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Roofing Lingo – Keeping Up with the Contractor Conversation

Roofing Lingo – Keeping Up with the Contractor Conversation

When your roofing contractor speaks, it can seem like another language. In reality, there are just special names for the different parts of your roof. Check out some of the most popular terms and keep up with the conversation!

Built-up Roof

On low-slope roofs, alternating layers of roofing felt and mopped roof tar create a thick layer. It’s then covered with gravel.

Cornice

A portion of the roof that hangs out over the wall of a house. It also goes by the less creative name of overhang. Note that a cornice is also a decorative feature.

Counterflashing

Where the roof and the wall meet, there are two layers of flashing, one from the wall up and another from the roof down.

Courses

Courses is the name for the horizontal rows of shingles or tiles.

Drip

The drip is part of the overhang. It’s designed to keep water from running back out over the outside of the walls.

Eaves

The underside of the overhang, usually equipped with vents.

Fascia

A flat piece of board that runs between the top of the wall and the eaves.

Flashing

Usually metal, but can be rubber or fiberglass, this is a pliable material used to seal around chimneys, pipes, etc.

Felt

Once made from wool and asphalt, ‘felt’ is now typically made from fiberglass and a sticky asphalt-like material.

Gable

The triangle top of a wall that fits inside a peaked roof.

Hip

The convex peak of a roof. Also refers to a roof style where all the roof angles connect directly to the walls.

Joist

On a flat roof, joists are wooden ‘beams’ that the sheathing is nailed to.

Rafter

This is a slanted beam that goes from the walls to the peak. Sheathing is nailed to rafters.

Rake

This is the edge of a gabled roof that extends out past the wall.

Ridge

The convex peak of a roof where two roofs meet.

Sheathing

Usually plywood or composite board, sheathing is made up of the large flat sheets that are nailed to rafters and joists.

Shingle Flashing

Created when a sheet of metal or rubber is laid under shingles, then run up a chimney or adjoining wall.

Slope

The same as pitch, this is the ratio of the rise of the roof in inches per linear foot.

Soffit

Soffits are boards that enclose the overhang.

Square

This is a measure of roof size that represents 100 square feet. Proposals are often written with a cost per square.

Underlayment

This is the same as felt. This type of fiberglass fabric is rolled onto the roof before adding shingles, tiles, metal sheets, or hot tar.

 

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