by rob@elementsofhome.com.au | Jun 27, 2023 | roof | 0 comments


Here are some different roof types and images:


  • Gable roof: This is the most common type of roof. It is a roof with a flat faced end, shaped like an “A”. The triangular end is called a gable. Gable roofs are simple to build and are relatively inexpensive.



  • Hip roof: This type of roof has four sloping sides, without a flat faced end, that meet at a point at the top. Hip roofs are more structurally sound than gable roofs and can withstand more weight.



  • Mansard roof: For this roof style each side of the roof has two slopes. The bottom slope is steeper than the top slope. Mansard roofs are often used in French-style homes and provide more usable space than other types of roofs.



  • Gambrel roof: A gambrel is the gable version of a mansard roof. The sides of the roof have two different slopes. Instead of a triangle, the gable will be a more complex shape. This roof type is common on barns. Gambrel roofs are often used in barns and other agricultural buildings.



  • Pyramid hip: The simplest hip roof is a pyramid hip or square hip roof. This roof looks like a pyramid, making a single peak at the top. Basic hip roofs will instead have a ridge (as shown on the hip roof above). When a pyramid roof sits on top of a gazebo or other garden structure it is called a pavilion roof. Pyramid roofs are often used in religious buildings and other structures that need to be highly visible.



  • Hip and Valley roof: This variant of a hip roof includes valleys. Valleys are spots where two roof planes meet and project downwards. Hip and valley roofs have been popular in recent years.



  • Combination roof: A combination roof is the opposite of the mansard. It flares out at the bottom all of the way around the roof. The lower level of the roof is at a much lower pitch.



  • Open gable: The classic gable roof, where the gable is made of the home’s siding material.



  • Box gable: This roof’s gable is enclosed and extended.



  • Cross Gable: If you combine two gable sections, at a right angle from one another, you’ll have a cross gable roof.



  • Gambrel: A gambrel is the gable version of a mansard roof. The sides of the roof have two different slopes. Instead of a triangle, the gable will be a more complex shape. This roof type is common on barns.



  • Dutch gable: A Dutch gable is the opposite of a jerkinhead. It looks like an open gable roof at the very top but flares out into hips for the rest of the roof.
  • Jerkinhead or half gable roof, clipped gable roof, half hip roof, and English hip roof. magine an open gable roof, with a small covering at the very top of the gable. That’s a jerkinhead roof. The small covering is angled outwards and creates two small hips.



  • Skillion roof: Skillion roofs differ from other standard roofs in that they only have single flat surfaces, as opposed to having two sloping sides which meet in a ridge or peak in the centre of a building.



  • Flat roof: This type of roof is not sloped at all – when you look at it. There is a small slope that you cannot see to allow water to flow off to the gutters – usually box gutters. A more contemporary design.



  • Saw tooth roof: A saw-tooth roof is a roof comprising a series of ridges with dual pitches either side. The steeper surfaces are glazed to admit daylight and usually face away from direct sun (western sun in Australia). This kind of roof admits natural light into a deep floor plan.



  • Shed roof: This type of roof has one sloping side. Shed roofs are simple to build and are relatively inexpensive. They are often used in sheds, garages, and other outbuildings.



  • Dome roof: This type of roof is round and has a curved surface. Dome roofs are often used in religious buildings and other structures that need to be highly visible.