I don't often get the chance to work on modern designs, but in the last few months I've been working on projects for two different clients which have mono slope roofs, in other words, roofs that have a single low pitch from front to back.
The first project is a home that will be constructed on a rural site in Vernon County. It will be built into the hillside, with entry into the home on the lower (walkout basement) level and the main living spaces and primary bedroom suite on the upper level. It will have flat 9' ceilings on the back (hill-facing) side of the house, rising up to a height of nearly 15' on the front of the house. The result is a dramatic home that opens up to the views.
The first project is a home that will be constructed on a rural site in Vernon County. It will be built into the hillside, with entry into the home on the lower (walkout basement) level and the main living spaces and primary bedroom suite on the upper level. It will have flat 9' ceilings on the back (hill-facing) side of the house, rising up to a height of nearly 15' on the front of the house. The result is a dramatic home that opens up to the views.
The second project is a garage, which will be built in rural Sauk County. Purely by coincidence, it has the same type of roof and roof pitch. although on a smaller scale than the house. It will have a wall height if 8'-6" at the back wall, rising up to 12' at the overhead garage doors. The roof extends past the walls of the garage to create a covered porch shaded by cedar slats.
Some things to be aware of if you're considering a modern design with a mono slope roof:
- The high front walls add to its cost, with more wall surface area, more windows and more interior volume to heat and cool.
- A low roof slope, such as a 2:12 pitch, works best to achieve the modern look of these two projects and to avoid excessively high walls on the front of the house. Certain types of roofing, such as standing seam metal roofing, are needed for such a low slope.
- Roof drainage becomes a more important consideration when all of the rain and snow falling on a roof is being shed in one direction. Especially in the case where the roof is draining onto the upper side of a hill, it's important to figure out how the water is going to be carried away from the house.
- With no attic space, options for achieving adequate roof insulation are more limited than with a more traditional roof.
- Tall walls may require special engineering to stiffen them against wind loads.
RSS Feed
