Everyone wants his or her roof to be the most unique and attractive. People who are building their homes often find themselves checking out every home they visit for the roof designs. The most significant thing about different designs is the style and shape of the design. The questions that you need to ask yourself before selecting and finalizing any design amongst the various roof designs is, whether it will go along with the style and shape of your home? You also need to consider that whether it will match with the general style of your neighborhood houses or buildings.

Though the above-mentioned factors play a major role in selecting roof designs but there are other considerations too. Your roof design will obviously play a very major role in the overall look of your house and it can either add a glamorous final touch to it or devastate it. Apart from that, you should also think about the total price that you can afford and the maintenance that will be required by that particular roof design. Since your roof is going to be a life long friend so pay attention of these considerations before choosing amongst various roofing designs.

Think about the style of your house before selecting roof designs. For example if you are the proud owner of a simply structured house then go for some simple design that has a small number of intersecting surfaces. Such designs are easy to install and create a simple yet beautiful look. They require very less maintenance over long years and they are quite inexpensive and easy to build. It is easy to install gutters and maintain them on simple roof designs. There are quite a number of valleys, clog points and other such spots that need to be cleaned and taken care of on a regular basis. Thus you require very less effort to maintain it for prevention of leakages and seepage.

Thus a simply styled roof is both practical and efficient. The look of your home will be brilliant only if the roof is in good condition. Since you will need to do little for maintaining your roof, your house will also remain neat and tidy and look great. So you can very well imagine that selecting the correct roof design plays a major look in deciding the future of not only your roof but also your entire home.

Arthor and Source: Steven Briesemeister

Roof Design Software for your PC

To have a house that one actually design and built according to one’s taste is practically everybody’s dream. Instead of just buying or renting a house that was already made, you would of course want something that you yourself have planned to suit your preferences. It is quite expensive to hire an architect to draft your plans, and it is also very hard to put what is on your mind on paper. Luckily such a predicament may be a thing of the past with the help of home design software.

Download Free 3D Home Design Software

Plumb Cut or Square Cut Rafter Tails

Plumb cut rafter tails have a vertical fascia board. That's handy for installing gutters because the back side of most gutters is also vertical. But without gutters, much of the water coming off the roof runs down the fascia, where it can rot the wood over time, especially at the joints.

But a far bigger problem is the angle of the fascia to the sloped roof. It varies with the slope of course, but standard drip edge comes with just one angle, which is 90 degrees. Of course the roofer could have custom drip edge fabricated, but more often than not, he "makes do" with the standard stuff, trying to bend it by hand on site to accommodate the angle.

The typical result is a drip edge that not only sticks out at an unsightly angle, but creates a little "dip" at the very edge of the roof. Water lays in the dip, coming in at the seams in the roofing. With the leaks coming through vinyl or aluminum soffits outside the house, they can go undetected for years, resulting in a significant amount of rotted wood.

Square Cut Rafter Tails

Square cut rafter tails are perpendicular to the rafter. That slopes them down and away from the drip edge. I'm not a big gutter fan, but if you want them, brackets are available to provide a plumb mounting surface. And when gutters aren't used, water can run off the drip edge without ever touching the fascia board.

But the biggest advantage with square cut rafter tails is they accommodate standard 90 degree drip edge perfectly. The face of the metal is flush up against the fascia board and the flange lies flat on the roof, just like it should. That makes it easier for the tradesman to do a good job, which is an important principle when learning how to design a roof or anything else.

Arthor and Source: John C. Bishop

How to Repair a Leaking Roof

Owning a house is a full time job! Sometimes it feels like if you don't have one problem, then you have another! Having a leak in your roof is one of the most common household problems, but fortunately, just because there is a leak does not necessarily mean that you have a huge, expensive problem on your hands. Especially if you were able to identify the leak early, repairing your roof can be simple and cheap! But don't put off doing it.

Step by Step Roof Repairing Pictures

How to Install Roof Shingles

Shingling or roofing a house is a major undertaking for a homeowner and extreme caution is required. This said, a Do-It-Yourselfer homeowner can shingle or roof their own home with a little knowledge and the right tools. In order to roof a house properly and safely the following tools are needed: Ladders, Roof Jacks, Hammer, Carpenters Knife, Chalk Line, and preferably a compressor or nail gun. Typically the roof is measured in squares, where a “square” represents 100 square feet.

How to Shingle a Roof - step by step DIY pictures

Do It Yourself Roof Building

Whenever you begin in a building project you must get a permit from your local government. This will require a building plan. After you have your building plan and have received a permit you are ready to begin building. In the past it was necessary to build trusses by hand, however today most are pre-made and can be special ordered at a lumberyard or building supply store. This is the cheapest and easiest route for a do-it-yourselfer.

Step by Step How to Build a Roof

Cost to Replace and Build a Roof

Skyrocketing building and materials prices are no doubt having a negative effect on the cost to repair your roof. As the sub prime crisis balloons into a mushroom cloud over the Western economies, costs are taking a beating. Your roof is the first thing to separate you from the elements and prices are going northward. For now, the cost to re-roof an average house can go from an average of $11,000 dollars up to a high cost of $25,000.

Costs to Replace a House Roof