Choosing the right roof for your house is important. It protects you from the harsh weather and also makes your house look aesthetic. If you are looking for a roof replacement or trying to find a roof for your house, we provide the pros and cons of a gable roof and a hip roof to help you make the decision.

What Is A Gable Roof?

A gable roof is very popular in many countries. It is a triangular roof that has two sheets joined together to make a ridge. If you ever spot a house with two sloping sides with at least one gable, that is a gable roof. Because of its iconic three-side style, this type of roof has been commonly used by many people.

Types of Gable Roof

Side Gable Roof

This one has two equal sides of the roof pitching together to form a triangle, and the middle will be opened. The door will be placed under one of the side panels.

Front Gable Roof

A front gable roof is like a mini roof over the front door of the house, perpendicular to the main roof.

Box Roof

This one is called the Box roof because it has a boxed roof at the end. It is very similar to the classic Front Gable roof.

Cross-Gabled Roof

This type of roof has more than two gable rooflines. The two ridges will be placed vertically to another one to make an angle. It is quite a complex layout since it comes with separate wings, an attached garage, or a bigger porch.

Dutch Gable

The Dutch gable is a mixed version of a gable and a hip roof. The gable roof in this style is designed to be placed on top of the hip roof in order to provide more space and look even better.

The Pros of Gable Roof

• It is cheaper than a hip roof. The cost of roof production with a high demand makes this roof cheaper than the hip roof.
• It comes with more space. The gable roof gives you extra space to make a storage room in the attic.
• It is plainly beautiful. You cannot deny that it looks very minimalistic, you will not be disappointed getting this roof.
• It has excellent ventilation. Because of the opened roof, the ventilation of the gable roof is better than the hip roof.

The Cons of Gable Roof

• It has a low performance of resisting strong wind. It is likely to fail if there is a strong wind. If you live in a windy area, maybe try to avoid this style of roof.
• Does not have much aesthetic value. This type of roof may not suit chic people as it has minimalistic designs.

What is a Hip Roof?

If you do not want a plain style for your roof then a hip roof is best as it is pretty fancy. It consists of more than three downwards slopes to form the top of a pyramid. It has no vertical ends, thus, it is well suited for drainage.

Types of Hip Roof

• Simple Hip Roof It is a common type of hip roof that consists of two triangle sides and two polygon sides placed opposite to each other.
• Cross Hip Roof This one is a beautiful thing! It is a combination of two hip roofs that creates an “L” shape.
• Pyramid Hip Roof And finally, this one looks like its name, i.e. a pyramid. It has four equal sides that will meet at the top to make a pyramid shape.

The Pros of Hip Roof

• It has a high aesthetic value. The hip roof has more value than a gable roof since its design is generally a lot more complex.
• It has a high weather-resistant performance. It is an ideal roof for those who live in harsh weather conditions like a snowy or a heavy rain area. It is better suited for intense winds than the gable roof.
• Various materials options With a hip roof, you can build it with many materials such as shingles, metal, tiles, or slates.
• It is steadier than the gable roof. Having four sides of an inward slope makes the hip roof more durable and steadier than a gable roof.

The Cons of Hip Roof

1. It is hard to design and build. Designing a complex hip roof can be challenging. Building one is also hard and takes quite a lot of time.
2. It is more expensive. Because of its intricate design, it costs a lot of money to build a hip roof.
3. It offers you less space. Compared to the gable roof, a hip roof does not give you as much space as a gable roof does. That means you will have less space in the attic.

Whichever roof you choose, whether it be a gable or a hip roof, it is completely up to your needs. In all cases, we have provided the pros and cons of each roof to help you decide. If you are a minimalist, and you have a low budget, the gable roof is a better choice. However, if you care about the style and authentic value then the hip roof would be the answer.