A hip roof is a roof with four sloping faces: two large trapezoidal faces on the long sides and two triangular faces (hips) on the short sides. Unlike a gable roof, which has straight vertical gable walls on the short sides, a hip roof slopes downward on all four sides.
Characteristics
| Property | Hip roof |
|---|---|
| Number of roof faces | 4 |
| Ridge | Yes (shorter than on a gable roof) |
| Gable walls | No vertical gable walls on short sides |
| Construction | More complex than a gable roof |
| Wind resistance | Very good |
Hip roof vs. gable roof
| Hip roof | Gable roof | |
|---|---|---|
| Roof faces | 4 | 2 |
| Short sides | Sloping roof (hips) | Straight gable wall |
| Wind | Better resistance (no flat gable) | Gable catches wind |
| Loft space | Less (hips take up space) | More |
| Construction | More complex (hip rafters) | Simpler |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
Variants
Full hip roof
All four sides slope, with a short ridge at the top. The classic form.
Half-hip (jerkinhead roof)
The hips on the short sides do not extend all the way down to the eaves. The upper part is sloped (hip), the lower part is a straight gable wall. A compromise between gable and hip roof: wind resistant but with more gable wall space.
Pavilion roof (pyramid shape)
A hip roof without a ridge — all four faces meet at a single point. Suitable for square floor plans.
Construction
A hip roof is more complex than a gable roof because of the hip rafters:
- Hip rafters — Diagonal rafters that run from the building corners up to the ridge. These are the heaviest and longest beams in the construction.
- Jack rafters — Shorter rafters that do not run from eaves to ridge, but join the hip rafter partway along.
- Shorter ridge — The ridge is shorter than the building (the difference is taken up by the hips).
This makes a hip roof harder to build yourself than a gable roof. The hip rafters and jack rafters require precise angle calculations and cuts.
When to choose a hip roof?
- High wind areas (coastal regions) — no flat gable wall to catch wind
- Aesthetics — a hip roof looks calmer and more “finished”
- Municipal requirements — some zoning plans require a hip roof
Related terms
- Gable roof
- Mono-pitch roof
- Flat roof
- Roof structure
- Truss
- Rafter