If you’re having a new house or garage built, an important decision you need to make is roofing architecture.

There are all kinds of roof designs you can choose from, with the two most commonly installed by roofers being gable and hip styles.

Of these, do you know which would be better for your needs? Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each style in terms of construction, strength, and other details so you choose the best design for your building.

You can even redesign the top of your house when it comes time for a roofing replacement if you decide that one might be better than the other.

Gable Roofs - Description, Pros, and Cons

Gable roofing has a very basic pitched design. They consist of two angles that rise up on either side of a structure and meet at the top to form a ridge.

The ridge travels the length of the building. While there are many different varieties of gables, they all have the same basic ridge and angle design.

  • Advantages of Gable Design - The two biggest advantages of having roofers use this type of design on your house or garage is that the long, angled sides shed water and snow faster than other designs. They also offer a larger, taller headspace under the two pitches. This space is easier to ventilate and can be enlarged with dormers to increase usable space under the rafters. Because the design is simpler, initial construction and roofing replacement is less expensive than many other designs.
  • Disadvantages of Gable Design - The main disadvantage to gable design is that the longer, straighter sides are not as strong as the shorter angled lengths on more complex roof designs. This means reduced load-bearing capacity, which could be a problem in areas that see a lot of snow or strong winds.

Hip Roofs - Description, Pros, and Cons

Hip roofing is technically a variation of the simple gable design. Essentially, it is two gable roofs turned into one, with angles on all fours sides as opposed to just two.

The angles can either meet at a point at the top of the structure or they can meet with two longer sides and two shorter sides along the sides and ends of a ridge.

  • Advantages of Hip Design - In comparison to gable design, a hip roof is stronger and has a greater load-bearing capacity because the angles are shorter and there is a more complex bracing system involved. For this reason, the hip roofs installed by roofers are more durable against the weight of snow. The four-angle design also faces less force from blowing winds, which will more easily blow over the structure from all sides.
  • Disadvantages of Hip Design - Because the design is more complicated and requires more materials, putting on a hip roof or having a hip roofing replacement is more expensive than a gable one.

What Is Your Best Choice?

Which of these roofing designs is the best option for your house or garage?

That should primarily depend on whether or not you need the extra wind-resistance and weight-bearing capability of the hip design.

If it doesn’t really matter and wind or snow are not going to affect your structure, either is fine.

Installed by experienced roofers, both the hip and gable roof are attractive and still reasonably cost-effective designs for roofing replacement in lieu of some other, more complicated designs!

Need A Roofing Replacement In College Station Texas?

Talk To The Expert Roofers At College Station Roofing Today!

Call 979-710-7839!