capable of withstanding the frequently brutal winds that blow in from Bellingham Bay. Use of stainless-steel nails was essential to help prevent corrosion from nearby salt water.
All of the flashing on the Mason Home was copper. This included the roof-to-wall flashing and pre-bent step flashing on the sidewalls. Pacific Northwest Roofing installed 120’ feet of valley metal, also in copper. The final component of the project was installation of a historically appropriate copper gutter system by a local gutter company.
The combination of exceptional product and painstaking installation gave the homeowner peace of mind that the roof was designed to look great and last for the long term.
“The efforts Pacific Northwest Roofing made to install the Cascade diamond-shaped shingles with meticulous care were exceptional,” said Miller. “Even our neighbors love the new roof. One commented that they really don’t pay attention to roofs, but the new Cascade shingles caught their eye.”
The combination of Cascade shingles with copper gutters and upgraded copper flashing, found on fewer than 1% of homes, makes the Mason Home stand out in a neighborhood full of extraordinary residences. The Pacific Northwest Roofing team applied its expertise to make sure the Mason Home maintained its historic look from handrail to rooftop, accentuating the structure’s design with a diamond-shaped asphalt shingle as its crowning element.
