Types of Roofing
Roofs come in a wide array of styles and materials, serving both functional and aesthetic purposes. From the classic gable roof to sleek modern roofs, there is a type of roof to suit every budget, climate, and style.
Whether you need a new roof for your existing home or you’re building a brand-new house, it’s essential to choose a quality roof. A roof offers far more than just protection for your home. It has the potential to affect energy efficiency, overall space, and light throughout the home. You also want to consider the overall style the roof will bring to the home when making your decision.
At Unisource Roofing, we build the strongest roofs in the industry. We strip the old felt off your deck, remove all nails to minimize future nail pops, and then inspect your deck for rotten wood before we install your new felt. When installing your new shingles, we add WinterGuard in all valleys and around all pipes and potential leak areas like chimneys and skylights. These extra steps are not standard but are our way of going the extra mile to minimize the chance of a leak. The best roofs are from the CertainTeed Corporation and installed by Unisource Roofing.
Common Types of Roofing in Kentucky
The Hip/Hip and Valley Roof
An excellent type of roof to discuss with your roofing contractor is a hip roof, which slopes on all sides. The sides are the same length, and at the top, they come together, forming a ridge. This type of roof is more stable than the gable roof mentioned below, so it works well in snowy areas and with high winds. In the Kentucky high wind regions, this is an excellent roofing system to choose from. These roofs also offer plenty of ventilation, the ability to include additions, and extra living space.
The Gable Roof
One of the most popular and best roof options for a Shelbyville home is the gable roof, which is often called the peaked or pitched roof. They have a triangular shape and offer many benefits. They shed snow and water easily, provide great ventilation, and offer plenty of space for vaulted ceilings or a full attic. Since they have a simple design, they are cheap and easy to build, which can save you money.
Construction Style
The hip roof has four sides and is always slopped on each side. The sides are of equal length and meet at the top of the rooftop and form the ridge of the home. The hip and valley home is constructed very similarly to the hip roof and falls into the Louisville common roof types as well. There are fifteen roofs that would be fairly common in the Kentucky area for various reasons. However, we will concentrate on these roofing systems, which are most common in Louisville and Shelbyville.
A common hip and valley roof would have an L shape to it that creates a valley, and this is where the name hip and valley comes in. The hip roof would be considered a better roof type by some Louisville roofers since there are no valleys to contend with. The construction of a valley with roofing materials leads to a little more complex roofing job. The valley in a hip and valley roof also leaves a chance for a roof leak and a need for roof repair if not constructed properly. The proper way to build a valley would be to start first by making sure all nails and debris have been removed. The first product to put on your roof building a valley is called an ice and water shield. The CertainTeed Corporation makes a product called WinterGuard that Unisource Roofing uses daily on all homes reroofed in Louisville and Shelbyville.
Pros and Cons
Hip roofs are a very stable roofing system due to the inward slope of all sides of the roof. This makes the hip roof excellent in high wind and heavy snow areas. Hip roofs also offer some extra living area for a vaulted ceiling and attic room. The hip roof allows for good attic ventilation, which is critical for a long roof life, along with making additions like dormers and crow’s nests easier. We recommend no less than a 4/12 pitch for roof warranty reasons, and our personal favorite is a 7/12, which gives a better attic room and makes it easier to re-roof and do roof repairs.
Different Styles
There are several different styles of gable roofs. You have the side gable, crossed gable, front gable, and Dutch gable as the most popular gable roofs. In Louisville, the Dutch gable is a very popular roofing style. A Dutch gable is a cross between a hip and a gable roof.
Basically, a gable roof is placed at the top of a hip roof to add more room as well as make a cleaner look. Front gable roofs are normally placed at the entrance of the house. This type of roof is seen in a colonial-style house. The crossed gable roof is also very popular in Louisville through the Shelbyville areas. The crossed gable roof is where two gable roofs are put together at right angles. The two ridges are perpendicular to each other. The lengths, pitches, and heights may or may not be the same.
Pros and Cons
With all the pros to a gable roof, you might think it is the perfect roof for your Louisville home. There are, however, some negatives to the gable roof. The gable roof can be problematic in high-wind areas. In Louisville and Shelbyville, hurricane-strength winds are a yearly threat. With such a wind threat, you need to make sure your gable roof is constructed with proper support. Make sure your contractor uses hurricane clips throughout the construction. If the overhang is too long, high winds can create an uplift underneath and literally cause the roof to detach from the walls.
The Mansard Roof
Often referred to as a French roof, the mansard roof is four-sided and has a double slope on every side that comes together to create a low-pitched roof. Talk to your local trusted roofer, and you’ll find that these roofs offer plenty of additional living space, which can be used for extra living quarters or a full attic. They also offer you the flexibility to easily make additions to your home in the future, which is helpful if your needs for the home change or you want to add some value to your home.
Distinctive Style
The mansard roof’s distinct double-sloped design, characterized by a steeper lower slope and a shallow upper slope, not only adds a touch of elegance but also maximizes interior space. This ingenious roof style, popularized by French architect François Mansart in the 17th century, offers versatility in both classical and contemporary architectural designs. Mansard roofs often feature dormer windows and can be covered in various materials, such as shingles or slate. Their timeless charm and practicality make Mansard roofs a favorite choice for homeowners and architects looking to blend aesthetics and functionality in their buildings.
Pros and Cons
Mansard roofs are known for their elegant appearance and the extra living space they provide, thanks to their double-sloped design. They offer versatility in architectural styles and efficient rainwater drainage, but they can be more costly to construct and maintain due to their complexity. Additionally, the limited eave space and intricate framing may pose challenges, and compliance with local building codes is crucial. The choice to use a Mansard roof should balance its aesthetic appeal and space benefits with the associated costs and complexities in construction and maintenance.
THE BEST ROOFING SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE.
Our team is available 24 hours a day to take care of any roofing issues you are having. We offer free estimates for all roofing projects and the best customer service of any Louisville roofing company. We look forward to speaking with you soon about your roofing needs!