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Importance of a Roof Pitch and Roof Angles

The angle of your roof or the roof pitch is important in determining your roof's longevity. The basic belief is the steeper the roof pitch the better. The roof pitch influences venting, drainage, and resistance to natural elements such as hailstones, snow, and wind.

A roof's pitch is determined by measuring the change in height over its run or horizontal distance. It's expressed as a ratio such as "5 in 12," meaning a 5 inch rise for every foot of run. The pitch will determine what type of roofing you should use on your home. Cedar shakes, composition shingles, and dimensional shingles are right at home at high and low pitched roofs. However they are not a flat roof product. Tile and slate shingles, both of which have over fifty-year life expectancies, are recommended for low to moderate pitched roofs. The drawback in using either of these on a roof with a steep slope is their weight. Before installing either tile or slate on a steep angled roof major and costly reinforcement of the roof's frame is necessary.

Metal is perhaps the most versatile covering since it can be used on everything from cathedral to flat roofs. Other flat roofing materials include tar, bitumen, rolled, rubber and PVC. Angle is not the only determining factor in picking roofing material-- climate, weather conditions, and cost are also important considerations.

Generally speaking the steeper the slope the easier it is to vent. With slightly pitched roofs, which have less air space, it's more difficult to circulate and expel trapped air from an attic or crawl space. This can lead to moist air being trapped in insulation, which can foster unhealthy mold and mildew. Likewise, steeper roofs drain better.

A high pitched roof is also favorable in most weather conditions except one; high wind. Flat or low angle roofs stand up to hurricanes and tornados much better than their steeper counterpart. Snow, hail or rain is handled best by a roof that can shed these elements more quickly-- the steep angled roof. Simply put-- that's the pitch on your roof's pitch.