Gambrel Vs Mansard Roof

A gambrel roof has two sides with two slopes and the bottom slope is much steeper than the upper slope.

Gambrel vs mansard roof.

Simply put the mansard roof also known as the french roof or curb roof is a hybrid between a gambrel roof and a hip roof. The difference between the two is that the gambrel only has two sides while the mansard has four. It is very similar to the gambrel roof style but this style utilizes all four sides of the house. The lower side of the roof will have a steep slope almost vertical while the upper side of the roof will have a much lower slope.

However a gambrel roof only has 2 sides while a mansard roof has 4 sides. If you are not familiar with a gambrel roof then let us first explain its architecture in brief. Both mansard and gambrel roofs fall under the general classification of curb roofs a pitched roof that slopes away from the ridge in two successive planes. The term gambrel is nowhere to be found nor can i find a translation for in in a dutch dictionary however on one site which details a wide variety of roof shapes we find the following entry for mansard dak dak like the german dach meaning roof.

The cross section of a gambrel roof is similar to that of a mansard roof but a gambrel has vertical gable ends instead of being hipped at the four corners of the building. In the united states second empire or mansard was a victorian style popular from the 1860s through the 1880s. For this reason older buildings were often remodeled with mansard roofs. When it comes to technical terms you can call a mansard roof to be a four sided hip style gambrel roof.

Here s how to think about the two different slopes. A mansard roof also known as a french roof is a four sided roof with a double slope on each side that meet forming a low pitched roof. This structure is more like a tent. However the mansard is a curb hip roof with slopes on all sides of the building and the gambrel is a curb gable roof with slopes on only two sides.

A gambrel or barn roof is much like mansard in a sense that it has two different slopes. Similar to mansard the lower side of the gambrel roof has an almost vertical steep slope while the upper slope is much lower. The lower slope is much steeper than the upper. Mansard roofs were considered especially practical because they allowed usable living quarters to be placed in the attic.

A mansard is a gable or hipped roof each of which was nodded. The difference between the two is that the gambrel only has two sides while the mansard has four. The sides can either be flat or curved depending on the style. A gambrel roof overhangs the façade whereas a mansard normally does not.

Similar to mansard the lower side of the gambrel roof has an almost vertical steep slope while the upper slope is much lower.