Roof Styles common to the Lansing area | Lansing Michigan Homes

Mike and Jackie of Tomie Raines Real Estate

Mike and Jackie Shulsky's

Roof Styles

Roofs serve an important utilitarian purpose: keeping rain, snow, and debris out of the house. But they also add
to a home's character and style. The material of roof is an important element of design and an indication of how long the roof will last. A slate or steel roof can last from 70 to 125 years and is expensive. An asphalt tile roof is less expensive and will last typically from 15 to 30 years.

Life expectancy will vary according to weather conditions, house design, the quality of roofing materials and
general home maintenance. Asphalt roofs are the type most commonly used in the Lansing area.


Cross Gable Cross gable roofs have two or more gable rooflines that intersect. A house with a basic gable roof will have a rectangular shape, but a house with a cross gable roof can have a more complex shape and therefore a more complex layout.

Front Gabled Front-gabled houses have a gable roof and the front door is under the gable. The gable is the area at the front and back of the house beneath the pitched roof that follows the roofline - it is typically triangular. A gable roof is very common and has two sloping planes that meet in a central ridge.

Gambrel Gambrel roofs have a shallow slope over a steep slope. It is typical of the Dutch colonial architectural style and also frequently seen on barns. It's designed to provide more usable floor space in the upper level directly below the roof.

Hipped Hipped roofs slope in four directions. The "hip" is the angle formed where two sloped sides meet. This roof is used with many different architectural styles and is said to stand up to hurricane winds better than a gable roof.

Mansard Mansard roofs have four sloping sides, like a hipped roof, and each side has a shallow slope over a steep slope, similar to a gambrel roof. There are almost always dormers in a mansard roof. This roof style was particularly popular in the latter half of the 19th century, and is often seen on Victorian homes.

Pavilion Hipped Pavilion-hipped roofs have four sloping planes that meet in a single point. They are sometimes also called pyramid-hipped roofs and are typically used on smaller buildings such as a garage or pool house.

Saltbox Saltbox roofs are typical of colonial architecture in New England. A saltbox house is two stories high in the front and has a low sloping roofline in the back of the house. It resembles saltboxes used in colonial times.

Side Gabled Side gabled is descriptive word for a house with its front door under the side of a gabled roof. Examples can be seen in many residential styles, from a ranch house to a Georgian house.

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1400 Abbot, East Lansing, MI 48823, Suite 200

517-230-2656

Email:
mikeandjackie@tomieraines.com

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