Roof Types

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A basic photographic illustration of various roof types found within Britain.

Also see Brick-Bonds and Wall Materials

❖ Traditional roof forms

Gabled

The side wall continues up to the roof ridge.

Double (multiple) gabled

Hipped

Double (multiple) hipped

Half Hipped

Gablet

Half hip and gablet

Mansard

Not to be confused with Gambrel, the mansard is double pitched to all four sides.

Gambrel

Also known as double pitch. Often confused with the mansard (above).

Outshut/Catslide

Where a smaller lower addition is added to a building, the roof is one continuous catslide roof.





Side Outshut


End outshut

Lean to

Similar to an outshut with a small addition to the side of the building, however the roofs are not continuous with one another. Also known as a Pent roof

Mono pitch

A simple single pitched gabled ended roof.

❖ Flat roofs

Usually in mono pitch form, flat roofs are typically used in domestic house extensions, tower blocks, and service, public and council buildings where cost of build and ease of maintenance is a priority. This included such buildings as fire stations, schools and electricity substations.

Popular due to their lower cost, low roofline and smaller volume, though not always popular in terms of aesthetics.

❖ Shallow roofs

Simple corrugated metal, plastic or asbestos flat or shallow roof, used on agricultural buildings and warehouses.

❖ Dormers

A Dormer, is separate smaller roofed structure protruding above a main roof, providing additional windows and space in the roof space or attic of a building.

Dormers are often retrospective additions to a building, the owner wishing to make more from their unused roofspace. In recent decades roof lights have often been added instead of dormers due to their low cost of build.

Dormer types;

Gable fronted dormer



Hipped dormer



Flat roof dormer



Shed dormer
A shallow pitch roof falling the same direction as the main roof.


Wall dormer
The main wall continues above the eaves line.


Round topped dormer



Round windowed dormer



Swept dormer
On thatched buildings.


Rooflights
In recent decades it has become increasingly popular to install roof lights as a quicker and cheaper alternative to dormers. Made famous by Velux.

❖ Parapets

Used in combination with the roof types above. The main walls of the building continues up hiding the eaves of the roof. Often used on taller buildings, where maintenance to eaves is made more difficult. They were made popular in London after the building act of 1707 was introduced which banned the projecting wooden eaves to reduce the risk of spread of fire to neighbouring buildings. The style became fashionable during Georgian times.

❖ Curved

Agricultural buildings often used simple curved corrugated iron roofs.


They are now very popular amongst new buildings, particularly those on a large scale.

❖ Dome

❖ Specialized roofs

Conical Oast House roofs, designed to channel hot air up through the kiln.


Windmill pivoting roofs, often called 'Onion cap'


Opening

❖ Modern Roofs

Nowadays there are a large choice of materials used in the roof construction, including different metals and glass which can produce interesting and imaginative shapes.

Saw-tooth

Hyperbolic parabaloidal

Folded

Butterfly

❖ Unusual roofs

Grid shell
Not particularly well used method of construction. The whole building structure is constructed from a lattice grid of thin wood or steel. It allows for more organic and unusual shapes.

❖ Further reading

This first section of this article is inspired and aided by "Traditional Buildings of Britain" by R.W. Runskill


Wikipedia: Gridshell

If you can suggest more suitable geograph images, corrections, or relevant text, please send a message.

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