Roof Types and Your Home Insurance Quotes

Did you know that the type of roof you have on your home can make a difference in your homeowners insurance? It’s true, different styles of roof types and materials can influence your insurance premium or rate. The roof is clearly one of the biggest protectors of your home from all kinds of damage, including bad weather.That’s why it’s so important to consider the styles of roofing you can choose from before you even buy your home.

Roofing materials, and how they relate to the best homeowners insurance, are something to talk over with your insurance provider, like Orion180 insurance. We are more than happy to go over the details on why the right roof is so important, and how it will affect your home insurance quotes.

Let’s look at some of the most common and best roof types and materials available on homes today that you could possibly own now or in the future.

Gable Roof

This is one of the common roof types out there, the gable. It’s not just one style either because there are four main kinds of gable roofs, the box gable, the open gable, the cross gable, and the Dutch gable. You can even have a gable roof with a shed addition.

The basic style of a gable roof has sloping sides with a pitched peak at the top. It can be made of all different types of roofing materials, like asphalt shingles, slate, or concrete tiles. The material used will depend mainly on where you live and the type of major weather concerns. The triangular shape allows a lot of rain or snow to slide right off the roof. Although with the shape of a gable roof, you do have to be concerned about high winds.

When looking at home insurance quotes, the gable roof is going to be more sturdy when it’s made out of concrete or metal, so you’ll probably have a lower premium with a gable roof made of those materials.

Although this type of roof is good for snow, ice and rain runoff, be aware that for wind type storms, the gable roof is much easier for blunt force wind to lift the roof off the home, in whole or in part.

Hip Roof

A hip or hipped roof is probably the one that is most common after the gable type. It is characterized by slopes on four sides that come to a peak at the top, unlike the gable which only has two.  The hip roof style gives resistance in the form of flat, not peaked surfaces making it more difficult for windstorms to lift it.

They are great for snow and ice, since the shape helps with runoff really well. They are stable and durable when made out of common roofing materials, like asphalt, concrete tiles, or metal.

Insurance companies consider this one of the best types of roofing to have on a house since it can stand up to multiple kinds of weather damage. An insurance company is going to be more interested in how old a roof is and what it’s made out of when determining replacement costs. You will typically enjoy substantial discounts for having this type of roof.

Mansard

The mansard roof is also referred to as a “French roof.” The style was created by a French architect named Francois Mansart, who designed it with four double sloped sides that meet with a flat top. They offer a range of different silhouettes to choose from, but in general, are a more expensive roof type to build.

The mansard roof can be made of traditional roofing materials, but many builders also add unique touches like copper or zinc to enhance the design appeal. When looking at home insurance quotes, it’s going to be more expensive to insure a mansard roof than other types because it’s more costly to replace.

Flat

A flat roof is one of the most simple and low-maintenance types around. It’s easy to clean and water-resistant. Most of the time these types of roofs are used in warmer areas where snow and ice aren't an issue in damaging the roof.

Although with a flat roof, most insurance companies see them as a bigger risk since they usually have a shorter lifespan than a traditional sloped roof, like the gable or hipped roof. Note, Orion180 does not cover this type of roof.

 Check With Orion180 About Your Roof

If you have any questions about how the type of roof you have can affect your home insurance quotes, give us a call today. We’d be more than happy to go over these roof styles and more in looking for the best homeowners insurance from Orion180.