The Different Types of Gable Roof Designs, Explained

Do you live in a part of the country that gets its fair share of rain and/or snow? If so, you should consider having a gable roof put on your home as opposed to any other type of roof.

What are gable roofs? Simply put, they’re types of roofs that have two sloping sides that come together to form ridges at the tops of homes.

Not all gable roofs are created equal, though. There are a handful of gable roof designs you can choose from when you opt to put one on top of your home.

We’re going to walk you through several of the best gable roof designs to help you decide which one you like. Continue reading to find out about the designs you should consider.

Box Gable Roof

The box gable roof has become one of the most popular gable roof designs. If you drive around in your neighborhood and look at all the roofs on the houses in it, you’ll see your fair share of box gable roofs.

Box gable roofs have two sloping sides with triangular extensions on both ends of a home. Box gable roofs are on the more basic side, but the triangular extensions will give you the opportunity to add decorative touches to your home.

Many roofing contractors will tell you that a box gable roof is the way to go if you want to install a sturdy roof that isn’t going to break the bank. It will be both easy to install and simple to maintain.

Front Gable Roof

If you happen to have a Colonial-style home, you might want to look into going with a front gable roof. They’re excellent options for those looking for gable roof designs.

These types of roofs are similar to box gable roofs in that they’ll be on the simpler side. But they’ll provide you with some protection over the top of your front door.

You won’t have to worry about standing out in the pouring rain and getting wet when you’re unlocking your home’s front door anymore. A front gable roof will literally have you covered.

Cross Gable Roof

Do you live in a home that has a relatively complex interior design? Maybe it has a couple of different wings, or maybe it has an addition that was put onto it at some point to make it larger.

Either way, you might need to have a cross gable roof put onto it. Of all the gable roof designs, this is one of the most complicated options.

A cross gable roof will have at least two ridges that intersect at some point. In some instances, they can have even more ridges than this based on how big the home is.

A cross gable roof will need to be installed by roofing professionals who really know what they’re doing. You may also need to have gable roof repair done more often than usual with a cross gable roof because of all the different elements that it has.

Dutch Gable Roof

A dutch gable roof is a hybrid roof that contains elements of both a gable roof and a hip roof. Oftentimes, a gable roof will be placed over a hip roof to create a loft space within a home.

Dutch gable roofs are some of the most aesthetically pleasing gable roofs found on homes. They’ll also provide homeowners with a lot more space inside than usual, which is another reason why they’ve started to become popular over time.

Just like with cross gable roofs, dutch gable roofs might need more maintenance than you’re used to because of how they’re designed. But this maintenance will be well worth it once you see how great they look.

Wooden Gable Roof

One of the only drawbacks of installing a gable roof on your home is that it isn’t always going to be able to handle excessive winds. If a particularly bad storm hits, you might be looking at having to do gable roof repair.

You may be able to avoid having to repair your gable roof when you go with a wooden gable roof. This type of gable roof is going to look great once it’s installed. But more importantly, it’s going to be stronger than the average gable roof.

There is no guarantee that a wooden gable roof will stand up to hurricane-level winds. But it’ll stand a much better chance than most other gable roofs. You shouldn’t have to worry too much about a bad storm damaging your gable roof and causing it to leak.

Which of These Gable Roof Designs Do You Like?

Now that you know more about the different gable roof designs, there should be one design you like more than all the rest. This might be the best gable roof for your home.

Speak with a local roofing contractor about this type of gable roof design and ask them if they think it would be a good option. They will let you know if you should move forward with this particular design or give thought to going with another one.

Would you like to read more informative home improvement articles? Look for them in the other posts we’ve put up on our blog.