 Kitchens were also distinctive, occasionally placed in out-buildings or in basements and noted for the use of wide, raised chimneys possibly inspired by the open hearth.The earliest roofing was made of palmetto thatch but, partially from encouragement from the colonial government, stone shingles slowly came to be preferred.By 1687, only 29 of the 579 houses in Bermuda had been upgraded to stone and only 63 were shingled.