roofing designs and their respective architectural styles.

1. The A-Frame Roof

This is perhaps the most noticeable roof design. As its name suggests, it takes the form of an “A”, with its facade split by a small horizontal beam; the top portion often housing the attic. In this design, the roof takes up much of the wall of the house.

Straightforward and inexpensive, the A-Frame roof is used in many traditional or contemporary-designed homes. It’s also a practical choice as the roof itself serve as the walls for the top portion of the house.

2. Flat Roof

While flat roofs originated from commercial and industrial properties, they rose in popularity in the residential sector after the decline of the brutalist movement and the shift to more modern and minimalist architectural designs.

Flat roofs are also used in mid-century homes and use roof membranes and coatings instead of shingles. Roofing repair contractor projects are straightforward and simpler with this roof design, but flat roofs require more water management as the design is more susceptible to water pooling on its surface.

3. Gable Roofs

The gable roof is another popular design. This roof design is a good choice for classic homes that are either bungalows or two stories. What’s unique about it is that it can be “mixed” with a valley roof design, creating an entirely new structure – the cross-gable roof. This combination roof has a prominent cross footprint, hence the name.

4. Parapet Roof

The parapet roof is basically a flat roof with an extra feature – the parapets themselves. This upper edge makes the flat roof safer to tread on, which means it’s also easier to clean and maintain.

There’s a bit of variation for the parapet, too. It can either take the form of a simple rectangular edge, or a more intricate design harkening back to art-deco days. This gives this flat roof some variation where it can be installed. More intricate parapet roofs can enhance classic homes while the simple design suits contemporary and ultra-modern homes better.

As part of our complete roofing services, A Cut Above Exteriors will help you decide which roof design best fits your home. Call us today at 503.334.0733 to learn more about our services. We offer complete roofing services throughout Portland, OR, and in other parts of Oregon.