Storage Shed Rooflines and Roofing Choices

The roof is important in the overall look of your shed, but it can also add storage space. Consider the following to make the best roofing choice for your storage shed.

Do you want to match the roofline of your home so your storage shed blends in as if it were an extension of your home?

What climate do you live in? If you live in a snowy climate, consider a steeper roof that will keep snow from accumulating. If you live in a hot climate, you may want a roof with a deep overhang, partly shielding the windows and keeping the interior cooler.

Will you need to install gutters and downspouts? Most storage sheds don’t require gutters, but your shed might.

Will you be storing tall items? If so, you may need a taller gable roof instead of a flat one.

Roof Types

The five most common roofs for storage sheds include:

Flat Roofs – A flat roof is the easiest to install, but is the least visually pleasing. Drainage can be a problem with a flat roof.

Gable, or Pitched, Roof – A gable roof is a two-sided sloping roof that meets in the middle at the top to make a ridge with two triangular sections occupying the space between the two slopes.

Gambrel Roof – A gambrel roof is two-sided with a double slope on each side, the lower slope being steeper. As with a gable roof, two triangular sections occupy the space between the slopes. A gambrel roof is common to barns.

Saltbox Roof– Also similar to a gable roof, one side of the pitch is longer and flatter while the other is short and steep. The triangular sections between the two slopes follow the shape.

Hipped Roof– A hipped roof resembles a pyramid. All four sides slope down from a center point.

Materials

You want durable roofing, built to last, to protect your things for years to come. The most common roofing materials include:

Felt – Nailed to the wood sheathing and painted with a preservative coating, felt roofs are common to flat roofs. Felt is inexpensive and easy to install, but not as pretty as other roofing choices.

Asphalt Shingles – Durable, weatherproof, long lasting, and easy to install, asphalt shingles match the style of many of today’s homes.

Clay or Concrete Tiles – These tiles are pretty, durable, weatherproof, long lasting, and typically used when matching the storage shed to a home’s existing roof.

Slate Tiles – Slate is durable, waterproof, long lasting, pretty, and hardwearing, but expensive and more difficult to install.

Wood Shingles or Wood Shakes – Cut from cedar or pine, wood shingles and wood shakes are durable, long lasting, and pretty, but are expensive. Wood shingles are smooth while wood shakes are rough.

Metal– Metal roofs are fire-resistant, insect-resistant, rot-resistant, water tight, lightweight, pretty, and easy to install, but are noisy, especially in the rain.