Victorian Gambrel Roof Style Houses

Source in Architectural Trends

• American colonists began building homes with a gambrel roof in the 17th century. The style had fallen out of fashion when the Victorian period began, but architects such as Calvert Vaux sought to update and modernize it during the 1850s. A revival of Colonial architecture made gambrel roofs popular again in the 1870s, when architects adapted the simple gambrel style by adding ornamental touches typical of the Victorian period.

Appearance

• The increased level of detailing differentiated Victorian gambrel roofs from Colonial ones. Victorian gambrel-roofed homes added elaborate Victorian features such as shaped and rounded windows, carved support brackets and bay window areas to the simple frame of colonial gambrel roofs. Gothic turrets might appear on a roof from this period, and architects might decorate the edge of the roof with intricate barge-board designs.

Structure

• Gambrel roofs from the Victorian period are structurally difficult to replicate with modern dimensional lumber because the open space below the roof forces the floor joists and lower rafters to support the majority of the structural load. Victorian architects used larger timbers to accommodate this load. Connecting the rafters and joists with a knee wall reinforced the roof but required further support from the floor below.

Advantages

• Gambrel roofs run down from the attic to the first-story wall plate. This long slant offered Victorian architects space for additional windows and the decorative details that were fashionable. Modern designers appreciate that the style offers a spacious second floor while still providing room for duct work near the summit of the roof.