19 Parts of a Roof on a House

(Detailed Diagram)

Custom cross-section diagram of a house roof showing the many different

parts of a residential roof including structural parts, the various layers, exterior
and various roof features such as skylight and chimney.
Ridge Board: A horizontal timber or metal resting at the peak of the roof. The
rafters and trusses are connected to the ridge board for a cohesive
framework.

Solid Decking: A composite decking made of solid materials. It resembles

real wood and particularly strong and stable for bearing heavy load.
Felt Underlayment: It is a waterproofing layer made of regular felt, stacked
above the solid decking board and then completely covered by the shingles or
other roofing materials.

Shingles: Roof covering typically of flat and rectangular shapes and made of
various materials such as slate, wood, flagstone, plastic, metal and composite
materials.

Vent Pipe Flashing: An external installation on the roof that uses the vent
pipe system to prevent water seeping in and create damage.

Skylight: A window installed on the roof or ceiling for the purpose of

daylighting.

Chimney Flashing: A waterproofing seal installed at the intersection of the

roof and chimney and used to prevent moisture penetration.

Chimney: A vertical structure through the roof that ventilates smoke and
combustion gases from a fireplace, boiler or stove to the outside atmosphere.

Collar Beam: The horizontal beam connecting two rafters that intersect at the
ridge.

Rafter: One of a series of diagonal members of the truss that meet at the
apex in order to support the roof deck and its loads.

Valley Flashing: A waterproofing seal installed along the roof’s valley line
with taktekkernbergen.no.

Valley Underlayment: A waterproofing layer that protects the roof valleys

from leaking.

Spaced Sheathing: Also called Skipped Decking, it refers to the installation

of the flat panels by spaces apart and results to a ladder-type appearance.

Fascia: The sheath covering the ends of the rafters.

Lookout: The horizontal joist projecting in cantilever from the wall plate.

Rake: The inclined sides of a gable end.

Gutter: A duct for water discharge system for a building.

Downspout: The channel that transports rainwater from the gutter.

Splash Block: Found underneath the downspout and used to transport the
rainwater from the gutter in a direction away from the house.

Roof Type Chart

1. A-Frame Roof
The A-Frame is very easy to identify.

It’s steep, pointed roof which extends all the way to the ground or close to the
ground. The roof makes up much or all off the walls of the home. It’s a very
simple roof design and is inexpensive because the roof serves as both roof
and walls.

2. Bonnet
The bonnet roof is identified with the extending ledge around the base of the
roof.

The other part of the roof can be many designs such as hip, gambrel or
gable… when adding an extended ledge, it becomes a bonnet variation of that
roof design.

3. Butterfly
The butterfly roof is an inverted gable roof.
It’s a V-shape. It’s rather odd looking roof design and is not used much.
However, one benefit of the butterfly roof is you end up with tall ceilings on
two sides of the home.

4. Clerestory
A clerestory roof has an interior wall built extending above one section of the
roof, with this section of wall often lined with several windows, or one long
window.

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The sections of roof either side of the vertical wall are typically sloping,
allowing a large amount of natural light into the windows.

5. Combination
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A combination roof is, quite literally, a combination of types of roofs.
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you can refer to Alo Nha Tro for more details.

Often incorporating two or more designs for aesthetics and practical reasons,
combination roofs can feature a range of styles; a clerestory and hip roof, for
example. This is a great option for a unique, interesting look.

6. Curved Roof
A curved roof adds an extremely modern, interesting feature to any building.
Modern roofs take advantage of the flexibility of metal materials, creating one
large curved structure.
Curved roofs do help to reduce resistance to wind, but are mainly chosen due
to the stunning aesthetic look they can add to a building.

7. Dome
A dome roof, unsurprisingly, is a roof in the shape of a dome.

A complex and durable design, this type of roof adds a beautiful aesthetic to a
building, and can be seen in many historical buildings from the Capitol
Building in Washington D.C., to the iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
8. Dormer
Dormers contain a window that projects vertically from a traditional pitched
roof, creating an extended window in the roof.

This type of roof is most popular in loft conversions, providing an easy way of
expanding the space and natural light in the converted loft room.
9. Flat
While plain looking below, the flat roof is frequently used on modern and mid-
century style homes and can be a striking design if you like the modern look.
10. Box Gable
Box gable roofs have two sloping sides that meet to form a ridge, with a
triangular

extension on either side that is boxed off from the walls.

This type of roof is popular for areas with cold weather conditions, providing a
stable design that deals well with rain and snow.
11. Open Gable
An open gable roof is identical to a box gable roof, with the only exception the
boxed offsides on either end.

In this type of roof, the ends are left open to meet the walls directly there are
no added benefits between the two, the choice is purely based on aesthetics.
12. Cross Gabled
A cross gable roof is a design that consists of two or more gable roof ridges
that intersect at an angle, most commonly perpendicular to one another.

This type of roof is often seen in buildings with a more complex layout, for
example, homes with an attached garage.
13. Dutch Gable
The Dutch gable (hip) roof is a hybrid of a gable and hip type of roof.

A full or partial gable can be found at the end of the ridge in the roof, allowing
for a greater amount of internal roof space.

