If you need roof service, there will be terms the roofing company uses that you simply don’t understand. You’re not a roofer, after all, and most of the attention provided to this area of the home occurs when it’s time to call someone to make a repair. When you familiarize yourself with the most common roofing terms and information, it creates a smoother experience from the very start.
You’ll ask fewer questions and better understand the information the roofer providers when you have the most common roofing terms in your vocabulary.
Ridge: The intersection of two roof planes that form a horizontal peak.- Ridge Vent: An exhaust vent that runs along the peak of the roof that allows warm air to escape the attic.
- Deck: The base or structure of the roof. The deck is usually made from wood or plywood.
- Flashing: Waterproof construction used at roof intersections and panes.
- Valley: The intersection of two sloping roofs that join together at an angle so that water can run off the structure.
- Square: One square of a roof is equal to 100-square-feet of food space.
- Eave: The border of a roof that overhangs onto the wall.
- Gable: A triangle section of the outer wall at the roof pea. A gable roof is also a roof style.
- Hip: The hip is the intersection of two roof planes that meet at a sloped ridge.
- Underlayment: Underlayment is a protective layer of material that is placed between the deck and the shingles.
- Rake: The roof’s outer edge from the eave to the roof ridge.
- Hand-Sealing: Hand-sealing is the sealing of shingles by hand. This isn’t’ done on every roofing job, but is necessary on steep roofs or homes in cold weather areas in many cases.
More Roofing Terms to Learn
Of course, this is a partial list of roofing terms important to familiarize yourself, but it gives you an advantage that you didn’t have before so that it is easier to communicate and understand the contractor when you call for service. The roof on your home needn’t be tricky if you spend a bit of time doing your homework. When it’s this easy, why not learn as much as you can about your roof?
