Adding an addition to your home can give you extra space while still being able to enjoy the home that you’re already in. Designing an addition and adding a hip roof extension not only gives you extra space, but it also allows you design flexibility and the ability to tailor the addition to the exact look you want.
What Is A Hip Roof Addition?
A hip roof has slopes on all four sides that meet in a point at the top. This is in contrast to a gable roof where there are two sides that meet in a ridge at the top. A hip is where two sections of roof meet and then slope downward. This is in contrast to a valley, where two sections meet and slope upward.
If you’re thinking of adding an addition to your home, adding a hip roof extension can give you the additional space you need while also creating an interesting roof line.
Hip Roof Materials
Hip roof materials are the same as materials for any other roof style. On a steeply pitched hip roof, heavier materials like traditional clay barrel tiles, slate, or cedar shakes are difficult to install and the steep angle adds weight.
Since a hip roof is a more complex design, it requires more building materials, making the cost higher than a standard gable roof — a hip roof can cost around 40% more than a gable roof. Utilizing high quality materials means that this investment is well worth it in order to build a roof that will last for years to come.
Choosing roof tiles that will stand up to the elements is key to a long-lasting roof that will protect your home and belongings. Brava offers three distinct roof tile options, each beautiful and durable.
Cedar Shake Roofing
Cedar Shake roofing provides the realistic look of hand-split cedar shake with the long-lasting durability of composite material. Our multi-colored synthetic roof tiles are cast from hand-split Western Red Cedar shakes and use natural minerals for color and texture to give our synthetic tiles the look of natural cedar shakes with none of the maintenance.
Spanish Barrel Tile Roofing
Our lightweight synthetic material produces the warmth and beauty of traditional Spanish Barrel Tiles. With our range of coloration, our tiles mimic the aged look of well worn Spanish barrel tiles, but they won’t crack or break over time.
Old World Slate Roofing
Old World Slate roof tiles capture the beauty and charm of natural quarried slate without the weight or tendency to chip and flake. The color of our synthetic slate tiles is rich with the subtle nuance of color variation that is the hallmark of natural materials. Our no-maintenance tiles allow you to rest easy under a roof that completes the look of your hip roof addition.
Hip Roof Addition Designs
Hip roofs provide a style advantage in that a hip roof can create a range of roof designs that a standard gable roof can’t. Here are a few examples of hip roof designs:
Dutch gable hip - A dutch gable hip roof combines elements from gambrel roofs, common on barns and Dutch or Georgian Colonials, and a dramatic, flared slope.
Cross hip - A cross hip roof allows the home’s footprint to change direction at one end.
Intersecting hip - An intersecting hip intersects the roof at a middle point to create an addition that juts out from the rest of the house.
Pyramid hip - This is the classic hip roof that features four sloping sides that meet at a point at the top. This style leaves little chance that water pool or debris will cling to the roof.
Half hip - Also referred to as a clipped or jerkinhead roof, a half hip is incorporated into a gable roof, but rather than the gable coming to a point at the roof ends, the upper point is squared off and replaced with a small hip.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Hip Roof Addition
Advantages
Superior drainage - With four sloping sides, water runs off the roof quickly, leaving little possibility for it to collect or pool which can cause leaks or make them worse. Leaves and debris can also fall off easier.
Strong and durable - A hip roof creates unparalleled strength and stability with four sides coming together to create a stable roof that can stand up to strong winds.
Adds living space - Where a gable roof is often steeply pitched, leaving little space underneath for living space, a hip roof provides more space underneath. With the addition of dormers for natural light, the space underneath a hip roof addition can be used to increase the livable space within the home.
Lots of design options - As seen above, hip roofs create lots of design options from a barn-inspired gambrel to a classic pyramid and allow for more complicated roof lines than a gable roof.
Disadvantages
Greater chance of leaks in some designs - Hips are often paired with valleys, which can create a greater chance of leaks. A valley is the point in the roof where two slopes meet. This area allows water to collect and flow off of the roof, but since water collects here, this area is also prone to leaks. Leaves and other debris can also collect and block the flow of water to create more danger of leaks. Hip roofs also have more seams, which are more places that leaks can form, especially if the roof isn’t installed correctly.
More expensive - Hip roofs require more material to achieve the four sloped sides, so a hip roof design will likely be more expensive than a gable roof.
Choose High Quality Brava Roofing Materials For Your Hip Roof Addition
To create a hip roof addition that looks beautiful and completes the aesthetic of your home, choose high quality Brava roof tiles. We offer Cedar Shake, Old World Slate, and Spanish Barrel Tiles, so no matter the design, we have a roof tile that will complement your home and look great on your hip roof addition.
Contact the experts at Brava today to discuss the best roofing for your project and request a sample, so you can see and feel the difference for yourself.
