Saltbox Style Roof

In its simplest form a saltbox roof is a gable roof with asymmetrical planes one long and one short side.

Saltbox style roof.

We might call it the saltbox but there s no doubt this style is just perfect. The short side typically has a low slope while the long side has a steep slope. Now you will see this type of rooftop design on garages sheds and outbuildings rather than on homes. Saltbox roofs look like a patched gable style roof with two sides sloping outwards from a central ridge.

However instead of sloping to the same length one side reaches all the way to the first. Rather of sloping to the same degree one side includes the entire route to the house s first floor. Today there are not a lot of newly constructed homes that have this type of roof design. On a two story home the long side may span the height from the ridge to edge which can be one long roofing plane or divided into two.

With its asymmetrical roof and restrained facade the saltbox house has become an icon of new england s coastal areas. The saltbox architectural style was born as an adaptation to the harsh realities of early colonial life. A saltbox roof is a design that was used extensively in the colonial era. A salt box house defining feature is its roof.

When colonial era families first developed the style though they weren t aiming for aesthetic appeal.