"
"Hip roofs are slightly more complex than a traditional gable roof."
"
We’re lucky to have relationships with the expert instructors and craftspeople at Seattle Central College’s Wood Technology Center. In this video series, Catie Chaplin, an instructor for the center’s residential carpentry program, guides us through foundational carpentry concepts taught in the center’s curriculum. With more than 40 years of construction and instruction experience, Catie is a trusted expert in planning and constructing residential structures.
In this video from Catie’s virtual course curriculum, she walks us through the basic elements of a hip roof. Watch the overview or read below for a summary of the discussed terms.
What is a hip roof?
A hip roof is a design where all roof planes slope downward from the ridge to the top of the walls. Hip roofs are a bit more challenging to construct, unlike a more traditional gable roof, as they introduce more complex rafter configurations.
Characteristics of a basic hip roof
Ridge
The roof ridge is where two opposing planes meet to form a peak. On a hip roof, two additional planes are formed by two rafters that extend at 45-degree angles from each ridge end.
Hips
The hips of the roof refer to the rafters that extend diagonally from the ends of the ridge to the four corners of the roof.
Common rafters
A basic hip roof, like the one shown in the video above, is completely symmetrical: Rafters on either side of the ridge match each other on opposite sides to create opposing tension. Rafters that run from the outside of the building to the ridge of the roof are called common rafters.
Hip roofs should always have a common rafter at the end of the ridge, butting up against the two hips. These rafters form a perfect square at each outer corner of the roof if looking at the roof from above.
Jacks and hip jacks
Any rafter that doesn’t make it all the way to the ridge is called a jack. In the rendering, the rafters at the corners of the roof are called hip jacks, as they stop at the hip before reaching the ridge. Hip jacks are identical to common rafters except for stopping short of the ridge.
King rafters
The two hips at each end of the ridge form a triangle. The rafter at the center of the triangle (the longest) is sometimes called the king rafter.
Eaves
Unlike gable roofs—which have both eaves and rakes—hip roofs only have eaves at the overhang. The eaves are all horizontal to the ground and trimmed with fascia.
For more industry tips, check out nominal versus actual lumber sizing and how to calculate board measurefrom our Wood Technology Center series.