The parts of your roof
When a roofer or a home inspector points at something and names it, this is what they mean.
- Dormer
- The structure — walls and roof — around a window that projects from a sloped roof.
- Roof truss
- The skeleton of the roof: a framework of beams that supports it.
- Rafters
- The beams that run from the top of the roof to the bottom. Part of the roof truss.
- Decking or sheathing
- Panels that cover the rafters, and to which the roofing material — shingles, metal panels and so on — is attached.
- Underlayment
- Often called tar paper. This heavy felt paper (synthetic materials are available too) is placed on top of the decking before the roofing material goes on, adding a layer of protection from moisture.
- Drip edge
- Edging placed at the end of the eaves, so water runs off and drips clear of the construction underneath.
- Fascia
- Trim used to cover the rafter ends at the eaves. Often where the gutters are attached to the house.
- Soffit
- The finished underside of the eaves, covering the area between the end of the eaves and the house.
- Valley
- The internal angle formed where two sloping roof planes meet — the intersection of a cross hip or cross gable roof.
- Hip
- The external angle formed where two sloping roof planes meet.
- Gable
- The triangle-shaped part at the end of a building, underneath the roof and above the main portion of the house.
- Ridge
- The highest point of the roof, running its length.
- Flashing
- Pieces of metal used to prevent water seeping in around any intersection or projection in a roof — vent pipes, chimneys, valleys, and the joints at vertical walls.
- Starter strip
- Asphalt roofing applied at the eaves that fills in the spaces under the cutouts and joints of the first course of shingles.
Request information
Send BDK Roofing your details and we will follow up. One short form — or call (705) 434-4115 if you would rather talk it through.
- Your name and phone number
- The property address in or near Alliston
- What you are seeing on the roof
- Photos, if you have them