What is a stepped parapet?

The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in a step pattern above the roof as a decoration and as a convenient way to finish the brick courses. A stepped parapet may appear on building facades with or without gable ends, even upon a false front, however.

What is a stepped roof?

A crow-stepped gable, also known as a stepped gable or corbie step, is a design for a building's triangular gable end. It takes the form of a stair-step pattern at the top of the stone or brick parapet wall which projects above the roofline.

What are Crow steps?

corbie step, also called crow step, stone used for covering any of the steps or indentations in the coping (uppermost, covering course) of a gable; the term is also applied to the step itself.

What are gable ends?

A gable is a section of wall located at the end of a pitched roof, between the edges of the intersecting pitches. It is usually triangular and extends from the eaves to the ridge, although the shape and detailing depends on the particular structural system used for the roof.

What's the overhang on a roof called?

What Is a Soffit? Your roof by necessity, will often times extend over the walls of your home. This overhang can go by a few names, such as the house eaves or the rafters of your roof. The underside of this overhang, when given a finished appearance, is known as the soffit, which means “something fixed underneath”.

Parapet Walls — Are They A Good Idea?

What is a mansard style roof?

mansard roof, type of roof having two slopes on every side, the lower slope being considerably steeper than the upper. In cross section the straight-sided mansard can appear like a gambrel roof, but it differs from the gambrel by displaying the same profile on all sides.

Why do factories have angled roofs?

The sawtooth roof, with its glass panels facing away from the equator, blocks the light and heat of direct sun exposure and provides uniform, natural light over a large area. It was a particularly useful design in factories and manufacturing buildings.

What is step flashing on a roof?

Step flashing: Step flashing is a rectangular piece of flashing bent 90 degrees in the center. It is used for roof to wall flashing. Multiple pieces of the flashing will be installed in layers with shingles to ensure the water flows away from the wall.

Should I replace my new roof with step flashing?

Typically, we will replace step flashing when doing a new roof. Also, a new flashing should not be layered over the old flashing. Your roof is supposed to have only one layer of flashing at a time. Installing new flashing is the only way that we can guarantee quality outcomes when replacing your shingle roof.

Why are Bermuda roofs stepped?

Where did they come from? It turns out they are designed this way to harvest rain. The steps slow down heavy rainfall helping the gutters to collect the water and store it in a tank under the house.

Why do houses in Florida have flat roofs?

Most commercial buildings, however, have flat roofs. Why is that? It's because their large square footage and design wouldn't allow for a slope at the same angle as a single-family home. The roof would be too high, as well as costly.

Why do American buildings have flat roofs?

A flat roof is the most cost-efficient roof shape as all room space can be used fully (below and above the roof). Having a smaller surface area, flat roofs require less material and are usually stronger than pitched roofs.

Why do modern houses have flat roofs?

Another humanistic advantage of the usage of flat roofs is cost reduction. Flat roofs do not require decorative coverings like shingles. With a shelf life of 30 years, flat roofs are durable and can withstand extreme wind loads. Flat roofs, although simplistic and minimal, exude an aura of elegance and beauty.

What does a Dutch gable roof look like?

A Dutch gable roof or gablet roof (in Britain) is a roof with a small gable at the top of a hip roof. The term Dutch gable is also used to mean a gable with parapets. Some sources refer to this as a gable-on-hip roof.

What is the purpose of a Dutch Gable?

Dutch gable roofs allow more natural sunlight than traditional hip or gable roofs. This can reduce heating bills in the winter. They also provide more storage space than hip roofs and a window can be added in the gablet, creating more ventilation and light.

What does a Dutch hip roof look like?

A Dutch hip roof, sometimes called a Dutch gable roof, is a combination of hip and gable roof styles in which a gable is located at the end of the ridge , and at the top of a hip roof plane. Creating a Dutch hip roof is easy to do by following the steps below.

What are 3 disadvantages of a mansard roof?

What is the difference between a gambrel roof and a mansard roof?

The main difference between the two is that a mansard roof wraps fully around the home, while the gambrel roof does not. If you were looking at the side of a home that featured a gambrel, you'd see only windows, siding, and the side of the roof pitch.

What is a Manford?

In the French language, mansarde can be a term for the style of roof, or for the garret living space, or attic, directly within it.

What is the bottom edge of a roof called?

Eaves. The lower edge of a roof (usually overhanging beyond the edge of the house).

What is it called where a roof meets a wall?

A headwall is a level junction where a roof meets a wall. This illustration shows proper flashing at a headwall condition. Headwall flashing should extend up behind the exterior wall covering and down over the roof-covering material, as you see here.

What is the small roof over a window called?

A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof.

How many years does a flat roof last?

A properly maintained flat roof can last for decades, depending on the materials. A built-up roof or layers of modified bitumen can last for up to 20 years. Lightweight thermoplastic polyolefin or spray-on coatings of polyurethane foam, acrylic or silicon have a similar lifespan.