Roof over your head

A roof is the most important part of a building when it comes to providing protection to the  structure. Come and learn more about different roof types, and hopefully this will help you to choose the correct roof for your own house.

What are the different types of roof?

Hip-roof – this roof comprises of two trapezes and two triangles. Horizontal slopes form in the intersection of the trapezes and triangles form the sloping ridge. This type of roof is very difficult to make, but it is very strong.

Gable roof – this type of roofing is traditional and very popular. Our company,  Meistro Namai, uses this type of roofing. Gable roofing is triangular comprising two slopes with the ridge along the top. Slopes are upheld by the supporting walls. The triangles formed at the back are called pediments. Usually windows are installed in the pediments. The main advantage of this roof is that you can lay any type of covering on it with minimum material wastage.

(We also offer cabins, garden cabins, wooden cabins and leisure houses with gable roofs.)

Mansard roof – this is a gable roof, which has every slope divided into two planes. The upper plane has a 30 degree slope, the lower - 60 degrees. French architect Francois Mansart made this type of roof very popular. This type of roofing is very difficult to construct, but is very popular, because it is possible to incorporate the living area within the roof space.

Pyramid roof – a multi-angle shape often with four slopes. These slopes are in the shape of a triangle and end in a point. This roof does not have pediments and horizontal ridges. It is a difficult roof construction, because its foundation is made out of supporting rafters, which also carry the main load. These roofs are best used for square or equilateral shaped buildings.

Single slope roof (shed roof) – A roof consisting of a single sloping surface. Usually it is used for terraces, porches etc. It is also seen in new architectural buildings. This type of roofing is economical; it has the simplest construction, lowest number of finishing elements and is relatively cheap.

(Our company also builds houses with single slope roofs, for example the ‘Kuosa’ Garden Cabin or the ‘Peleda’ Wooden Cabin.)

Gambrel roof – this is a hip roof, but its rear triangle does not reach the ledge. This type of roof was very popular from the end of the 19th century till the middle of the 20^th century. This looks like a hip roof, but it differs in the style of the rear slope. Trapeze-shaped pediments are formed when constructing this type of roof, which protect from wind and rain.

Rare types of roof

These are types of roof that are not used so often:

- Hemispherical dome roof;

- Saw-tooth roof (usually used for hangars)

- Helmet-shape roof (used for towers)

- Butterfly roof (used for new buildings)

We hope this information will help to choose a roof for your house.