Do you want to build a strong and beautiful roof, but do not know which structure to choose? I will tell you what a hipped roof is and what you need to know in order to build it yourself. And as a bonus, I will explain on what principle the truss system is designed and what elements it consists of, and how the roofing pie is arranged.
Basic information about hipped roofs
A four-slope, also known as a hip roof, is a structure with four inclined slopes, two of which are trapezoid-shaped, and two are isosceles triangle-shaped.
Triangular end slopes are called hips, hence the name of the roof. Because of the characteristic shape, when viewed from above, the roof is popularly referred to as the "envelope". For comparison, the construction of a hipped roof consists of identical slopes.
| Illustrations | Type of hip roof in accordance with structural features |
 | Traditional hip roof. Such a design around the entire perimeter has the same overhang, that is, all the slopes depart from the load-bearing walls at the same distance. |
 | Semi-hipped, so-called Dutch roof. This design consists of 4 inclined slopes, but two triangular slopes, as in the photo, end slightly higher than the main slopes, made in the shape of a trapezoid. |
Features of truss systems of hip roofs
Before you make a hipped roof, you need to decide on the type of truss system:
- If the attic is supposed to be used as an attic, it is better to use hanging rafters, where you can do without vertical supports;
- If the floor area is more than 100 m², it is preferable to use layered rafters that rely on the Mauerlat and the bed. Due to the use of vertical supports, such roofs demonstrate high resistance to mechanical stress.
| Illustrations | Elements in the construction of a hipped roof system |
 | Mauerlat. This is a log or beam, rigidly fixed along the perimeter of the bearing walls. The lower ends of the inclined beams rest against the Mauerlat. The main task of the Mauerlat is to evenly distribute the load from the roof onto the load-bearing walls. |
 | Skate run. This is a longitudinal beam located in the upper part of the truss system, on which the upper ends of the inclined beams are connected. |
 | Diagonal rafters. These are diagonally located beams that form hips and trapezoidal slopes.
The upper ends of the diagonal rafters are connected on a ridge run.
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 | Narozhniki. These are vertical beams that are installed in the gap between the sloping beams.
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 | Struts. These are diagonally located struts, which at one end are attached to the bed, and at the other end rest against the middle part of the rafters. On roofing systems with a large area of coverage, such struts are installed to support the spouts.
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 | Vertical racks. These are beams that connect the bed with the ridge run.
On small roofs, racks are installed in the immediate vicinity of the rafter and purlin attachment point. On large roofs, intermediate racks are installed. |
 | Sill. This is a bar or log that performs the function of an intermediate Mauerlat. The bed is attached over the inner wall.
In the event that the inner wall is not located under the ridge run, the bed is attached with two ends to the Mauerlat or a hanging rafter system is performed. |
 | Knot of fastening of rafters. The rafters, when forming the hips, are connected at the top.
In order to maintain the required hip angle, the side rafters are cut at an appropriate angle and fastened to the purlin or straight rafters through perforated metal plates. |
 | Attachment of rafters and couplers to the Mauerlat. This is the most loaded node in the design of the truss system. Therefore, the Mauerlat is fixed on the load-bearing wall with anchor bolts.
The remaining connections in this assembly are made using special hardware - perforated plates and threaded studs with nuts. |
 | Rafter connection node on the run. In this node, the rafters are joined end-to-end or overlap. Fastening is done by hand using metal perforated corners. |
Recommendations for the installation of truss systems
In order for a hipped roof to be built correctly with your own hands, you need to calculate its slope. An angle of inclination of slopes over 60 degrees will cause the roof to be torn off by the wind, and an insufficient slope will cause the snow to melt very slowly. Therefore, you need to choose an average value, for example, 45 degrees.
Using the formula Hk \u003d Lpts x tgb, you can calculate the height of the ridge run. Using a slightly modified formula tgb \u003d Hk / Lpts, you can calculate the angle of inclination of the slopes from the already known height of the ridge. Next, we round the resulting number and, according to table 1, we find the angle of inclination of the trapezoidal part of the roof.
Features of the roofing pie device
| Illustrations | Type of roof according to the method of insulation |
 | Warm roof. This type of roofing cake is relevant if the attic is used as housing. In the gaps between the inclined beams, a complex pie is formed from the vapor barrier of the insulation, the ventilation gap and the roofing. |
 | cold roof. This design is formed by the roofing material and vapor barrier, while the thermal insulation is not lined along the slopes, but on the floor beams. |
Summing up
Now you know what components a hipped roof consists of and what you need to consider when designing it. For more details, watch the video in this article. If you have any questions, ask them in your comments.
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