Saltbox Style Roof

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.

Saltbox style roof.

The short side typically has a low slope while the long side has a steep slope. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front. Today there are not a lot of newly constructed homes that have this type of roof design. With its asymmetrical roof and restrained facade the saltbox house has become an icon of new england s coastal areas.

Rather of sloping to the same degree one side includes the entire route to the house s first floor. Salt box roofs feel like a painted gable style roof with two sides of a central ridge sloping outwards. In its simplest form a saltbox roof is a gable roof with asymmetrical planes one long and one short side. We might call it the saltbox but there s no doubt this style is just perfect.

However instead of sloping to the same length one side reaches all the way to the first. Now you will see this type of rooftop design on garages sheds and outbuildings rather than on homes. 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.

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