Roofing performs a crucial role apart from just protecting the occupants from harsh weather conditions. The roof also focuses on complementing the house design and increasing the aesthetic appeal of the house. When constructing your home, there are numerous designs and roof types that you can choose from. Depending on the architecture of a home, a roof can potentially make up forty percent of the exterior and often plays an important role in the overall appearance and curb appeal. Understanding the potential performance and layout impact of various roof shapes and slopes can help you to make a decision on which shingles and roofing is best for your home from both a performance and an aesthetic point of view.
Parts of Roof
1. Gable Roof
A gable roof is a roof made up of two sections whose upper horizontal edges gather to make its ridge. It is the most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof can vary greatly. The gable roof is so common because of the simple design of its roof timbers and the rectangular shape of the roof sections. This avoids details which require a big deal of work or cost, and which are susceptible to damage. If the pitch or the rafter lengths of the two roof sections are different, it’s described as an 'asymmetrical gable roof'. This roof type can be made using numerous materials, including tiles, metallic shingles, asphalt, or shakes.
Advantages:
· Inexpensive
· Can be designed in many ways
· Based on a simple design principle
· Much more weather-resistant than flat roofs
· May allow an attic to be turned into living space if the pitch is sufficient
Disadvantage:
· Gable roofs are more susceptible to wind damage
2. Mansard Roof
A mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper.
Advantages
· It provides extra usable space
· It is suitable for both rural and urban areas
· It offers better light and heat distribution provisions
· It provides more scope in incorporation of modern design elements
· It is a great cost saving option
Disadvantages
· In comparison to other roofing styles, the time required for the installation is longer
· Low weather resisting properties
3. Flat Roof
A flat roof is a roof that is completely, or almost level. However, whilst they are described as ‘flat’ almost all flat roofs are actually laid to a fall to ensure that rainwater can run off to the lower side.
Advantages
· Cost
· Quicker to install
· increase in outdoor useable space
· Maintenance is much safer and easier to inspect on a regular basis
Disadvantages
· Flat roofs are not considered as stylish
· While they do have more outdoor living space, they have potentially less indoor living space, as there is no loft or attic in the house
· Buildings with these roofs have less space for insulation and therefore can be more affected by extreme temperature changes.
· Flat roofs do not drain as easily as pitched roofs
4. Hip Roof
A hip-roof or hipped roof is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak. Thus, a hipped roof house has no gables or other vertical sides to the roof.
Advantages
· Withstands Most Hurricanes
· Delivers Rainfall Towards Gutters Effectively
· Improves Curb Appeal Immensely
Disadvantages
· Increased Construction Cost
· Heavy Risk of Leaks
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