Craftsman style homes became popular in California during the early 1900s and experienced a short-lived popularity until the 1920s. It was initially popularized by brothers Charles Sumner and Henry Mather Greene and characterized by its exposed roof supports, wood cladding, and wooden porch support columns, which rested on a larger porch balustrade extending from the ground to above the porch floor.
While typically single-story structures, a Craftsman home could also be one-and-a-half to two-story structures. Unlike the ornate Victorian homes of the 1800s, Craftsman homes had a simpler design, emphasizing horizontal lines and low-pitched roofs with eaves extending beyond the home's exterior walls.
Today's Craftsman homes can vary from the original homes in both style and materials, especially regarding the roof.
The Details of a Typical Craftsman Home Roof Style
After all, the roof is one of the most defining parts of a Craftsman style home. There are several key, classic features you can find on a Craftsman style roof, including:
Low-Pitched Roofs: One of the most classic features is a low-pitched roof. The is typically either gabled, with a peak at its center, or hipped, with all sides sloping downward.
Wide, Overhanging Eaves: Another notable Craftsman roof detail is wide, overhanging eaves. These eaves extend well beyond the home's walls, providing additional protection from the elements and adding to the Craftsman style.
Exposed Rafters: Exposed rafters are another classic Craftsman style roof feature. These are under the eaves and are often purely a decorative feature that is meant to showcase the craftsmanship that goes into the home's construction.
Decorative Brackets and Knee Braces: Decorative brackets and knee braces are another common feature. These can be purely decorative, like the rafters, but are also largely functional, providing structural support to the roof.
Dormers: While not seen on every Craftsman home, dormers are also popular for many Craftsman roof styles. These are small, roofed structures that project from the main portion of the roof. Dormers typically have windows, which are a way to add light and space to the upper level of the home.
Craftsman Roof Styles To Consider
While the main Craftsman roof styles are typical gable and hipped, there are a few different variations you can find. For example:
Cross-Gabled Roofs
A cross-gabled roof is when two or more gabled roofs intersect at a right angle. This can add more complexity to the design and can help define different areas of the home.
Pyramid
Pyramid roofs are a type of hipped roof where all sides meet at a single point and slope down towards the home's walls, forming a pyramid shape—hence the name.
More often than not, you can find these roofs on smaller Craftsman homes or even on extensions of the home, like the garage. They are also typically found in southern areas where tropical storms occur.
Shed Roofs
Shed roofs have a single plane that slopes outward and are often combined with a variety of other roof styles. Some of the most common uses for shed roofs include porches and dormers.
Clipped Gable Roof
A clipped gable roof, or jerkinhead roof, is a gable roof with the ends clipped, which combines both gable and hip roof elements.
Additional Craftsman Style Roof Details and Ideas
If you're looking to add more character to your roof—have it stand out from others—here are some Craftsman roof details you can consider adding to your home design:
Gable Roof Accents
You can add more character to a front-facing gable roof with gable accents. These accents include wood trusses, verge boards, and decorative gable vents that can help emphasize the roofline.
Bargeboards
Bargeboard covers a gable roof's exposed edges and creates a more finished appearance. The bargeboard is typically decorated with simple, straight lines but can also have more intricate carvings that complement the home's overall style.
Decorative Roof Patterns
A decorative roof pattern can include staggered, diamond, or even fish scale patterns. Using a pattern rather than the typical layouts layout creates a more unique and intricate roof design that helps add character to your home.
Colors for Craftsman Roof Style Home Exteriors
A Craftsman home's exterior color scheme is typically meant to highlight its architectural features.
The traditional Craftsman color palettes consist of tones you would find in nature. And although more modern Craftsman color palettes still stick with the idea, they add a little more vibrancy. Here are some examples:
Darker Gray or Black
For a more dramatic roof, you can dark gray or black. It pairs well with dark blue siding or light-colored trim. And the wood Craftsman roof details are a great option for Craftsman homes close to the water.
Browns
Craftsman homes have many wood elements that add to the natural aesthetic of the style. For that reason, brown is a popular color option for Craftsman roofs. You can pair a deeper-toned brown with green siding and lighter brown accents for a very traditional Craftsman color scheme.
Reddish-Brown or Terra Cotta
While clay tiles may seem like a strange choice, they are another roofing option for Craftsman homes in more southern areas of states like California and Florida.
With this style of roof come the color options that include terra cotta or reddish-brown. Pair it with siding with rusty red and mustard yellow trim. While the combination is bolder than most Craftsman palettes, it is one that reflects autumnal colors, maintaining the theme of colors you'd find in nature.
Light Gray
Gray is one of the more modern color options for a Craftsman style roof. It pairs well with a variety of colors, like blue siding, with brown accents, white trim, and stone column detailing.
Common Craftsman Roof Materials
Craftsman homes have always favored natural materials, even for roofing. Materials like cedar shakes and shingles, slate tiles, and natural clay tiles are common options for a Craftsman roof. Unfortunately, each of these materials has drawbacks.
Cedar Shakes
While cedar shakes offer some durability, they are prone to splitting, cupping, and warping as they age, go through freeze-thaw cycles, and are exposed to the elements.
They also require regular maintenance and special treatments to protect them from UV damage, fire, and moisture. And despite the available treatments, areas with wildfire concerns typically ban cedar and wood shakes.
Slate
Slate is another popular option–and for good reason. It's a beautiful natural material that is extremely durable and resistant to the elements and fire. However, slate is incredibly heavy and expensive and can flake over time.
Clay Tiles
Clay barrel tiles are popular in Southern and Central California, the Southwest, Florida, and similar Spanish-influenced areas. But like slate, clay is very heavy and can degrade quickly over time, eventually becoming brittle. The one upside? They’re fire resistant.
Asphalt Shingles
A more cost-effective option is asphalt shingles, which are the most common roof material around the United States. But these are not as durable as other materials on the list and have a significantly shorter lifespan. In other words, you’ll have to replace them much sooner than other roof materials—albeit they are cheaper.
Build the Perfect Craftsman Roof Style Alternative
Brava composite roofing tiles are the perfect alternative to any of the above materials. These tiles come in Cedar Shake, Old World Slate, and Spanish Barrel tile variations and offer numerous advantages:
Brava products are highly durable, offering Class A fire ratings, Class 4 impact ratings, wind resistance up to 211 MPH, and superior UV resistance. Tiles will never curl, chip, break, or flake, even after years of exposure to the elements.
They are virtually maintenance-free; you will not have to do any maintenance work beyond an occasional rinse or cleaning with a gentle detergent and water.
Brava tiles are significantly lightweight and do not require a specialized installer like the natural materials listed above.
The tiles are environmentally friendly and sustainable, made from 100 percent recycled materials.
Brava tiles have a natural look with variegated coloring and realistic textures. It makes for an authentic appearance that will be indistinguishable from the natural material once installed.
Each style offers numerous color options, with Cedar Shakes and Spanish Barrel Tile each also offering two "cool roof" color options. These colors are embedded into the tiles and will never fade, chip, or bleach.
Brava offers a 50-year limited warranty.
With Brava, you can maintain the look of natural roofing materials while saving some money and getting an even more durable, long-lasting roofing product that perfectly complements any Craftsman home.
Contact our Brava experts today to learn more about our roofing materials and find the perfect match for your Craftsman roof.
