Victorian Roof Terminology

The italianate style has its origins in the picturesque movement of the uk an idea built around creating buildings fully in sync with their natural surrounds.

Victorian roof terminology.

Carved brackets at the eaves were common. For this reason older buildings were often remodeled with mansard roofs. Characterized by its romantic vibe high square towers low roofs wide eaves and decorative brackets the style is heavily influenced by the italian renaissance hence no doubt its name. Glossary of architectural terms.

Complex roof lines became the rage as architects worked to create designs that would pull the eye to the top of the house. The highest pointed part of a gable. Roof shapes became steeper in victorian homes. The main factors which influence the shape of roofs are the climate and the materials available for roof structure and the outer covering.

Usages vary slightly from region to region or from one builder or architect to another. Roof terminology is also not rigidly defined. A raised panel below a window or opening. Today mansard style roofs are occasionally used in one and two story apartment buildings restaurants and neo eclectic houses.

In the united states second empire or mansard was a victorian style popular from the 1860s through the 1880s. New siding materials and ornate trim pieces gave way to fancier home designs. A small but prominent portion of a building that juts out from a main building either above its roof line or to the side and which is identified by a unique usually diminutive height and individual roof type.