What is a gable end?
A gable end (Dutch: puntgevel) is a wall that finishes in a triangular upper section, usually matching the shape of the adjoining pitched roof. The triangle above the loft floor is often simply called the gable. It is the most common end wall on houses with a duo-pitch roof.
Other historic gable forms, such as the stepped gable or the Dutch gable, are essentially variations in which the triangle is stepped or finished with curved sections.
Why the gable needs extra attention
The triangular section is slender and stands high and exposed to the wind. Lower down, floors and cross walls hold the masonry in place, but the gable is often held only by the roof structure. Without proper restraint, a gable can fail outwards or inwards in a severe storm.
Gable end checklist
- Restraint to the roof. The gable should be tied to the purlins, rafters or roof deck with lateral restraint straps. In cavity walls, the outer leaf must also be adequately tied to the inner leaf.
- Condition of ties. In older houses, wall ties and straps may have corroded. Horizontal cracks in the gable or a gable leaning out of plumb warrant investigation.
- Verge. Where the gable rises above the roof as a parapet, its top needs a coping with a drip. Where the roof oversails the wall, bargeboards or a dry verge system protect the edge.
- Roof-to-wall junction. Lead flashings or an equivalent must keep rainwater out of the wall.
- Insulation. A habitable loft needs the gable insulated and properly connected to the roof insulation to avoid thermal bridges.
- Permissions. Changing the shape of a gable, for example a hip-to-gable loft conversion, may need planning permission and always needs to meet building regulations.
Worried about restraint on an old gable? Have a structural engineer or surveyor look at it; securing a loose gable is far easier than rebuilding a collapsed one.
Related terms
- Gable roof
- Gable finial
- Bell gable
- Neck gable
- Hipped gable
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