The type of roof of a house often directly depends on the purpose of the building itself. And if various multi-pitched roofs are quite versatile and can cover both residential premises and various kinds of utility and industrial buildings, then a single-pitched roof has its own specifics and is used only under certain conditions.
Roof classification
There are many divisions according to which one or another roof can be classified into a certain category, however, the most universal and common is the classification of roofs by the number of slopes:
- Shed roofs are horizontal planes covered with even layers of roofing material.
- Gable and four-pitched roofs have a similar appearance, but one significant difference is that in the first case, gables continuing the walls are located between the slopes.
- Multi-pitched roofs are complex systems consisting of many elements of non-standard shape.
The main features of shed roofs are simplicity of design and functionality.
There are other types of roofs, which are primarily decorative, but shed roofing is entirely subordinated to its practical use. This is facilitated by large open areas with a special reliable coating.
Unlike those with one slope of roofs, gable and four-slope roofs are not so convenient for moving and perform only a protective and decorative function.
Such roofs are visible from afar, so materials are used for their decoration that have an attractive appearance and sufficient quality to provide a cozy atmosphere inside the house.
Multi-pitched roofs are used most often in houses that have a non-standard shape. Long gone are the days when everyone lived in traditional square or rectangular boxes.
Now the shape of a residential building can be completely different: from T-shaped to having a number of interconnected buildings and outbuildings of various heights.
However, such houses also need a roof, therefore, in such cases, various progressive technologies are used to create a special roof covering for each element of the house.
Shed roof features
A simple and inconspicuous shed roof has its advantages over its brethren oriented towards the external viewer.
- Simplicity of design. Having only one plane, the roof does not need to calculate the angles of inclination and create additional supporting systems, as required, say, by a hipped roof.
- Ease of coverage. The surface of a flat roof can be covered with a solid layer of reliable roofing, which does not need to be assembled from individual elements for a long time. This saves effort and time both in choosing the appropriate material and in applying it to the roof plane.
- Practicality. A flat open roof area can become a kind of additional floor of a building, located under the open sky. Special protective barriers and reliable roofing allow various events to be held there without risk to the life and health of its participants.
- Reliability. The slope of the roof is often hidden not only from prying eyes, but also from the impact of various external threats to which other types of roofs are subject. These include wind, precipitation, and, oddly enough, gravity. The elements of multi-pitched roofs located at an angle are under the influence of a certain force of attraction at each moment of time. Therefore, any sufficiently powerful physical shock, one way or another, is a threat of collapse.A shed roof is devoid of such weakness and can be subjected to much greater loads.
- Durability. The design of a shed roof is quite simple, but at the same time very reliable. There are no complex systems here that can lose their stability over time, so the effective service life of such roofs is incomparably, much longer.
Thus, having only one even slope of the roof is an excellent example of how the maximum simplification of the structure leads only to the improvement of its functions.
Areas of application for shed roofs
As noted earlier, not particularly aesthetic, in fact, flat roofs are rarely used in the construction of private residential buildings. Such coatings are used in buildings where the practical component of the roof is much more important than the decorative one.
In particular, shed roofs are used to cover:
- schools;
- kindergartens;
- factory and warehouse premises;
- and many other buildings where the reliability of the roof plays a much greater role than its appearance.
Creation of a roof covering on a large plane.
And with reliability, simple shed structures surpass all their more complex competitors.
It is not surprising - after all, it is much easier to cover a flat horizontal surface with any protective layer and process it with all the necessary mixtures and compositions. Up to the point that the entire plane can be filled with strong concrete and covered with a layer of roofing material.
And although such radical measures are by no means frequent, the possibilities of creating the necessary protective shell on a flat roof are still much wider.
Shed roofs in private houses
However, recently roofs with one slope have begun to be used in private construction. However, the arrangement of a shed roof for a residential building is somewhat different from that used in industrial buildings.
Here, its design is more like a simplified version of a gable roof.
The main elements of such a roof are:
- Ceiling beams or rafters. The choice of specific options for location and fastening depends on the angle of inclination of the future roof. If a perfectly horizontal roof is assumed (which is becoming rarer), then a complex system of layered rafters does not make much sense.
Remember! Whatever system you choose, the supporting structure must always be absolutely stable, the reliability of the entire roof depends on it.
- Next, a layer of insulating materials is applied, providing a warm and comfortable atmosphere in the house.
- And finally, the final roofing is applied. The choice of materials here is still quite large, however, preference is already given to more decorative materials.
Such a roof has a number of features that distinguish it from larger-scale coatings:
- First of all, the shed roof of a private house often loses its functionality. In this sense, she becomes closer to her multi-slope brothers. In particular, due to the loss of its function, the protective fence of the pitched roof is lost.
- The roofing of such a roof already has a more decorative purpose, however, due to its design features, it still protects against cold and wind somewhat better than complex multi-pitched systems.
- Due to the use of other materials and technologies, the basic properties of the roof for a private house also change somewhat.In particular, this applies to reliability and durability, which again bring together a shed roof with roofs with several slopes.
- The significantly smaller roof surface area also imposes its limitations. In this case, it can be difficult and sometimes even inappropriate to use materials that are relevant in larger areas.
Thus, the shed roof combines the key features of traditional private sector multi-gable roofs with a reliable and simple flat roof construction. Absorbing all the best from both of these types of roofs, she will certainly find her connoisseurs.
Choosing the Right Roof Type
It happens that people do not attach much importance to such an insignificant detail in their opinion as the appearance of the roof of their house. Most often, the choice of the appropriate type of roof is at the mercy of the designer, or is done almost at random.
However, in fact, in addition to the purely external, there are a number of features that can play a decisive role in deciding whether to use one or another type of roof structure.
For example, calculating a hipped roof is a very difficult task, but if done correctly, then there is every chance of getting a reliable roof that can withstand the most difficult weather conditions.
gable roof implies somewhat more benign climatic conditions, and multi-pitched roofs require special attention to the design features. And only a shed roof is ready to withstand all the elements, and at the same time it is very unpretentious in installation and maintenance.
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