The roof accounts for close to 40 percent of the home’s exterior. From home safety to curb appeal, it is vital to understand what makes your home sharp and, most importantly, dry.
As a homeowner, you will require at some point to replace your roof, but you might not know where to begin. Trying to fathom the various types of roofs, roof styles, and designs that would work best for you can be tedious. Below, we look at the various types of roof types and designs.
How many types of roofs are there?
Having an idea of your roof style can help you decide what works best for your house. If you aren’t sure about your roof design or style, here are some common types of roofs.
Saltbox Roofs
This type of roof is a good option for people concerned about visual appeal. Saltbox roof’s unique style offers onlookers beautiful eye candy. Its features include asymmetry, two sides with contrasting short/ long lengths, and a long pitch. These roofs are usually featured on houses with two stories on one side and a single story on the other side. The saltbox designs provide additional wind resistance than a typical gable roof.
Mansard Roofs
A mansard roof is built with four slopes featuring two slopes on each side of the house. The upper slope is less steep than the lower one.
Gambrel Roofs
These roofs are closely related to mansard roofs. The difference is that the mansard roof features French roots while the Gambrel roofs have Dutch roots and feature erect gable ends.
Pyramid Roofs
These roofs are just as they sound. They are shaped like a pyramid. These roofs are also often installed on pool houses, garages, and other small buildings.
Hip Roofs
This roof is the most common style and is best suited for high wind areas. Hip roofs resemble pyramid roofs. However, instead of making a point at the top, each side connects to a ridge or a flat section.
Cross Gabled Roofs
This roof type looks like a triangle when observed from the house’s front. Although there are many varieties, These roofs are good for homes with extra wings. Thus, each wing has a gabled roof giving our house a fantastic aesthetic appeal.
Flat Roofs
These roofs are easy to construct compared to types. One advantage of these roofs is their simplicity and accessibility. These roofs can bear your weight if you walk on them. The only shortcoming of this type of roof is that dust, leaves, dirt, and other debris accumulates on its surface faster than on other roofs.
Bonnet Roofs
These roofs do not differ much from the pyramid and hip roofs. Nevertheless, Bonnet Roofs features two sides inclined outward to provide shelter for an out-of-doors seating area. The eaves of this roof extend past the house, ensuring that water does not seep around the interior walls.
Butterfly Roofs
This roof has two parts that meet midway and, in a V-shape, giving it a butterfly’s wings flight effect from the outside. The middle of this roof permits rainwater collection, so more drainage is needed down the center.
Domed Roofs
This roof is polygonal with the shape of an inverted bowl s. These roofs are not only durable but also beautiful in design.
Shed Roof
This lean-to design looks like half of a conventional gable roof. While it has for long been a preserve for porches, the shed roof nowadays graces the complete structure of modern buildings.