Roof Styles – Monopitch vs Hip and Gable

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Mar 09, 2017
Roof - Mono-pitched roof

 

When it comes to roof styles for houses, there are a number of different options. Two of the most common kinds of roof design are a hip and gable roof and a monopitch roof, as illustrated by the designs below:

 

Monpitch roof style on a modern New Zealand home design

Above: Monopitch roof (the ‘Kowhai’)

 

Hip and gable roof style on a modern New Zealand home design

Above: Hip and Gable roof (the ‘Greenwood’

The cheapest roof design is a roof with just hips, which are the sloping part, while the gable is the triangular bit on the end of the roof.

A lot of subdivisions require a roof with hips and gables (rather than just a hip roof) so that is the most common form of roof construction. At Fraemohs we can and do build houses with the hip and gable roof design. However, we do tend to build a lot of homes with the monopitch roof style which has a more contemporary feel.

With a hip roof, the cladding goes to the window head height, which is usually about 2.05mm depending on the roof pitch. This makes it cheaper to build as there is no cladding above the window and the flashings are not as complicated. For those who aren’t sure, flashings are the strips around windows that stop the water coming in.

When you have a monopitch roof the cladding might be another metre or two above the window so there is the cost of extra cladding plus there might be extra flashings where the cladding sheets join.

Another factor that affects the cost of construction of your roof is whether you have a raking ceiling or not. Fraemohs designs often include raking ceilings in the living room as they create a sense of space and light. However, they do require extra internal lining, insulation and additional framing. This is because when the ceiling is raking the walls are higher so the studs have to be closer together and can also increase in size.

Raking ceiling timber home NZ

Above: raking ceiling in one of the living spaces in the ‘Manapouri’ design

Hopefully this article has helped you to understand the reasons for the cost differences associated with these two roof styles!

While a monopitch roof may cost slightly more, we believe it is a great choice of roof design as it provides a modern, architectural style and a point of difference compared to a conventional hip roof home.

To view our full range of homes – which come in a  variety of different roof styles – see our house plans page.

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