Last month, we started a new series on roofing terminology, because it’s hard to have a conversation with any roofer who starts throwing around roofing jargon. It’ll also make the roofers’ jobs easier if they can talk about a roof project without breaking down every term they use.
In this installment, we’re going to talk about the term ridge.
What’s a Ridge?
The technical definition of a ridge in roofing terminology is the highest point on a roof, the horizontal line where two roof areas intersect at their highest edges.
In other words, it’s the top of the roof and the line where sides of a roof meet. There’s also the ridge cap, which is the actual material that overlaps the intersecting field roofing, designed to ensure a watertight installation of the roof.
Keep in mind that the ridge is only present in roofs that have slope or pitch (see last month’s blog on slope for more on that) and more than one plane. Flat roofs have no intersecting sides for a ridge to rest between, while some sloped shed roofs only have one side and therefore have no ridge either.
A good, solid ridge cap is essential to the structural integrity of a roof.
Stay tuned next month for another helpful definition of a roofing term!
~J.C.
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