Roof Pitch

As home owners and do-it-yourself  handy folks we often contemplate adding an addition such as a covered porch or storage shed in the backyard or even a small garage. One of the daunting question is what should the roof pitch (slope) be and what is the angle of the roof rafters. Actually the answer to these questions is not as difficult as they seem.

First off the language of roof pitch must be understood if you are contemplating a DIY project that involves constructing a roof. Roof pitch is usually expressed as a ratio of the amount of rise in inches to the run (length) in inches. For example a 5/12 pitch means that the roof will rise 5 inches for every 12 inches of run, or a 7/12 pitch will rise 7 inches for every 12 inches of run. After we decide what pitch we want we must determine the angle to put the rafter to obtain the desired pitch. This can be determined by using a carpenters framing square or consulting the chat below for the most common roof angle.