The Roof Shout

Building a custom home is an exciting process and a significant moment in our clients’ lives. Here at Alloy, we like to acknowledge its importance by marking key milestones with meaningful ceremony.

Aside from the day we turn a new home over to its proud owners, the most galvanizing event for most of clients is the point at which the roof goes on and the structure of the house is complete.

Throughout the world, this moment is traditionally marked by ceremonies of different sorts. In France, it’s customary to place a bouquet of flowers on the chimney. In the Netherlands, once the highest point of a building is set in place, a flag is raised and remains there until the owner of the building provides free beer to the workers. In Scandinavia, a tree or branch is placed at the top of a new building. Some say it’s a religious rite to appease the tree-dwelling spirits that were displaced during its construction. Others consider it a celebration of the building’s "soul," to be acknowledged only after its "bones" are complete.

Inspired by the homeland of Alloy Homes’ former design manager, Julia Mercer, we created our own interpretation of New Zealand’s celebration of the homebuilding process, called the Roof Shout. While Julia has returned to the Land of the Long White Cloud, our tradition lives on.

In New Zealand, to “shout” means to “treat” or buy something for your mates. It’s usually used in the context of buying a friend (or group of friends) a drink in a bar as in, “this one’s my shout!” A traditional Roof Shout includes a big party with ample food and drink provided by the homeowners to thank the framers and roofers. Everyone has a great time and raises a glass (or a few) in a communal toast to the newly created home.

We’ve borrowed heavily from the traditions of Julia’s homeland, but with one important difference — the wine and cheese are on us! It’s our way of thanking our clients for their support and marking this significant moment in our grand collaboration.