Traditional Roof Structure

Timber lends itself to a great variety of roof shapes.

Traditional roof structure.

Not only is the volume large enough to convert into living space but the structure can generally be easily. They span from the wallplate to the ridge board providing a platform for the underlay battens and tiles. The overall construction of a traditional cut roof is to ensure that the load of the roof is evenly transmitted to the walls below. The rafters are the main load bearing elements of the roof.

This reflects the weatherproofing requirements of older roofing materials like thatch and peg tiles. A typical roof pitch in the uk for a traditional house will be 40 50 but at the extreme can. Where a roof has insulation as an integral part of its structure it is called a warm roof. Where the insulation is not included within its structure maybe the insulation is laid on the ceiling of the floor below then it is called a cold roof.

There are two basic methods of pitched roof construction. Pitched roof construction. Modern construction methods make use of another type of roof structure and this is known as trussed rafter roofs see. Traditional or cut roof.

The finished structure is readily adaptable. The traditional option is steeply pitched rarely less than 35. Intricate roofs have many parts that incorporate several of the basic roof designs such as a gable roof sitting atop a gambrel or variations of the gable valley roof design using one or a variety of different types of roof trusses also see our very detailed diagrams showing the different parts of a roof truss. The supporting structure of a roof usually comprises beams that are long and of strong fairly rigid material such as timber and since the mid 19th century cast iron or steel in countries that use bamboo extensively the flexibility of the material causes a distinctive curving line to the roof characteristic of oriental architecture.

Also different architectural styles will use the same type of roof. The best roof shape for a high wind area would be a hip roof but it s more expensive to construct than a traditional gable roof a common roof for sheds.