Four Main Types of Roof Addition to Consider

A front porch is not just an area where dirty shoes are placed before entering the house. For many, this is a dedicated sitting place to relax and enjoy the sun. If you have an open porch, patio or a deck, then building a roof addition over your screened in porch, adds even more extra floor space in your house.

Building a porch roof, however, can be a fairly straightforward project or complex depending on your preferred roof addition. Most porch roofing styles are either shed roofs or different designs of the hipped roof. If you are choosing a roof style to complete your porch, here are four roof options you may want to consider.

1.Shed Roof
This is one of the simplest roof solutions. It’s not only easy for the roofer to build, but also pocket-friendly on your budget. While shed roofs may appear like an outright add-on, they are ideal for smaller buildings with low points on the walls. Shed roof slopes down in a single direction, eliminating corners which creates more space inside. Before choosing a roof type, ensure your local building codes allows the construction of shed roofs over porches and other living spaces.

2.Gable Roof
A gabled roof is a common roof design that features two sloping sides that meet at the ridge and is popularly identified with a triangular shaped extension. This roofing type adds a strong visual appeal to the home, and when matched perfectly with the rest of the rooflines, it appears as part of the house rather than an addition. There are different kinds of the gable roofs to choose from, and they come with varying pitches.

3.Dormers
A dormer is a true addition to an existent roof, and it features a window and a roof projecting at a 90-degree angle from the existing slope of the roof. The roof could either be flat, hipped, gabled among other roofing styles. With a roof dormer, you can add more top floor space, which allows natural light into the house and create additional headroom where you’d otherwise have low eaves. Roof dormers also improve the architectural design of your house, increasing its resale value should you want to sell.

4.Mansard Roof
Unlike gable or hip roof, a mansard roof is more complex to build. This French design roof features four sloping sides with each one becoming steeper halfway down. The design creates more interior space as it increases your home square footage.

These are just some of the main types of roofs. Other options you have include M Shaped roof, butterfly roof, Dutch roof and flat roof. In most cases, however, the choice of roofing design is not as important as the roofing material you choose. Metal roofing is expensive, but it guaranteed lifetime service than wooden roofs. But each type of roof has its advantages and disadvantages, so it’s crucial to consider your options thoroughly before choosing your preferred style.