Roof and Roofing Terms

• building paper
  Heavy paper used in walls or roofs to dampproof.
• built-up roof
  A roofing material applied in sealed, waterproof layers, where there is only a slight slope to the roof.
• cornice
  Horizontal projection at the top of a wall or under the overhanging part of the roof.
• eaves
  The extension of roof beyond house walls.
• flashing
  Noncorrosive metal used around angles or junctions in roofs and exterior walls to prevent leaks.
• gable
  The triangular part of a wall under the inverted "v" of the roof line.
• gambrel roof
  A roof with two pitches, designed to provide more space on upper floors. The roof is steeper on its lower slope and flatter toward the ridge.
• gutter
  A channel at the eaves for conveying away rain water.
• hip
  The external angle formed by the juncture of two slopes of a roof.
• hip roof
  A roof that slants upward on three or four sides.
• lath
  One of a number of thin narrow strips of wood nailed to rafters, ceiling joists, wall studs, etc. to make a groundwork or key for slates, tiles, or plastering.
• pitch
  The angle or slope of a roof.
• rafter
  One of a series of structural roof members spanning from an exterior wall to a center ridge beam or ridge board.
• rake
  The sloped edge of a roof, running from the eaves to the ridge.
• ridge pole
  A thick longitudinal plank to which the ridge rafters of a roof are attached.
• roof sheathing
  Sheets, usually of plywood, which are nailed to the top edges of trusses or rafters to tie the roof together and support the roofing material.
• shakes
  Handcut wood shingles.
• sheathing
  The first covering of boards or material on the outside wall or roof prior to installing the finished siding or roof covering.
• shingles
  Pieces of wood, asbestos or other material used as an overlapping outer covering on walls or roofs.
• soffit
  The visible underside of structural members such as staircases, cornices, beams, a roof overhang or eave.
• valley
  The depression at the meeting point of two roof slopes.
• verge
  The edge of tiles, slates or shingles, projecting over the gable of a roof.

Synopsis

Today, commercial roofing repair, roofing maintenance, and roofing replacement is a dangerous business. Do it right, the building's dry, and you're a hero. Do it wrong, everybody knows the roof is still leaking, and you're a bum. This book, written by Robert Hockaday, and award-winning consultant, shows in step-by-step fashion, how to avoid getting the poorest possible roof at the cheapest conceivable cost. This text also answers the corollary question, "How can I get a food roof at a fair price?" By investing just a few hours in this clearly composed, problem solving book, the reader can side-step the costly pitfalls that await inexperienced managers. Assembled for the first times in a single volume and written specifically for professional who design, manage and sell commercial properties, this book contains practical advice that will make the reader "roof smart" in a short period of time.

This book provides the tools for making well-informed decisions when it comes to doing effective repairs and maintenance as opposed to committing to expensive, but timely reroofing. Employing the techniques and facts found in this book, it will be easier to get work done tight at a fair price. Gone will be much of the aggravating damage stemming from roof leaks and the consequent law suits.

Today, commercial roofing repair, roofing maintenance, and roofing replacement is a dangerous business. Do it right, the building's dry, and you're a hero. Do it wrong, everybody knows the roof is still leaking, and you're a bum. This book, written by Robert Hockaday, and award-winning consultant, shows in step-by-step fashion, how to avoid getting the poorest possible roof at the cheapest conceivable cost. This text also answers the corollary question, "How can I get a food roof at a fair price?" By investing just a few hours in this clearly composed, problem solving book, the reader can side-step the costly pitfalls that await inexperienced managers.

Assembled for the first times in a single volume and written specifically for professional who design, manage and sell commercial properties, this book contains practical advice that will make the reader "roof smart" in a short period of time. This book provides the tools for making well-informed decisions when it comes to doing effective repairs and maintenance as opposed to committing to expensive, but timely reroofing.

Employing the techniques and facts found in this book, it will be easier to get work done tight at a fair price. Gone will be much of the aggravating damage stemming from roof leaks and the consequent law suits.

by Robert C. Hockaday