Roof Terms and Terminology

Page 1 of 3 ( 1 2 3 )

A roof is one of the defining elements of any home. Roof style determines a home's type or family, distinguishing it as classic, modern, neo, American, Victorian, Gothic, etc. A roof's lines can tell you about interior spaces and dictate the best way to frame an addition, place a chimney, or add a room. Roof shapes determine how well the structure can withstand certain elements, while the slope of the roof and its overhang system are often dictated by the climate and dominant style of the region. Understanding roof details and how they come together in a unified whole can help designers create buildings that make sense visually, and help house lovers identify the styles that speak to them personally. Below is a glossary of roof terms and illustrations to help demystify the kit-of-parts we call the roof. Roof Shapes Roofs are broken into two basic shape families: gabled and hipped. Gabled Gabled refers to the family of houses classified by the straight slope falling from ridge to eave, creating a peak or triangle on the side or front facade. Gabled houses have rakes on the gable facades and eaves on the non-gabled facades. Side-gabled This style of home locates the front door on the non-gabled façade. Front-gabled houses have the peak or gable facing the front. Cross-gabled Houses have additional sections or wings crossing perpendicular to the main section, meeting in a valley, each with its own peaked or gabled façade. Hipped This family of houses avoids having a peak or triangle at the roof junction by breaking the roof plane along the slope line, allowing the roof to bend or wrap around the house. Hipped houses have an even roof to wall junction all the way around the house and eaves on all sides. Simple A hipped roof where all four roof faces rise to a ridge across the top, often with broader faces across the front slope and narrower side sections. Pyramidal A hipped roof where all four sides come to a point at the roof peak. Cross-hipped A roof with multiple sections or wings that cross the main section, meeting in a valley, each with its own hipped profile.

...Continued - Page 1 of 3 ( 1 2 3 )
Next Page >