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Sudbury proposes cedar-shingle roof, insulation work for Hosmer House; hearing continued to May 1
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Summary
The Town of Sudbury presented a 50% design to replace asphalt shingles with cedar shingles, add attic insulation and copper gutters for the Hosmer House roof; the Historic District Commission gave generally positive feedback and continued the public hearing to May 1 for final drawings and details.
The Sudbury Historic District Commission on April 3 heard a 50% design presentation from the Town of Sudbury to replace the asphalt roof on the Hosmer House with a historically appropriate cedar-shingle roof, add attic insulation and install copper gutters and flashings. The commission moved to continue the public hearing to the May 1 meeting so applicants can supply final drawings and details.
The applicant, Andrew Dran, listed himself as the combined facility director for the Town of Sudbury and introduced consultant Andrew Barr of Socotec AE Consulting Inc. Barr said the team will remove the existing asphalt shingles and reinstall a cedar-shingle roof over a cedar breather and a full self-adhered underlayment. "We are gonna be removing the existing asphalt shingles and putting cedar shingles," Barr told the commission. He described a conventional installation with new copper or lead flashings where required, a shingled ridge with ridge venting, and eave vents at the eaves.
Commissioners pressed for technical detail. Chris Hager asked how much clearance the cedar breather leaves for airflow; Barr responded that the breather provides about "three eighths of an inch" and called that spacing "pretty much the industry standard." Barr and commissioners also discussed attic venting and moisture control: Barr said the project pairs venting above the sheathing with newly insulated attic floorboards to reduce heat buildup and moisture migration.
On insulation, Barr said the proposal is to remove existing attic floorboards, blow in about 7 inches of cellulose into the attic floor, then add a continuous 4-inch layer of polyisocyanurate (polyiso) above, and replace the interior wood floor so the interior appearance is unchanged. Barr described the resulting assembly as significantly tightening the building envelope while retaining venting.
Other work described includes removal of the existing skylight and roof vents, repair or in-kind replacement of damaged cornice and fascia trim, and new half-round copper gutters with round downspouts mitered at the hips. Barr said the preliminary drawings list 6-inch half-round gutters but that final sizing will include runoff calculations; commissioners asked that the design account for intense rainfall events. The team also noted replacing step flashings and counter flashings at brick junctions and that exposed copper will be limited to flashing areas and gutters.
Commissioners said the 50% design addressed prior concerns and offered several requests before final approval: provide final drawings and clearer photo markups in advance of the May 1 meeting so commissioners can review them before the hearing; show downspout locations and how gutters will tie into existing below-grade drains if present; and confirm final gutter sizing calculations. Taryn Trexler requested the commission receive final drawings at least a week before the May meeting for adequate review.
The commission voted to continue the public hearing on case 24-29299 (Old Sudbury Road) to May 1, 2025. All members voting indicated support for continuing the matter.
