In this section of Hometips for Home Improvement, we will learn and understand roofing including Asphalt Roofing, Built-Up Roofing, Chimney, Gutters & Downspouts, Metal Roofing, Tile & Masonry Roofing, Wood Shingle Roofing and roof repair and DIY.

Over millions of years people around the world have surfaced their homes with just about anything, from animal skins to tree bark, to hold the weather out. There have been continuous experimentation and inventions in roofing. Today’s roofs are the results of these past experiments and inventions with roofing and roof materials. But some of the materials such as slate and wood shakes are still used as roof materials.

Other roofing materials such as asphalt/fiberglass composites, lightweight concrete and coated-metal tile are end products of the technological advancement and new inventions. Each of these materials has different durability, appearance, cost, and ease of application.

Most contemporary roofs look as if they are made entirely of shingles or tiles; but roofs are actually waterproofing systems made up of a variety of components that working together to hold the weather out. These systems include framing, sheathing, underlayment, flashing, and finish roofing.

Let us now understand some of the terms used in roofing and their meanings.

Butt: The larger, exposed end of a shingle.

Deck: Plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing used as a base for securing roofing materials.

Drip edge: An L-shaped metal strip positioned along a roof’s edges to allow water to run off the roof without running down eaves or siding.

Eaves: The horizontal underside that projects out from the house wall on a sloped roof.

Exposure: The part of a shingle that is exposed to the weather, often less than half its actual length.

Felt or underlayment: Asphalt-impregnated roofing paper that creates a secondary, watertight barrier between many roofing products and the roof deck.

Flashing: Metal pieces that keep water from seeping into intersections, such as valleys or joints at vertical walls, or around roof penetrations, such as chimneys or vent pipes.

Pitch: Roof slope expressed as the ratio of a roof’s rise (vertical distance) to each foot of run (horizontal distance). A “6-in-18 pitch” means the roof rises 6 inches for every 18 inches of horizontal distance.

Rafters: The framework that supports the roof deck and roofing. On a sloped roof, these are the angled timbers on the underside.

Rake: The sloped edge of a roof over a wall.

Ridge: The peak where two sloped roof sections meet.

Square: A measurement of roof area that equals 100 square feet (an area 10' by 10').

Valley: The angle formed where two sloping roof surfaces intersect.

>>> Metal Roofing and Metal Roofing Materials

>>> Metal Roofing: Advantages and Benefits

>>> Metal Roofing Drawbacks and Disadvantages

>>> Metal Shingle Roofing

>>> Sheet Metal Roofing

>>> Metal Roofing Buying Guide

>>> Metal Roofing Repairs

>>> Wood Shingle Roofing: Wood Shingle and Shake Roofing

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