Cumberland, Rhode Island
Roof replacement in Cumberland
Mill villages along the Blackstone River, and newer neighborhoods spreading across the hills behind them.
Ashton and Berkeley: company villages
The Lonsdale Company ran three villages along the Blackstone: Lonsdale, Ashton and Berkeley. In 1867 it built a large three-and-a-half-story brick mill with a mansard roof at Ashton, the site of the first large-scale test of the high-speed Sawyer spindle. The workers’ housing beside it is noted for its simple form and dense arrangement. The Ashton Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1984; the separate Berkeley Mill Village was listed in 1972. The Ashton mill itself is now apartments.
Roofing a mill house
- Simple gable roofs, often repeated house after house, but each re-roofed differently over the years
- Close neighbors and shared walls, which make staging and debris handling a planning exercise
- Old board decking that may need new sheathing before the new roof goes on
- Small attics with little ventilation, worth improving while the roof is open
The rest of town
Away from the river, Cumberland is mostly 20th-century neighborhoods of Capes, ranches, Colonials and larger newer houses on the hills. Those are shingle replacements, sometimes with metal on porches or the whole house.
Mill house or hillside home in Cumberland? Call a roofer who works in town.
Mon–Fri 8:30 am–7 pm · Sat 9 am–4 pm (Eastern)
Cumberland roof questions
+My house is in the Ashton mill village. Are there special rules?
The Ashton Historic District is on the National Register, which by itself does not restrict a new roof. Check with the town whether any local rules apply. The bigger practical issue is that mill houses share walls or sit close together, so access and flashing need planning.
+Are hillside houses in Cumberland more exposed to wind?
Houses on open ridges and hilltops take more wind than houses in the river valley. Ask for sealed starter strips and high-wind nailing on exposed sites.