Victorian Roof Construction

Queen Anne

• The Queen Anne style is perhaps the most familiar of the Victorian architectural styles. Queen Anne houses typically have steeply pitched gable roofs, with a front-facing gable dominating the facade of the building. Complicated roof plans featuring cross gables and dormers are common, and turrets or towers with conical or pyramidal roofs are prominent elements in many Queen Anne homes. The ornate decorative elements of the style extend to the roof, as well; ornamental trusses in the peaks of gables, brackets under the eaves, finials and parapets are all used extensively in the style.

Stick-Eastlake

• Less ornamented than Queen Anne houses, homes built in the Stick-Eastlake style make more restrained use of decorative gable trusses and eave brackets. Roofs are steeply pitched, but roof lines tend to be flatter and less complex than those of Queen Anne buildings. The eaves of Stick-Eastlake roofs are sometimes flared, and dormers are sometimes crowned with hip roofs. Towers in Stick-Eastlake buildings are typically square with pyramidal roofs.

Second Empire

• A high mansard roof is characteristic of the Second Empire style. These roofs slope back steeply, often nearly vertically, from the eaves on all four sides and then transition to a shallower slope near the peak of the roof, resulting in a flat roof line. The profile of a Second Empire roof is sometimes curved, and the roof is typically punctuated by tall, narrow dormers. Domed cupolas topped with parapets are common as well.

Italianate

• Italianate homes are designed to emulate the style of European country villas. Italiante houses generally have shallower roof pitches than those built in other Victorian styles, and roofs are ornamented with elaborate cornices at the eaves and decorative brackets under the eaves. Cupolas and towers are often incorporated into the roof line, and the square or polygonal structures feature pyramidal or hip roofs.