Traditional Roof Structure

Traditional or cut roof.

Traditional roof structure.

Timber lends itself to a great variety of roof shapes. This reflects the weatherproofing requirements of older roofing materials like thatch and peg tiles. 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. Also different architectural styles will use the same type of roof.

A cut roof this is the traditional method of cutting the timber on site and building up the roof using rafters ridge boards joists and purlins etc the exact details being determined by the size of roof size of timbers etc. The finished structure is readily adaptable. There are two basic methods of pitched roof construction. Where a roof has insulation as an integral part of its structure it is called a warm roof.

They span from the wallplate to the ridge board providing a platform for the underlay battens and tiles. Not only is the volume large enough to convert into living space but the structure can generally be easily. 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.

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. 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. 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. In terms of roof covering standing seam metal roof would be the best option in terms of strength and durability but you could also go with architectural shingles light color roof.

Modern construction methods make use of another type of roof structure and this is known as trussed rafter roofs see. The traditional option is steeply pitched rarely less than 35.