A hip roof has two trapezoidal roof planes along the two longer sides and two triangular roof planes at each end (hip ends). Generally speaking, the four roof planes all have the same pitch (slope), and the ends of the roof ridge are often ornamented with a finial or hip knob.
Hip roofs differ to gable roofs in that they have no gables (the triangular portion of a facade above eave level between intersecting roof planes). For this reason, hip roofs (and their variants, tented and pyramid roofs) can withstand stronger winds and are therefore seen more frequently in rural areas.
A hip roof on a square floor plan has four equally sized triangular roof planes and is then called a pyramid roof or a square hip roof.
Synonyms hip roof
You’ll hear slightly different terms used for a hip roof, for example, hipped roof and hip-roof.
See also
