Different Types of Roof Design

You are wracking your mind as you try to decide what kind of roof you need on top of your house. Whatever design you settle for, it must be the right one for your house since it is now widely accepted that a roof serves many purposes. It protects the house, you and your family against weather elements, it accentuates your home’s beauty, can provide more room space, increase your house’s lifespan, improve its energy efficiency and resistance to water.

According to Ranger Roofing of Oklahoma, a residential roofing contractor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, types of roof designs include:

Gable, pitched or peaked roof

It is easy to identify from its triangular shape and a standard design in the US. It has different types – side, crossed, front and Dutch gable roofs.

Advantages: Simple, easy and cheap to design, water and snow falls on them easily, offer room for the attic or vaulted ceilings and better ventilation.

Disadvantages: If not well constructed, they quickly collapse in the face of strong winds and hurricanes.

Hip roof

Its four sides, which meet at the top to form a ridge, are equal in length and slope down. It comes in different designs-simple, hip, cross-hipped and half-hipped roof.

Advantages: The inward slope makes them strong, durable and less susceptible to strong winds and hurricanes. They are ideal for windy and snowy areas since water and snow easily drain. With a dormer or a crow’s nest, they offer you additional living space.

Disadvantages: They are complex and more expensive to build than gable roofs. Poor installation of a dormer can create a water leakage gap in the valleys.

Mansard or French roof

The two pairs of its four sides slope on each side before linking up to form a low-pitched roof. The slopes are not on the same level, and the two sides are flat or curved.

Advantages: If you need additional living room, a mansard roof is your design. Most homeowners design full attics or living quarters, called a garret, in such roofs.  They are good if you plan to build additional extensions to your house in future.

Disadvantages: They are costly to design and are not suitable for snowy areas because of their low-pitched sections.

Gambrel or barn roof

It has two sides that slope to either side.  Have been used in barns, farm houses, log cabins, Dutch Colonial and Georgian style houses.

Advantages: It costs less to put up but offers additional room space as a garret, attic or loft.

Disadvantages: Their open design makes them unsuitable for windy and snowy areas because they can quickly collapse. They require a constant inspection to for repairs. They need more windows for the adequate lighting of the house.

Flat roof

They are flat with a slight pitch for water to drain off. Though they can be used in residential houses, they are ideal for industrial and commercial buildings.

Advantages: They provide perhaps the largest outdoor living space of any roof design. You can have a garden, patio or penthouse room. You can also place solar and ventilation – cooling and heating – system on them as seen in industrial and commercial buildings. They are affordable.

Disadvantages: They are easy to leakages and, therefore, not ideal for areas that receive heavy rainfall or high snowfall. Long-term maintenance and repair costs make them costlier than others.

Dome roof

It is an upside-down bowl-shaped design. They are utilized for to accentuate the aesthetic beauty of a house, especially for crow’s nests, gazebos or cupolas.

Advantages: They are durable and pleasing to the eye.

Disadvantages: They take expertise to construct and hence cost more.

Butterfly roof

This is a V-shaped roof set up in a way that its sides face up on the outside. The central part faces downwards where the two sides join creating the impression of a butterfly’s wings when it is flying. It is trendy in modern, eco-friendly and tropical home designs.

Advantages: Provides adequate space at the outer edges of larger windows allowing more natural lighting in the house.  Rainwater is easy to collect utilizing the valley where the two side meet.

Disadvantages: It is difficult and, therefore, expensive to construct. Even its maintenance costs are higher.

If you are unsure about which roof design is best for your house, contact Ranger Roofing of Oklahoma, the best roofing company in Tulsa, OK, and we will be glad to give you professional advice.