The Most Common Types Of Roofs In Chicago
If you are building a new roof for your home, you may be considering several different styles. We suggest you consider the most common types of roofs in the Chicago area when making your selection. Doing so will ensure that your home is insulated correctly and adequately protected from the weather for years to come.
Homes in the Chicago area have many different types of roofs attached to them. If you drive around the city, the most common roof style you will see is likely the gable style roof. You may also find mansard roofs, hip roofs, and Gambrel roofs in many areas. If you haven’t heard of these different types of roofs before, here are some examples of roof styles that are popular in the Chicagoland area.
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Hip Roof
Hip roofs include many different types of roofs, all of which are built with all sides sloping downwards toward the walls. In most cases, hip roofs are built with gentle slopes, although deeper slopes don’t eliminate a roof from the hip roof category. Because each side of the roof slopes downward, a hipped roof house cannot have gables or other vertical sides to the roof.
To picture a hipped roof house in a rectangular plan, you can imagine the roof being in the shape of a pyramid. Sometimes, you will see hipped roofs with two triangular sides and two trapezoidal ones as well. Typically, each face of the roof is symmetrical and the fascia is at a consistent level surrounding the base.
Gable Roof
If you hope to build an inexpensive roof, a gable roof will likely be your best option. Gable roofs are prevalent in cold or temperate climates, making them an excellent choice for homes in the Midwest. This type of roof has two sloped sections that point in opposite directions. Both sections are positioned so that the highest horizontal edges meet to form a ridge.
There are many different ways to design a gable roof, as they are incredibly simplistic types of roofs. In most cases, a gable roof will be more weather-resistant than a flat roof. The tradeoff is that a low-pitch gable roof may lower the amount of living space available in your home. Though, you can compensate for this by installing dormers that extend from the base of the house.
Shed Roof
You can easily imagine what a shed roof looks like; it is a single-sloped roof with few other stylistic features. This style also has fewer benefits and less substantial disadvantages. These roofs favor asymmetry and are best for shorter buildings with one or two height stories. In most cases, shed roofs are cheap and easy to build, making them ideal for sections of the house or additions.
Dutch Gable Roof
If you like the design features of both gable and hip roofs, there is an in-between that combines the two. The Dutch gable roof is a type of roof that has a small gable atop a hip roof. Some contractors may refer to this roofing style as a gable-on-hip roof. This structure has the potential to keep a home better protected from rain and heat, though it may not fare as well against large loads of snow or ice.
Mansard Roof
Mansard roofs, or French roofs, are four-sided hip roofs with two slopes on each of its sides. The lower slopes are much steeper and feature dormer windows. The benefit of mansard roofs is that the steep lower slope allows for an additional floor of habitable space. These types of roofs are beneficial because they offer a simple way to add extra living space to an existing building. They have immense decorative potential because the dormers can be made elaborate, and the slopes can use convex or concave curvatures to create a unique aesthetic look.
Gambrel Roof
Gambrel roofs are quite similar to mansard roofs, except they are usually two-sided roofs with two slopes on each side, rather than being four-sided roofs with two sides. Much like the mansard roof, the upper slope has a shallow angle, while the lower slope is steep. Gambrel roofs offer similar benefits to mansard roofs by increasing the living space available in the building’s upper levels.
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Roofing Materials
When building your roof, the materials you use will also play into your home’s overall integrity and aesthetic look. There are many different types of roof shingles available, each offering distinct advantages and disadvantages. Here are some examples of roof shingles you will see in the Chicago area:
Asphalt
Asphalt is the most common type of shingle used in the Chicago area because they are lightweight and inexpensive. Although they are prevalent, they aren’t the best roofing material available. Asphalt shingles will not fare well when met with the heavy downpours of spring and the brutal snowfall of a Chicago winter. Still, while they may not be the best, they aren’t a bad choice at all. Asphalt shingles can last as many as twenty years if you choose a trustworthy contractor to install them.
Solar
Solar shingles can lower energy costs and increase your home’s value, but upkeep and maintenance will cost you in the long-run. In Chicago weather, your solar shingles may last up to 25 years, but that’s only if you take good care of them.
Metal
Metal roofs are not common types of roofs for the Chicago area, but you may still see them in Chicagoland. The materials used for metal roofs usually are aluminum, copper, and steel. A metal roof will cost more than an asphalt roof, but a metal roof can last up to 60 years, depending on the metal used. Though, keep in mind, a metal roof can be incredibly loud during rainstorms.
Slate stone
Slate stone is incredibly durable, and a slate stone roof can last up to 75 years in Chicago’s climate. Slate stone can protect your home against the most adverse weather conditions, as the stones are waterproof, windproof, and even fireproof. Though, to get this level of coverage, you will need to pay for it. Slate stone roofs are far more expensive than asphalt because installing the heavy stone slabs requires much more labor. The stones themselves will also cost more than asphalt shingles. Your roof may need additional support to carry the extra weight introduced with the slabs, so speak with Pro-Line Contractors to learn whether slate stone is a good option for your roofing project.
Interested In Comparing Different Types of Roofs?
If you are hoping to learn more about the types of roofs you can have installed on your home, it’s time for you to get in touch with Pro-Line Contractors.
If you need roof maintenance, we can also help you with that. Give us a call at (708) 479-1237 to get started on building the roof of your dreams.