Gambrel Roofing

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The gambrel roof is a variation of a gabled roof that peaks at the ridgeline then falls away in a broad, low slope, then breaks horizontally and changes to a steeper pitch. A gambrel roof has a broad upper story and side facade, and is often associated with barns. This design provides the advantages of a sloped roof while maximizing head space on the building's upper level for living or storage area.

Gambrel roofs are often associated with the Dutch Colonial and Georgian styles, among other architectural styles that were common in Colonial American times.

Used from Maine to Georgia, the gambrel roof style was popular in home designs from around the late 1600's to approximately 1800. The style was used from Maine to Georgia and seems to have been more common in areas closer to the coast.

The Brocklebank-Nelson-Beecher house with a gambrel roof built in 1680 in Georgetown, Massachusetts that now operates as a museum is of the First Period of American architecture when the first settlers built their homes. The reason that the gambrel roof was used for this house is the fact that the rooms were only one deep and thus the house required the more “commodious” roof to add overhead height to the second floor.

Also attributed to the First Period of American architecture, the Thomas Riggs house, built in 1661 in Gloucester, Massachusetts of log construction, has a gambrel roof with dormer windows and features three early bed chambers on the second level under the roof.

An 1888 book published by Harvard University about American architecture says that gambrel roofs were popular for about 100 years during the colonial period, were often adorned with dormers and a cornice, and were advantageous because the provided a loft above the main rooms.

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