HOW ROOF PITCH CAN AFFECT YOUR CHOICE OF ROOFING MATERIALS

Roofs not only shield your house and its occupants from outside elements but it does have other uses also. For instance, the shape of your roof plays an important role in defining the overall style and look of your home. You can also add living space depending on the roof pitch options. Furthermore, your roof makes your home weatherproof, energy-efficient, and more resilient. This complete guide will help you understand the styles and architecture of different roofs depending on the roof pitch options and what material you need for these roof types.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROOF PITCHES

1.     GABLE ROOF

Builders also call this type of roof a peaked or pitched roof. Gable roofs are one of the most popular roofs in the US. You may be familiar with these roofs because of their triangular shape. If you install this type of a roof in an area with high winds, you need to properly brace these roof pitched options. This roof type requires inspections after storms to ensure that there is no damage caused by strong winds and hail. You can use any material for these types of roofs, such as asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, clay, metal, or concrete tiles. However, if the roof includes valleys or hips, you should use either a standing beam or metal shingles to prevent water leakage.

2.     HIP ROOF

Hip roofs are sloped from all sides. All the sides are high pitched and mostly equal in length and form a ridge at the point where all the sides come together. More stable than a gable roof, these typically have an inward slope from all four sides. These roof pitch options are perfect for shedding snow and water. Furthermore, these roofs can also handle high winds. The design is complex, and you need more material than other roofs to complete the construction. Hence, hip roofs will cost you more. Proper roof maintenance and construction are necessary to prevent minor issues that can turn into major problems. Like gable roofs, you can choose any material for the hip roof, including shingles, tiles, or metal.

3.     MANSARD ROOF

A mansard roof is also known as a French roof and has four sides. Each side has a double slope, making these low roof pitch options. If you want to make your future home flexible, you should install a mansard roof. When designing and building your home for the first time, you can consider installing this roof to save money as it has a simple design ideal to start. You can also add dormers or garret afterward. This will add great value to your home, and you can make changes later on as your lifestyle changes. Lower pitched roofs not as steep than higher roof pitch options. You can choose the sides to be curved or flat according to the style.

As this design is unique, you should choose a distinct roofing material. If you use a metal like zinc or copper for the steep region, it can cost you more but require less maintenance in the long term, making it a good option. You can use slate or wood shingles in a diamond pattern. This is a new method of making mansard roofs. You can also use asphalt shingles for a steeper region.

4.     FLAT ROOF

You may think that a flat roof does not contain any pitch, but it does. These roofs have a slight pitch to direct water to the drainage area. You can find such roofs on commercial or industrial buildings, but many residential homes also install these types of roofs. If you are constructing a new house, these roofs can give you extra living space for a roof garden and patio. Flat roofs are easy to construct, but you need to use a special material for waterproofing. These roofs are vulnerable to leakage of the roof as these are lower roof pitch options and are not suitable for heavy snow and high rainfall areas. You should use specialized material as a roofing material, including TPO or EPDM.

Make sure that the material you use is waterproof. Most homeowners use gravel or tar for these roof pitch options. Moreover, you can also use rubber membrane, TPO, PVC, metal sheets, and roll roofing.

5.     GAMBREL ROOF

A gambrel roof is also called a Dutch roof or barn roof. These roofs have two symmetrical sides and consist of two slopes, each on one side. These higher roof pitch options are shallow in angle, and the lower slope of the roof is steeper. These roofs have a simple design, making them easy to replace. As a gambrel roof contains two roof beams only, they need less material, eventually becoming a cost-effective option while replacing. These roofs are not effective for high wind and snowfall areas because the design is open and can collapse under severe pressure. If you are installing a gambrel roof for your house, you should also waterproof the ridges. For a gambrel roof, you should consider choosing a material depending on the style of your house. For instance, you can use asphalt, shingles, and wooden roofs. However, you can also consider metal for roofing as this material will require less maintenance, which cuts down on cost.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, roof pitch options are important to find out the roofing material that you require. When constructing your home’s roof, you can decide which roof pitch options will be the best for your location and choose the material accordingly. Furthermore, you can replace your roof if you have a low pitched roof and worried about the leakage due to heavy rain. Sustainability is also important for roofing to avoid roof damage during stormy seasons. So choosing durable material is also important. Hence, choose cost-effective, durable, and waterproof roof pitch options and roofing material.