Understand the common terms your roofer talks about when they visit you and talk about in a quote is important to ensure you understand the work suggested. We have put together a list of common roofing terms that we may talk about during the quoting process.
We hope you find this useful.
A roof is primarily designed to keep out rain and snow including wind-driven spray from a building. It can also deny access to pests. In modern times of energy conservation a roof can also contribute to preventing warmth being lost from a building.
The measure of the steepness of a roof.
The structure (walls and roof) around a window that projects from a sloped roof.
Long straight boards running along the bottom edge of your roof. Their purpose is to support the bottom row of roof tiles as well as the guttering. Fascia boards are attached directly to roof trusses. They are commonly made from timber and uPVC.
A framework of beams that support the roof.
The beams that run from the top of the roof to the bottom. Part of the roof truss.
Internal angle formed when by the intersection of two sloping roof planes. The intersection of a cross hip or cross gable roof. A valley is the angle created at the point where pitched roofs meet. A valley carries water off the roof as a channel.
A finished underside of the eaves. Covers the area between the end of the eaves and the house.
External angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.
Triangle shaped part of the end of a building underneath the roof and above the main portion of the house.
the highest point of the roof that runs the length of the roof.
Materials used to waterproof a roof around any projections<br />
generally defined as having a pitch not greater than 15° to the horizontal. A truly flat roof would not allow rainwater to drain away so most flat roofs have a fall on them so that the rainwater naturally flows to collection points.
A typical roof pitch for a traditional house
Metal flashing pieces installed at sidewalls and chimneys for weatherproofing.
Traditional roof style; two peaked roof planes meeting at a ridge line of equal size.