A gable roof is a

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temp ...

consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associate ...

roof truss A timber roof truss is a structural framework of timbers designed to bridge the space above a room and to provide support for a roof. Trusses usually occur at regular intervals, linked by longitudinal timbers such as purlins. The space between eac ...

es or

purlin A purlin (or historically purline, purloyne, purling, perling) is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin. Pu ...

s. The pitch of a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

roof can vary greatly.

Distribution

The gable roof is so common because of the simple design of the roof timbers and the rectangular shape of the roof sections. This avoids details which require a great deal of work or cost and which are prone to damage. If the pitch or the rafter lengths of the two roof sections are different, it is described as an 'asymmetrical gable roof'. A gable roof on a church tower (gable tower) is usually called a 'cheese wedge roof' (''Käsbissendach'') in Switzerland. Its versatility means that the gable roof is used in many regions of the world. In regions with strong winds and heavy rain, gable roofs are built with a steep pitch in order to prevent the ingress of water. By comparison, in alpine regions, gable roofs have a shallower pitch which reduces wind exposure and supports snow better, reducing the risk of an uncontrolled avalanche and more easily retaining an insulating layer of snow. Gable roofs are most common in cold climates. They are the traditional roof style of New England and the east coast of Canada.

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

’s '' The House of Seven Gables'' and

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. Sh ...

’s ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', the authors of which are from these respective regions, both reference this roof style in their titles.

Pros and cons

Gable roofs have several advantages. They are: * Inexpensive * May be designed in many different ways. * Are based on a simple design principle. * More weather-resistant than flat roofs * May allow an

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a ''loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

to be turned into living space if the pitch is sufficient to at least allow dormers. A steeper pitch will be sufficient on its own. Disadvantages: * Gable roofs are more prone to wind damage than

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thu ...

German terminology

In German-speaking countries the types of gable roof are referred to as: * Shallow gable roof (''flaches Satteldach'') with a pitch of ≤ 30° * New German (''neudeutsches Dach'') or angled roof (''Winkeldach'') with a pitch of 45° * When the pitch it greater than 62° it is called a Gothic (''gotisches'') or Old German roof (''altdeutsches Dach'') * If the roof has the shape of an equilateral triangle and 60° pitch it is called an Old Franconian (''altfränkisches'') (commonly found in the region of

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper F ...

) or Old French roof (''altfranzösisches Dach'')Willibald Mannes, Franz-Josef Lips-Ambs: ''Dachkonstruktionen in Holz'', Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1981, .

References

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{{Authority control Roofs

Distribution

Pros and cons

German terminology

See also

References

External links