The Shed Roof is Not Just For Garden Sheds

You can use many different roof styles during new home construction or a home remodeling project. Before you decide, you need to understand the strengths and weakness of the various roof styles. One interesting roof style that is sometimes used on homes is the shed roof.

What is a Shed Roof?

A shed roof is a roof that has only a single sloping plane. The roof does not have gables, ridges, hips, or valleys. The shed roof gets its name from the fact that it is often used on garden sheds and other small outbuildings. A shed roof is also sometimes called a flat roof.

The Benefits of the Shed Roof

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• Ease of construction. The single plane of the shed roof makes it one of the easiest roof styles to construct for new construction or additions.

• Cost. Due to the simplicity of the design, a shed roof can be less expensive to build than other roof styles.

• Works well for some remodeling projects. The shed roof design is especially well suited to home remodeling projects that require additional roof coverage. You can add a shed roof more easily, and with less cost, then many other roof styles.

• Works with skylights and solar panels. The long flat surface of the shed roof makes it easy to install skylights or solar panels. This is a consideration if you want to allow more natural light into your home or use energy saving solar panels.

The Disadvantages of the Shed Roof

• Does not work with all home styles. The simple lines of the shed roof work better with some architectural styles than others.

• Can have drainage issues. In severe cases, a shed roof with a low slope can have drainage issues that result in water leaks or damage. You should carefully consider the pitch of the roof to avoid issues.

• Cannot be easily retrofitted. In most cases, a shed roof is not an appropriate replacement for an existing roof on the home if the entire roof is to be replaced. The work involved in replacing and rebuilding the structural support of the previous roof to install the shed roof is typically so involved as to be cost prohibitive.

Look at all of the pros and cons before deciding whether a shed roof is the right style for your home.