Palo Alto Roofing: A Gable or Gambrel Roof for Your Backyard Shed?

There are so many decisions to make regarding the construction of your new backyard shed, and one of the most important questions you’ll have to face is which type of roof to choose. You may find yourself choosing between a gable and a gambrel roof. With a little bit of information, you’ll learn about the benefits of each that should not be ignored, no matter what the difference in cost between the two may be. Below is a description of these two popular types of roof shape:

Gable roof

A gable roof is a triangular-shaped roof. Arguably, it is the most common roof type in the U.S. Simple in design, gable roofs are able to perform one of its main functions – shedding rainwater – very efficiently. It’s fairly easy for a Palo Alto roofing professional to build a gable roof, so the cost of construction is one that tends to be not very expensive.

Gambrel roof

A gambrel roof is a two-sided roof with a central ridge, and each side contains two sloping surfaces. Usually, the slope on the upper surface has a gentle slope of about 30 degrees, and the slope on the lower surface has a steeper slope of about 60 degrees. Gambrel roofs are harder to construct than gable roofs, and as a result, they are comparably more expensive.

Here are the benefits of each, according to Patch.com.

The Gable roof, more commonly known as the A-Frame, is by far the most universal looking roof line. Most people want their storage shed to match their house (in roof pitch, color, siding and overall appearance), and the A-Frame shed matches a large percentage of home designs. The Gable roof also allows you to design a shed that will most closely fit current and past home designs.

The Gambrel or “Barn” style roof has a more unique look to it with its steeper pitch and slope. The most notable feature of the Barn roof is that it offers more storage volume per square foot than an A Frame roof. The steep roof line also allows for storage “lofts” to be built inside of the building providing extra overhead storage space.

The decision between choosing between a gable and gambrel roof for your shed ultimately becomes one of cost, storage capacity, aesthetics, and complementing the overall home design. If you’re having a hard time choosing between the two, consult with a true Palo Alto re-roofing professional company like Shelton Roofing to help you in your selection.

(Source: Selecting a Shed Roof for your Storage Shed: Gable vs. Gambrel, Patch.com, Sept 11, 2013)