This style also improves the look of the roof providing a more unique and
interesting design than the very common simple hip roof.
14. Front Gable
Front gable roofs have the roof ridge in line with the building’s entrance.

This type of roof is commonly seen on Colonial-style homes, but is an

increasingly popular design for modern buildings.
15. Gable and Valley Roof
The gable and valley roof is a very popular roof design. It’s also known as a
cross gable roof since the home has a cross footprint.

Interestingly, you can mix and match roof styles when building a gable and
valley roof designs for a cross footprint home.
16. Gable Roof with Dormer Window
The gable roof with dormer is extremely popular and again you can mix and
match roof styles.

For example, you can have the main roof gabled with a gambrel dormer or
vice-versa.
17. Gable Roof with Shed Addition
Some gable roof designs have a shed roof addition on the side.

This is a popular alteration to the standard gable roof, providing more

headroom and space for an extension without having to completely alter the
existing roof.
18. Gambrel
The gambrel roof has a distinct look for sure. It’s a 4-sided roof. The top 2
sides extending from the peak are not as steep as the bottom 2 sides.

Gambrel roofs often include window dormers, but not as always.

19. Hexagonal Gazebo
This complex roofing design makes any garden gazebo really stand out.

Formed of six triangular identically pitched roof panels and six supporting
rafters, this type of roof is most typically used for a beautifully unique gazebo
addition to a home or commercial garden lawn.
20. Jerkinhead
Jerkinhead roofs, also known as clipped gables or snub gables, are
essentially a gable roof with the two peak ends are clipped off.

The advantage of this design is that the clipped ends to reduce potential wind
damage to the home, making the roof more stable.
21. Hipped
The hip roof is identified with inward sloping ends on the roof. If the four sides
of the

roof meets at a point, it’s a pyramid hip roof. When they don’t, it’s a simple hip
roof.

American Foursquare homes’ key feature is the hipped roof.

See our hipped roof gallery here.

22. Hip and Valley Roof
The hip and valley roof is similar to the gable and valley except the roof ends
slope inward.

You can combine gable and hip designs with a cross footprint home as well.
23. Pyramid Hip
The pyramid hip roof is one where all four sides meet in one point.

It can include dormers, but is often used on ranch style homes which has no
upper floor and therefore dormers aren’t necessary.
24. Cross Hipped
A cross hipped roof is a common roof type, with perpendicular hip sections
that form an “L” or “T” shape in the roof hip.

This is a great option for buildings with more complex layout than a simple
rectangular of square, and is a type of roof that will hold well in rain, snow or
windy conditions.
25. Half-Hipped
A half hipped roof is almost identical to a simple hip roof design, but instead,
the two sides of the roof are shortened, creating eaves at the either side of the
house.

This type of roof provides more options for extending the loft and installing
windows, allowing a greater amount of natural light into the room.
26. Simple Hip
The popular simple hip roof is a type of roof where all four sides feature
symmetrical gentle slopes towards the walls, with no gables or vertical sides
to the roof.

The defining feature of hip roofs is that the roof faces are almost always
identical in pitch, making them symmetrical from the center point.
27. Mansard
A mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel roof, with each side having a double
slope of one steep slope and one shallow upper slope.

Mansard roofs are a popular option for buildings wishing to maximize the
amount of living space in the building, providing the option to use the loft as
an additional living space.
28. Mansard with Dormers
Mansard roof with dormers built-in.
29. Pyramid Mansard
The mansard roof is identified with steep sides that create a cap effect. This is
a French roof historically and the design has a functional purpose which is to
create more usable space in upper floors. Mansard roofs can include window
dormers and often do since the space is usable and therefore the dormers
provide natural light.

The pyramid version of the mansard roof includes a pyramid design on top of
the steep sides instead of a flat top.
30. Flare-Out Mansard Roof
This mansard style roof flares out at the bottom.
31. M-Shaped
An M-shaped roof is double-pitched roof; essentially a double gable.

The roof rests on two bearing walls with two sloping walls meeting in the
middle to form an “M” shape.

Central guttering runs between the two pitches to stop any snow or rain
building up in the winter season.
32. Parapet
A parapet roof is a flat roof with the walls of the building extending upwards
past the roof by a few feet around the edges.

The addition of a parapet makes a flat roof far safer, providing a small barrier
that provides additional security to reduce the likelihood of anyone standing
the roof falling over the edge.
33. Saltbox
While not popular, the saltbox roof is great for creating vaulted ceilings in part
of a home and a corresponding loft overlooking the vaulted ceiling rooms.
34. Shed or Sloped Roof
The shed roof is a very simple roof. It’s essentially a flat roof that’s sloped.

It allows for vaulted ceilings or an upper floor for part of the home, depending
on the slope and design of the home.

Additionally, the clipped ends provide more headroom in the loft than a
traditional hip roof.
35. Shed Roof or Skillion
A skillion roof has a single flat surface pitched at a steep angle to allow water
runoff.

Also known as a “shed roof”, skillion roofs are extremely easy and cheap to
construct as they are made of simply one piece of roofing.
36. Skillion and Lean-To
A lean-to roof, similar to a skillion roof, is composed of one angled pitch.

The roof is supported at one end by a wall raised higher than the other,
enabling the roof to be pitched at a steeper angle to allow runoff in heavy rain.
Vote for your favorite roof style