Can someone educate me about this unusual roof?

[dr0591]

I just remembered that my favorite miniature artists, Pat and Noel Thomas, did an incredible 1"/12" miniature replica of the Gamble House (see http://smallhousepress.me/2012/09/09...greene-part-i/). Maybe that's why the house on the golf course looked vaguely familiar...........

[dshall]

Do you have any idea on how to model the flairs? If I had to guess, the best way to build those would be to create a symbol from terrain and give it the appropriate material. I have run into this several times doing an as built and to date I have ignored it.

After thinking on this some more, and a quick attempt to make the flare out of terrain, (unsuccessful), I think the best way would be Joe's Boullion Solid Method. Very very tricky, but this might be the best solution. Oh boy, just thinking about it makes me dizzy. But wait, a sketchup guru could probably do it with sketchup, one day I may have to learn the program.

How do I think the flare is built in the field? A conventional gable roof, and at the ends of the gables they put in some sleepers that creastes the "uptick/flare" at the gable ends. So to do this in CA, we would need a solid that would sit at each end of the ridge that would give the "uptick".

[fcwilt]

See the fact the CA cannot easily make this type of roof is it's way of telling us we shouldn't be making this kind of roof.

[johnnyprc]

I personally don't even like the flare - I think it looks better without. Its so subtle that to me its idiosyncratic and reads as an error, or a structural problem gone wrong over time.

[Joe Carrick]

After thinking on this some more, and a quick attempt to make the flare out of terrain, (unsuccessful), I think the best way would be Joe's Boullion Solid Method. Very very tricky, but this might be the best solution. Oh boy, just thinking about it makes me dizzy. But wait, a sketchup guru could probably do it with sketchup, one day I may have to learn the program.

How do I think the flare is built in the field? A conventional gable roof, and at the ends of the gables they put in some sleepers that creastes the "uptick/flare" at the gable ends. So to do this in CA, we would need a solid that would sit at each end of the ridge that would give the "uptick".

Scott,

What about a Molding Pline along the Gable with a flat triangle molding shape (4" high by about 5' wide)? Seems like the easiest way to me.

Pic using s 3D Molding PLine. Note, you could add another Molding as a Shadow Board along the Gable.

[dshall]

Scott,

What about a Molding Pline along the Gable with a flat triangle molding shape (4" high by about 5' wide)? Seems like the easiest way to me.

I am not sure how that would work. I thought about using a mpline of a particular shape, turning it into a solid and then using you boullion solids to subtract ..... but it seems pretty complicated. I imagine this thing as having some complex cuves to it. Luckily I avoided having to do this to date. I don't know, it just seems complicated.

[Joe Carrick]

So here's one using 2 flat triangular molding shapes slightly offset for the roof surface and the shadow boards

[dshall]

So here's one using 2 flat triangular molding shapes slightly offset for the roof surface and the shadow boards

Yep, I see what you did. However I think the fascia at the eave is a constant height. But it is at the ridge that the "flare" comes into play. So I see what you did, but I do not think it is actually what is typically built.... that is the tricky part.

[Joe Carrick]

Scott,

I think your wrong. If you look at the pic (snipped from the original) you will see that the upper roof clearly shows the fascia being sloped at the flare along the eave - or at least a triangular sloped shadow board at that location. The lower roof is misleading because you are seeing a horizontal gutter (dark line) that makes it look like the flare is built on top of the main roof instead of being a part of the roof structure itself.

[dr0591]

These are looking like pretty good approximations. Especially if your molding polyline had a slight curve to it that faded away into the roof plane.

But I think I'm going to give up on trying to model this myself, if the Chief Brain Trust can't even agree on how it should be done. :-)

[dr0591]

I think this "design feature" might be an attempt to deal with rain or snow run-off. The edges of the roof on my house slope ever-so-slightly inward, to angle the run-off more effectively toward the gutters (which don't go all the way to the ends). Maybe this roof had bigger problems so they created a bigger solution? These gutters go past the end of the roof plane, though.

[johnnyprc]

I think there is a chance the roof ridge isn't parallel with the sq of the home, and its causing a distortion.... the roof overhang is so large it doesn't show as obvious. Maybe its both a distortion and flare - unless the photo is distorted and that's the problem (but then I shouldn't be able to get clear vanishing lines on the windows).

***ADDED
As I am sure you know, we should be able to get vanishing points with the lines of the home - like in this picture I did the same thing with.

[dshall]

Scott,

I think your wrong. If you look at the pic (snipped from the original) you will see that the upper roof clearly shows the fascia being sloped at the flare along the eave - or at least a triangular sloped shadow board at that location. The lower roof is misleading because you are seeing a horizontal gutter (dark line) that makes it look like the flare is built on top of the main roof instead of being a part of the roof structure itself.

My mistake Joe. You are correct. I did not look close enough. This is a very custom roof profile. I suppose I was trying to relate it to what I see out here which is where the fascia is a constant size and there is the uptick at the ends of the gables.

Thay being the case, your solution worked quite well.

[Joe Carrick]

Johnny,

That's a photograph taken with a lens so you are seeing spherical distortion. You can't apply pure perspective geometry to a photograph like this. My experience with this type of roof (Similar Style Home in Santa Barbara designed by MayBeck) that we did an addition for around 1970 was that the "Flare" is actually a uniform flat plane. The Fascia along the Gable is consistent and both the eave and ridge are sloped identically for 6'-8' so that the Fascia along the Eave tapers at the same angle as the ridge.

As Kathleen surmised, it was done to channel rain water away from the gables and create flow along the gutters in the towards the downspout. That tends to keep the gutters cleaner because the water is already flowing in the right direction when it hits the gutter.

[johnnyprc]

You're probably right Joe - that explanation makes more sense.

Although why bother on those gutters - especially the upper roof - they would just hit the lower roofline anyways...? put a drip edge on that fascia seems more practical. odd..