Is My Roof Steep

Depending on the pitch additional equipment may also be necessary.

Is my roof steep.

Place the butt end of the level against the edge of the roof and extend it into the air balancing it until it becomes level. A complex roof architecture is more time consuming to complete than a simple flat roof due to angles and fitting. The tools required will be a contractor s level at least 24 inches long and a tape measure. In my case the roof s pitch was so extreme no local roofers wanted to mess with it.

The slope of a roof often referred to as the pitch is determined by rise over run the roof s vertical rise in inches for every twelve inches of horizontal length the run. The possibility of slipping and falling makes working on any roof dangerous but it s especially so if the roof rises more than 4 feet for every 12 feet of horizontal span. A roof s pitch is determined by how much it rises vertically for every foot it runs horizontally. So a roof with four inches of rise every 12 inches horizontally run would have a slope of 4 12 sometimes displayed as 4 12.

See the image below for more explanation on rise run and pitch. A pitch over 9 12 is considered a steep slope roof between 2 12 and 4 12 is considered a low slope roof and less than 2 12 is considered a flat roof. Roof pitch affects the actual area of the roof. Most roof s have a pitch in the 4 12 to 9 12 range.

Thus a moderate 6 in 12 roof pitch means that the roof rises 6 inches vertically for every 12 horizontal inches it runs. It affects walkability as well as drainage and roofs in areas of high rain or snowfall tend to have steeper pitches. A 12 in 12 pitch is a steep 45 degree angle roof. A steep roof pitch can add to the cost of installation as it will be more time consuming to work on a steeper pitch.

The table below shows common roof pitches and the equivalent grade degrees and radians for each. Depending whether the roof area is measured horizontally. Roof pitch is a determining factor for cost of the roof as well as the roof area and the type of materials used. The slope or pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch 12 length called the run.