When an architect is designing a new building one of the decisions that will need to be made is what shape the roof will be. There are a few different roof structures to choose from but the most common and probably the cheapest is a gable roof.

The pitch of the gable roof is particularly important and needs to be such that it enables the rainwater to flow away adequately into the two gutters. A hip roof is often seen on farm buildings and older houses, but some houses with a gable roof have part of the roof with a hip construction to add visual appeal.

Some modern properties have a type of roof style that is called a lean-to roof or pent roof. This type of roof adds interest to a building and is often used on garden buildings. It has the advantage of being higher at one end meaning that windows can be added to one aspect of the building and internally there is more space.

The cheapest roof to use is a flat roof and these have traditionally been used for extensions however it must be remembered that the life of a traditional felted flat roof is only about ten to fifteen years so it will need regular maintenance and replacement.