Roofing materials abound, however, if you want to preserve the historic look of an old house, consider wood shingles. In this video, Matt Risinger, master builder, takes us to an 1850 craftsman home in Austin, TX and walks us through best practices when using a wood shingle roof. Mistakes with this type of roof can have a major impact on the longevity and durability of the roof.After removing an asphalt roof that did not match the age and style of the home, Risinger installed rigid rooftop foam, DOW Styrofoam Roofmate insulation and plywood on top of the foam. The roofing material is Royal cedar shingles, Portsmouth V-Pro series, by Royal Building Products. Fire treated, it is a Class B fire retardant added. Risinger cautions regarding the use of nails. Using a stainless-steel nail by NailPro and the grade of stainless should be verified. One of the most important steps is the use of a cedar breather underlayment for wood roofing. In this case, Risinger uses Benjamin Obdyke 3-D mesh which provides an air gap. This allows the roof to dry from the eave all the way to the ridge.Also used is a Rapid Ridge 7 ridge vent for good air flow. Installed correctly, it's a 30-year roof. This roof is a match for the craftsman-style home.