The roof of a house is one of the most important characteristics that define every home. After all, the roof is the home’s main shield from the weather and climate It also provides ventilation and insulation. Additionally, it’s a form of curb appeal for the house’s exterior. This is why people pay attention to diverse details before choosing a particular roof type. The following are the 4 common roof types and their benefits:

1. Gable Roof 

Gable roofs, which are also known as pitched or peaked roofs, are the most common type of roof favored by people. The gable roof’s most distinctive feature is its triangle-shaped sides. It typically covers two flat sides without including hips, pyramids, and valleys.  

Often, the design style is one side up and one side down. Although different materials can be used to couple it, the most common materials are metals, clay/concrete tiles, asphalt shingles and cedar shakes.  

There are several reasons why people love the gable roof:

• First, its design is relatively simple and easier to build.
• Second, this roof type is inexpensive to construct, even on a tight budget.
• A gable roof is not highly selective of roofing materials, and you can use virtually all types of roofing materials for your house. This is particularly advantageous if you can’t afford to purchase high-priced roofing materials. 

More so, gable roofs provide a substantial shield from external environmental factors such as the sun, rain, and snow.  

If a gable roof is to be used in extremely windy areas, you should ensure that the roof is properly braced into the house’s structure. This is to prevent it from being uprooted by the wind. Having these insights in mind would influence the essential questions to ask when getting roofing quotes. 

2. Hip Roof 

The hip roof is another popular roof type. You can hardly walk several distances without seeing a house with a hip roof, which is four-sided, and has slants and slopes on all sides.    

For aesthetic reasons and as a shield against the weather, all four sides are made of equal length where they meet at the top to form a ridge. There three subtypes of hip roofs include: 

• Simple hip
• Crossed hip
• Half hip   

The subtype of hip roof people choose typically depends on the house’s architectural design, as well as the homeowner’s intent for the house. For instance, people choose a hip roof because it’s known to be sturdier and more durable than the gable roof.  

Whether you are in a windy or snowy area, the hip roof would serve you well. This is because its design style makes it easy for water, snow, or wind to slide off or bounce off the roof.  

On the other hand, the crossed hip roof forms a valley, which is known to allow the pooling of water on the roof.  

Another benefit of the hip roof is that it creates the illusion of a large house. It can also be coupled with almost all types of roofing materials, including clay, tiles, metals and shingles.  

3. Gambrel Roof 

The gambrel roof type is also known as the barn roof. It has two sides, wherein the lower side has a steep slope that overrides the upper side. The gambrel roof used to be mainly for farmhouses, barns, and log cabins, but it got incorporated into the house building style of the early Dutch and Georgians. Since then, the gambrel roof has remained a staple through the years.  

In the modern era, gambrel roofs were incorporated as a redesigned form of roofing, but it’s still similar to what was used in past centuries. In the early days, the gambrel only included roof beams and gusset joints in its construction. However, modern-day users now include other roofing materials in its construction to make this roof type more durable.   

As a result, the gambrel roof is an open style that is loved by housebuilders because it’s inexpensive and easy to construct, which is its major advantage. Moreover, its style is also so simple that minimalists often swear by it. Also, depending on the housing structure, it could provide extra space within the house. 

4. Bonnet Roof 

The bonnet roof, also known as kicked-eaves, is another roof popularly incorporated into houses. It also has four sides, but each side is made in the form of slanting slopes that are far from steep. 

The slopes are set in opposite directions with the first major slope hanging much lower, while the second major slope is right on top of the house’s structure. 

The bonnet roof is an old roofing type, but over the years, it has evolved to accommodate more modern architectural framework. They’re now commonly used in rural and suburban areas, particularly cottages, ranch houses, and retreat houses. Bonnet roofs are usually sturdy and durable, especially if roofing materials like concrete, shingles, hard stones, and metals are used.  

Bonnet roofs are also popular in windy areas because their sturdiness makes them less prone to being damaged or blown away. Also, the roof’s slopestyle helps protect the house from the damaging impact of direct sunlight on the house itself. And, thanks to the slopestyle, the house still feels cool during the summer, when the heat can rise to extreme levels. 

Conclusion  

Other than the 4 roof types presented above, there are still a lot of roof types to choose from. But while making your choice, always make sure to take into account the location of your house. There’s more to a roof than its look. Although the roof should beautify the house, it should still be durable enough to withstand environmental elements that are particular to your house’s location.