Roofing – Basic Shapes
This article enumerates several roofing shapes that have been dominant recently. This helps the individual make up his mind about which shape is better for his home. To find out a general overview of the most popular roofing shapes, please read on.
There are several roofing shapes that architects usually favor when they design a house or building. Basically these shapes have their own pros and cons,
but their function is the same: to protect the house from the elements and give the residents shelter.
Gabled
The gabled design typically will have two distinctive features. The first one is that these usually have two opposite sides that fall straight from the peak of the roof to the eave while the other sides have none. There are three basic shapes for this style, and these are the side gabled, front gabled and the cross gabled. The names are coordinated with the placement of the door of the house or building. For the side, the door is located on the side which is not gabled, while the front gabled has the door under the peak. The cross gabled is a structure which has an additional wing installed that crosses the main wing. This style will have a valley where the cross section meets.
Hipped
A hipped shape has an overhang that serves as the eaves, which can usually be found all around the junction where the roof meets the walls. The overhang basically serves as the gutter where the water passes. There can be a cross sectional type as well with the same valley as the gabled type where the sections meet. The simple type is the basic shape in which the four sides meet on top. This shape usually has a side which may be longer than the other. The pyramid shape usually has four equal sides which meet at an apex on the top of the house.
Saltbox and Shed
These two types usually have a sloping side which is more prominent. In the case of the shed, the entire roof is sloped to one side only. The saltbox type has a small section that is angled to the opposite direction of the bigger slope. This particular shape can be favorable for some architects depending on the design of the house or building.
In all, the type of roof to be used for each house may be recommended by the architect or engineer. The homeowner may consider these suggestions but ultimately the final say would be his unless he has left the decision up to the architect. An explanation of why one is chosen over another may help to make the architect’s choice more favorable.
