Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 9/20/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have a back split home with a very low sloped roof. There isn't an attic - just a 2x10 cathedral roof for the front 2/3 of the house. The time has arrived to change the shingles, so I thought that this would be a good time to increase the pitch too. What method would work best to increase the pitch without damaging the ceiling ?

ANSWER: Kurt - thanks for your question!  And thanks for including the photo.

Raising the pitch of the roof is going to be expensive and isn't the solution to your aesthetic issues.  A bigger roof on this house might be exactly the wrong thing to do!

Even the cheapest way to raise the pitch of the roof means adding a completely new roof structure on top of the existing; I think there are probably much better uses of that large of an amount of money to improve the look of the house.

You might even find options that cost less than raising the whole roof.

Without seeing the entire house I can't suggest exactly what those options might be, but I'm sure there's a design professional in your area that can help you with that.

Ask around your area for references of competent design professionals, or check www.aia.org for residential architects in your area.

Hope this helps,

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The goal isn't to improve the look of the house. The two objectives are: 1)Allow for more insulation & 2)Provide a higher slope to improve water runoff. Currently I do not have nearly enough insulation and there isn't enough room  without adding an attic. Also, I have leaks during the spring when it rains with snow still on the roof (ice damming). I live i a rural area ie no design professionals!!

Answer
Kurt - the existing roof structure (including the shingles) can usually stay in place while a new, more steeply pitched roof structure is added above.  Typically this isn't a difficult procedure, assuming the existing walls and roof structure can carry the additional load.

New insulation in this case should probably be foam board, rather than batts or blankets.  You'll need to be sure you properly ventilate the new attic area you'll be creating.

What you'll be building is very similar to what's called a "cold roof"; you can find plenty of information about cold roof construction on the web (try www.jlconline.com for starters).

All of the work would then be outside, without affecting the interior at all.

You'll need to fill in the new gable ends you create, but that's pretty standard procedure also.

Any reputable contractor should be able to do this work for you.

Hope this helps,

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com