Reliable and professional roofing company, for homeowners needing roof repairs and replacements.
Types of Roof Types and Styles for Houses
At Daniel Ellis Roofing we have vast experience of repairing and replacing all kinds of roofs.
10 Common Roof Designs
Open Gable
Hip & Valley
Box Gable
Pyramid Hip
Flat
Lean to
Shed
Mansard
Dormer
Dutch Gable
Types of Pitched Roofing
Traditional roof designs offer greater flexibility because they are constructed with substantial timber beams, whilst the lightweight trussed rafter type is easier to lift into place.
There are two basic methods of pitched roof construction;
Cut Roof
The traditional method of cutting the timber on site and building up the roof using rafters, ridge boards, joists and purlins etc - the exact design is determined by the size of roof, size of timbers etc. No part of a timber roof should ever be cut, modified, remove or the covering of the roof changed (i.e. replacing a slate roof covering by a concrete tile covering) without consulting a structural engineer.
Truss Roof
Uses factory made trusses which are delivered to site complete and just erected. If you are planning on replacing the tiles on a truss roof it is very important to know each truss is designed to form part of the complete roof structure so for example:
You should not replace a roof with a different type of tile e.g. don't replace replacing a slate roof covering by a concrete tile covering without consulting a structural engineer first
Types of Roof Tile
Houses with pitched roofs are usually covered with tiles or slates which fix, or clip over, battens. These battens sit on a roofing membrane and are fixed to the rafters below.
Different types of tile vary hugely in size with the small clay, or concrete “Plain tiles” at only 265 x 165mm compared to the largest of roofing slates at a giant 600 x 300mm.
Natural Slate
Very long life span (80-100 years)
Requires little or no maintenance as slate barely porous.
Performs well against temperature differences.
Relatively costly
Artificial Slate
Cheaper than natural slates).
Large variety of colours and formats.
Performs well against temperature differences.
Lower life than natural slate tiles at 25-35 years.
Concrete Roof Tiles
Concrete roof tiles provide brilliant durability and longevity, hence their use on millions of properties across the country. They have gTheir popularity is not simply due to their strength. It is also the variety of profiles available when choosing concrete roof tiles
Low maintenance
Long lasting - can last up to 50-60 years on a well maintained roof.
Available in a range of shapes and colours
Very heavy so needs a good strong supporting roofing system
Can stain and can be difficult to clean of mould growth etc
Clay Roof Tiles
Long lasting - most tile manufacturers will offer a guarantee of 30 years but most should last for a minimum of 60 year
Natural material - environmentally friendly
Low maintenance - if mould develops they can be cleaned quite easily
Generally more costly than Concrete
Lighter than Concrete but still heavy
Not as Tolerant of weather.
Repeated freezing and thawing weakens them.