Popular Roof Designs
Your roof is a key design element in defining the personality of your home. Choosing the right shape and pitch for your new roof will greatly enhance your home's architectural style and add curb appeal and value to your new home. Aesthetically, the way a roof is designed can have a major impact, on not only the architectural design, but also affect its functionality.
When it comes to shape there are several standard styles to choose from. You need to be careful to choose a look that complements the design of your home and doesn’t appear to be out of place. Below are the most popular roof designs.
Gable Roof
Gable roof designs are one of the most simplistic roof designs. They are easily recognized by their triangular shape. What makes it so popular is that the slant, or pitch, of the gables varies, giving architects the flexibility to incorporate it in a variety of architectural styles from Craftsman to Contemporary. Gabled roofs can be covered with almost any type of roofing material. Their inherently simple design makes it easy to build them and cheaper than more complex designs.
Hip Roof
Hip roofs are one of the strongest designs for a roof. A hip roof style has four sloping sides. It’s where the joint between two adjacent slopes on a roof meet. Some complex roofs have several hips. This roof style is also frequently combined with the gable style to give the roof more variety.
Flat Roof
As the name suggests, Flat roofs have little to no pitch; a shallow pitch would be around 1 or 2 degrees. Flat roofs are easier to construct than pitched roofs and require fewer building materials, keeping costs down. However, the low pitch makes flat roofs more susceptible to water leakage. They are not advised for high rainfall or high snowfall areas. Although the upfront cost of building a flat roof is less expensive than a pitched roof, they can be more expensive in the long run due to maintenance and ongoing roof repair and replacement costs.
Curved Roof
It is very modern and provides a unique, creative roof design. The amount of curve can vary from slightly curved up to an arch shape. A curved roof can be used to cover the entire home or a single section, such as an arched entrance. Curved roofs are aesthetically pleasing and a way to have a home unlike any other. They also provide subtle shapes inside the home as well.
Mansard
A mansard roof is practically flat on top, but slopes almost vertically down on all four sides. Mansard roofs are a characteristic of French Renaissance architecture. Mansard roofs are great for people wanting flexibility to make future home additions. When first designing and building a home, you can actually save money by having a simple mansard design to start off. – You can then add on a garret or dormers at a later date. This will not only add value to the house, but it also allows homeowners to easily make additions as their needs change.
Nowadays many of these styles, shapes and pitches are combined to create a unique look. No matter what roof style you choose, Onduline lightweight roofing systems is always here to help. We have different profiles to choose from in an extensive array of colours that work well with almost any type of architectural style. Onduline products are lightweight and flexible. It is easy to install and most importantly eco-friendly.