Understanding various Roofing Styles and Slopes

There are many different roofing styles that are employed in the building field today. Each style is unique in its structure and design and often times to a particular location. Different building types also do determine, at times, the type of roof that will cover it.

The reason that certain roofing styles are used in specific locations is because different roofing styles adapt differently depending on the geography and the climatic conditions of certain places. This article outlines some of the most popular roofing styles used today, and provides some details about each one.

 Hipped Roof

This type of roof is characterized by four uniformly pitched or sloped sides resembling a pyramid. The main differentiator of a hip roof is the fact that all of the walls forming the house are of the same height, and all walls meet the roof at the same height. There are no gables to be found in houses that feature a hip roof, which allows for gutters that follow the circumference of the roof edge without requiring any tricks or seams to complete.

Houses that feature this type of roof are considerably sturdier in areas that are prone to strong winds. High winds tend to flow over the angles of a hip roof instead of being caught up against gable walls. As wind resistance can be a major cause of damage in high-wind events, having a hip roof can end up saving the house from damage or destruction.

On other hand having a hip roof constraints space especially attic space. The other downside is that when constructing a variation of the roof there will be seams formed in the roof (valleys) which tend to collect all sorts of leaves and other material, and these must be kept clear or drainage will be affected.

Gable Roof

The gable roof and its many variations are the most popular roof type used in many parts of the world.  Gable roofs can be found literally everywhere – they’re easily recognizable from the triangular gable walls that are on two ends of the house.
The gable roof itself has two roof surfaces in its most basic variation, which are designed on the same angle of slope and come down to meet the walls on two sides of the house. On the other two sides, the gable walls come up to the point formed by the meeting of the two sections of the gable roof. The many styles of gable roof are well suited to areas that have a lot of precipitation, as the steep slopes of the roof can easily move rain off.

The downside is going by the way that they are constructed, houses that have a this type of roof are susceptible to high winds thus they are not recommended to areas that experience regular extreme and strong winds.

Cross-Hipped Roof

The cross-hipped roof is a variation of the common hipped roof, except that on a cross-hipped roof, perpendicular wings are added to the main section of roof, forming two individual sections both with their own hipped façade. The cross-hipped roof is commonly found on houses that have an “l” shape.  A gambrel roof is constructed so that each side has two slopes; a steeper lower slope, and a flatter upper one. This is often associated with barns.

The cross-hipped roof essentially involved pushing two hipped roof sections together, which forms seams in the roof that are commonly referred to as valleys. These valleys must be carefully constructed and maintained, since they will be an area of weakness in the roof membrane if the initial construction isn’t solid and watertight.

The difference between cross-hipped roof varies from the almost similar cross-gabled roof is the absence of gables on the sides of the house. With a cross-hipped roof, all of the walls are the same height, and the roof meets the walls on a straight angle.  The cross-hipped roof also offers significantly improved internal framing and bracing when compared to a cross-gabled roof, and thus will provide more structural strength.

Cross-Gabled Roof

Cross-gabled roof is constructed much like a regular gable roof, but instead of a single roof section, there are two roof sections put together at a right angle. This type of roof is popular on houses that form an “L” shape, as the roof sections connect together at a perpendicular angle, and allow for just a small seam down the two sides where the sections join.

This kind of roof is a bit complicated and it requires a professional who has built a cross-gabled roof before. So if you plan using a cross gabled roof it is important to have a roofing profession to take a look at the wall structure and plans of your house. If not done properly they can be difficult and the many seams provide the opportunity for leaking.