The roof of a house is not the sexiest feature; yet, it is a very prominent one no doubt. With this prominence also comes an important role in which the roof play. It provides shelter from all weather elements while helping to define the structure itself. Rain, wind, snow, and the sun are all kept at bay by the roof of our home. Some home plans will have very high pitched roofs, and then there are those that have moderate and low pitches. It is not by accident that these roofs come in several heights and pitches. It was born out of necessity that roof plans take on such varying degrees of design. Therefore, designing a roof plan for a house is critical to the overall process of a good house design.
Designing a roof plan for architectural blend
As with many other elements of residential planning, you should be designing a roof plan to blend with the house based on its style of architecture. The roof of a Tudor house should be steeply pitched with shallow eaves, as it is a key element in how the style is defined. On the other hand, a prairie style home should have a low pitch roof with very broad eaves, as this too speaks to one of several characteristics associated with this type of home.
There are many different roof configurations found on homes across America. The most common roof design types are the gable, hip, cross-gabled, cross-hipped, and dormer roofs. For the most part, you will see different variations of these across a broad assemblage of architectural styles. More specific, and arguably, less common residential roof designs include salt box, shed, gambrel, mansard, dutch gable, half-hipped, butterfly, and M-shaped. Paring these roof types with the appropriate architectural style is recommended for a home to obtain design harmony and curb appeal.
The Brook house plan has a hip roof design with a cross-hipped roof over the front entrance. This is a fairly simple roof layout and it is inline with the French style architecture of the home.
K.I.S.S. the Roof Design
Designing A Roof Plan With Simplicity In Mind
Keep It Simple Stupid. As with designing a floor plan layout, the roof must also be considered when establishing the footprint of the house. For each offset, angle, or change in plate heights, there is an additional degree of difficulty from a design and construction point of view. Designing a simple roof is one of the attributes found in the cheapest house design to build. Home builders and framing contractors can appreciate a set of plans that have a simple roof design. It saves money on the total framing job from a labor stand point and it is easy to construct. Now, contrast a simple roof with that of a more complex design having odd angles, multiple plate heights, and multiple pitches. A less than skilled framer would have a very difficult time building it and that can only lead to more money (increased cost) and more problems (roof leaks).
The Huntsville house plan is designed with a a main gable roof and a cross-gable roof over the bonus roof that sits above the garage.
There have been cases that I am aware of where framing contractors abandoned jobs in the middle of framing roofs because they were to complex for them to handle. In another other example, I’ve seen home construction jobs where the framing was flawed and that eventually led to roof leaks . These leaks can be frustrating and costly if not corrected. None of these cases were the result of my designs I might add. However, it is stories like these that keep me acutely aware when designing a roof plan for a house. The moral of the story, design the roof with a K.I.S.S.
The importance of designing a roof plan for a house
A roof design can make or break the appearance of a home. Roof designs must be considered when developing the floor plans and determining the house plan styles. Having those ideas in place will lead to a well crafted roof that should be easy to frame. Roofs are not sexy, but they are apart of the overall anatomy of a home which adds to its beauty. It is yet another piece of the puzzle in the three dimension world of home design.
Last Updated on July 23, 2024