Saltbox Roof Definition

The definitive feature of a saltbox house is its roof.

Saltbox roof definition.

Saltbox roofs look like a patched gable style roof with two sides sloping outwards from a central ridge. Named for the shape of the container used to hold salt in colonial times these homes have a steeply sloped roof that is much longer on one side than the other. Saltbox in architecture type of residential building popular in colonial new england having two stories in front and a single story in the rear and a double sloped roof that is longer over the rear section the original clapboard houses of the new england settlers were constructed around a great central chimney. A house typically of frame construction with two stories in front and one in back having a pitched roof that extends lower on the back than on the.

However instead of sloping to the. Saltbox synonyms saltbox pronunciation saltbox translation english dictionary definition of saltbox. To calculate a saltbox roof select saltbox from the roof type dropdown list or select the corresponding button on the toolbar. A saltbox roof is similar to a gable roof but has different slopes and or spans for the front and rear sides of the roof.

A saltbox house is a traditional new england style of house with a long pitched roof that slopes down to the back generally a wooden frame house. English language learners definition of saltbox. A saltbox roof is a common roof type among older colonial style homes. This will result in one wall being higher than the other.

They look very similar to a simple shed roof in that it is a lean to and are also similar to a gable roof in that this style creates a gable. Today there are not a lot of newly constructed homes that have this type of roof design now you will see this type of rooftop design on garages sheds and outbuildings rather than on homes. The flat front and central chimney are recognizable features but the asymmetry of the unequal sides and the long low rear roof line are the most distinctive features of a saltbox which takes its name from its resemblance to a wooden lidded box in which salt was once kept. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front.

See the full definition for saltbox in the english language learners dictionary. A saltbox roof is a design that was used extensively in the colonial era.