Gambrel Roof Slopes

The picture below shows the pitch of a 7 12 roof slope meaning that for 12 of horizontal measurement roof run the vertical measurement roof rise is 7.

Gambrel roof slopes.

This enables it to provide the benefits of a sloped roof without compromising on space inside the structure. A gambrel or gambrel roof is a usually symmetrical two sided roof with two slopes on each side. Most of your pre made trusses that are designed as a gambrel consist of roughly a 20 12 bottom pitch and a 4 12 top pitch. The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle while the lower slope is steep.

The term gambrel is of american origin the older european name being a curb. A gambrel roof is a two sided roof with two slopes on each side. This roof style offers several advantages including space drainage ease of building and affordability making it a roof style worth considering for your project. Most designs are symmetrical providing the advantages of a sloped roof while still maximizing the amount of space inside of the building.

This design provides the advantages of a sloped roof while maximizing headroom inside the building s upper level and shortening what would otherwise be a tall roof. The difference between the two is that the gambrel only has two sides while the mansard has four. This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement. A gambrel or a barn roof is much like mansard in a sense that it has two different slopes.

Each one offers a shallower slope that sits above a steeper one. So you have a really steep bottom pitch and a really flat top pitch. This design is sometimes called a dutch swedish german french english or new england roof. A gambrel roof is one that has two sides to it.

Besides its unique appearance a gambrel roof also serves to maximize the usable floor space in the attic area. A gambrel or barn style roof is simply a gable roof with a change in slope partway up the roof. This results in that squatty appearance. To calculate a gambrel roof select gambrel roof from the roof type dropdown list or click on the appropriate toolbar button to calculate a gambrel roof.

The name comes from the medieval latin word gamba meaning horse s hock or leg. Similar to mansard the lower side of the gambrel roof has an almost vertical steep slope while the upper slope is much lower.