Roof Pitch...standing or sliding!
Many popular new home roof designs in the Olathe Kansas area are changing from a steep pitched roof to a roof pitch that is easier to walk rather than slide down!! 
The roof pitch on new homes are known to builders to be a 4/12, 5/12 or 6/12 roof pitch. Several builders around the Olathe area call these a California Style roof. They are a lower silhouette design. Okay, so what does the 4/12 pitch mean? It means that for every 4 inches of rise (side B) you move vertical 12 inches (side A). Here's that geometry lesson again for you mathematicians!
If you want to keep the water running down your new home roof, then you need to have a minimum of a 4/12 pitch roof. You may have seen the additions to homes where the spare bedroom was built on to an existing home and the roof design didn't meet the 4/12 pitch. As a consequence, the roof had problems with leaks and wind damage. Many in the Kansas City area were installed with just a heavy tarred roof!
Then there was that popular 6/12 roof with the high pitch, almost looked like an A-frame home. These 6/12 roofs were popular several years ago, but if you ever had to re-roof one of these homes, it was more expensive due to the need for kick boards to be installed so you wouldn't slide off the roof. I can tell you, it's no picnic to roof one of these, especially if you are 2 stories or more off the ground! Wow, what a cheap thrill!
Now you can talk with your builder about the roof pitch of your new home and have some feeling of confidence that you know what he's talking about!
David L. Britt
http://www.heritage.net
Guiding You HOME!
. Not to bad when it comes to re roofing and the run off from the rain fall is okay. Good gutters and properly installed down spouts is the real key for moving water away from the home.
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