How Choosing The Right Roof Structure Can Save You Money

What are you looking for in your new home? Most people look at things like the color, the curb appeal, or the landscaping. These are all important aspects, but for the most part they can easily be changed to suit your needs. One thing that is much harder to change is the roof.

You’ve read about how important the roof to a home is before and just how vital it is to maintain it. Did you know that even the shape of the roof is important? Let’s talk about why shape matters so much and go over a few common roof shapes and their pros/cons.

Keep It Simple
Your home’s roof is the first line of defense against the elements; mainly wind and water. The shape of your roof has a huge impact on how well it stands up to wind and how well it sheds water. Complicated roof structures with multiple pitches and areas where multiple building materials come together (siding, flashing, roof covering, etc.) are ripe for potential water intrusion issues. That’s why simple designs like a low pitched gable or a hip roof are generally the way to go. They do have their downsides however so let’s talk about them in more detail.

The Gable Roof
The gable roof is also commonly referred to as the pitched roof. The most distinguishing feature is their triangular shape with two sloping sides. Gable roofs are really the embodiment of simplicity and they are great at shedding water while also being spacious and cheap to build. Sounds perfect right? Not exactly. One of the downsides of a simple gable roof is that it doesn’t stand up very well to high wind.

In a high-wind situation gable roofs are prone to collapse or detach from the walls during a particularly bad updraft. A properly braced roof of any kind won’t just fall apart at the slightest breeze but having a gable roof does make you a bit more susceptible to wind damage. When you live in a hurricane prone area you want every advantage you can get so a gable roof might not be your best bet.

The Hip Roof
At first glance a hip roof might not seem all that different from a gable roof; it’s a relatively simple structure with 4 sloped sides making a pyramid shape. Adding those two sides can make a world of difference though. A hip roof is significantly more sturdy than a gable roof while also retaining some of the water shedding capabilities. The downsides? Hip roofs are more expensive to construct. This may not end up being a big issue, however, as you’ll see in the next section.

The Right Roof Can Save You Money
We’ve talked about getting a wind mitigation inspection a lot before and how it can realize big savings on your insurance premiums. The biggest savings are realized by having a total hip roof. The insurance savings generated from getting a wind mitigation inspection can easily outweigh the added cost of a hip roof so if you’re still searching for a home it might be worth paying the premium.

Please contact us at Super Inspection Pros. today to learn more about our home inspection process or to schedule a wind mitigation inspection for your home. You can also find more information about our services at our website.