For many years in the United States the most popular roofing style has been a simple sloped roof built on a series of footers with a waterproof skin that repels precipitation. In-fact, aside from some of the more historic homes on the Eastern Seaboard, and the manors of Long Island, the majority of homes in the US still use this plain, no-frills, utilitarian style.
There is however a new push toward building homes with more ornate and stylish roofing materials and designs. One style in particular is gaining national attention for its revived popularity: Mansard style roofs. A beautiful French styled roof, the Mansard style is famous for its use of variable sloping roofs that form an obtuse curvature to the entire roof. Not only is this design visually attractive, but serves a purpose as well. The style hails from the Alsace region of France, a region that often sees torrential rains and other precipitation. The Mansard roof style has steeper slopes at the edge of the roof, and shallower grade roofs toward the peak, which provokes precipitation to fall off of the room and not collect.
While the movement to bring back the Mansard roof is still gaining speed, its greatest centers of popularity are in the American South, where many plantation style dwellings have a Mansard style crown, and in the American Southwest, primarily in Utah where Utah residential roofing contractors are seeing more and more new home blueprints utilizing the style.
There are many more traditional styles that are also becoming popular this year, but by far Mansard is the most popular. If you are considering a different style roof for your home, Mansard style is a very good choice, but you also have the options of Dutch gable styles, Catenary, or saddleback. The choice is up to you.
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