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The thing with roofs is that if you get substantial snowfall in winter, practicality demands a steep roof pitch, otherwise melted snow will drip through the shi

The thing with roofs is that if you get substantial snowfall in winter, practicality demands a steep roof pitch, otherwise melted snow will drip through the shingles. A high roof pitch necessary makes the roof more prominent. From a reverse image search, the two "more roof than house" photos (both in the 8 section) seem to be from Sandy Spring, Maryland and Gaithersburg, Maryland. In general, the author seems to think that builders should place more value on architectural merit rather than practicality, maintainability and cost. Obviously most homebuyers don't share her priorities.

Rumudiez 10y ago
Living just miles away from one of the places with the heaviest annual snowfall in the world (Cascade mountain range in WA), I don't know if what I'd call a steep pitched roof is what you'd call a steep pitched roof. There are other considerations to what makes a roof appear large. I'm not an architect, but as a designer I can at least point out that meaningful horizontal rhythm and the creation of positive and negative space through effective use of roof lines, dormers, and chimneys can all help make any practical roof space feel more utilized and be less eye-catching. A good designer or architect can uphold "good taste" while accommodating real world constraints; it's one of the defining differences between those fields and fine art, and a requirement of anyone performing critique.
Broken_Hippo 10y ago
I moved to Norway a few years ago. The average roof pitch is more than when I lived in Indiana. However, the roofs generally don't seem that much more prominent than in Indiana. Many are simply proportional - even in the more mass produced housing of the 50's. Examples: https://www.google.no/search?q=typical+norwegian+house&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiY29mthezPAhXya5oKHWaLANIQsAQIJQ&biw=1382&bih=771 https://www.google.no/search?q=typical+norwegian+house&safe=...
- brewdad 10y ago
  When I visited Norway this summer I fell in love with the idea of a roof you have to mow. (You don't really, but I loved the green roofs)
  - Broken_Hippo 10y ago
    I completely understand. I'd love to live in such a place. Those aren't as common in modern buildings, though. The only one I've stayed in was a primitive cabin - no toilet or other running water and no power save for a poorly working older solar panel. I actually asked about the mowing thing - some folks do go up and remove trees that start to grow, I guess, but no mowing.
- dlubarov 10y ago
  I notice that they're all gable roofs, compared to the hip roofs which the author criticizes. Gable roofs usually look less prominent, since there's less surface area, and it's usually on the sides which you don't see as much as the front of the house. But I think hip roofs are better in harsh environments, partly because they're more stable, and partly because the maximum wall height is shorter, so it takes stronger winds to blow water onto the siding. Are snowstorms and rainstorms not a big concern in Norway? I looked at some weather data and it sounds like certain parts are quite rainy, but less so in the major cities like Oslo, and with less storms than Maryland. Is that accurate?
  - Broken_Hippo 10y ago
    I'll give the best account this immigrant can give: The weather does vary depending on where you are at. Norway is long - Nearly like the east coast if you take off Florida and Maine. The span and geography makes for somewhat varied whether. A decent swath is above the arctic circle: Much of Norway is thin save for the southern 1/3, which has a wider land mass and therefore, a chunk that is more inland. Oslo shares similar whether with such places, though it isn't as inland (the fjords can make 'inland' a weird thing). Much of the country is mountainous as well. Due to the large coastline, the country gets rainy along the coast, much like the west coast in the US and Canada. Storms are a weird thing for me here. I don't consider much here a "storm", but I'm from Indiana where a storm meant possible tornado weather. Storms where I am - Trondheim - have heavy rain or snow and a fair amount of wind. As in, as an adult, wind has pushed me along on ice. Many are remnants of hurricanes, and the truth is they seem fairly mild. Even lightning and thunder are somewhat rare - I kinda get excited because I miss a good thunderstorm.
tptacek 10y ago
No, that is definitely not what the McMansion Hell author thinks. A lot of the criticisms on that site are about ostentatious design details divorced from their functional goals, and on the impact a lot of this design has on energy efficiency.

Rumudiez 10y ago

Living just miles away from one of the places with the heaviest annual snowfall in the world (Cascade mountain range in WA), I don't know if what I'd call a steep pitched roof is what you'd call a steep pitched roof. There are other considerations to what makes a roof appear large. I'm not an architect, but as a designer I can at least point out that meaningful horizontal rhythm and the creation of positive and negative space through effective use of roof lines, dormers, and chimneys can all help make any practical roof space feel more utilized and be less eye-catching. A good designer or architect can uphold "good taste" while accommodating real world constraints; it's one of the defining differences between those fields and fine art, and a requirement of anyone performing critique.

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

I moved to Norway a few years ago. The average roof pitch is more than when I lived in Indiana. However, the roofs generally don't seem that much more prominent than in Indiana. Many are simply proportional - even in the more mass produced housing of the 50's. Examples: https://www.google.no/search?q=typical+norwegian+house&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiY29mthezPAhXya5oKHWaLANIQsAQIJQ&biw=1382&bih=771 https://www.google.no/search?q=typical+norwegian+house&safe=...

brewdad 10y ago
When I visited Norway this summer I fell in love with the idea of a roof you have to mow. (You don't really, but I loved the green roofs)
- Broken_Hippo 10y ago
  I completely understand. I'd love to live in such a place. Those aren't as common in modern buildings, though. The only one I've stayed in was a primitive cabin - no toilet or other running water and no power save for a poorly working older solar panel. I actually asked about the mowing thing - some folks do go up and remove trees that start to grow, I guess, but no mowing.
dlubarov 10y ago
I notice that they're all gable roofs, compared to the hip roofs which the author criticizes. Gable roofs usually look less prominent, since there's less surface area, and it's usually on the sides which you don't see as much as the front of the house. But I think hip roofs are better in harsh environments, partly because they're more stable, and partly because the maximum wall height is shorter, so it takes stronger winds to blow water onto the siding. Are snowstorms and rainstorms not a big concern in Norway? I looked at some weather data and it sounds like certain parts are quite rainy, but less so in the major cities like Oslo, and with less storms than Maryland. Is that accurate?
- Broken_Hippo 10y ago
  I'll give the best account this immigrant can give: The weather does vary depending on where you are at. Norway is long - Nearly like the east coast if you take off Florida and Maine. The span and geography makes for somewhat varied whether. A decent swath is above the arctic circle: Much of Norway is thin save for the southern 1/3, which has a wider land mass and therefore, a chunk that is more inland. Oslo shares similar whether with such places, though it isn't as inland (the fjords can make 'inland' a weird thing). Much of the country is mountainous as well. Due to the large coastline, the country gets rainy along the coast, much like the west coast in the US and Canada. Storms are a weird thing for me here. I don't consider much here a "storm", but I'm from Indiana where a storm meant possible tornado weather. Storms where I am - Trondheim - have heavy rain or snow and a fair amount of wind. As in, as an adult, wind has pushed me along on ice. Many are remnants of hurricanes, and the truth is they seem fairly mild. Even lightning and thunder are somewhat rare - I kinda get excited because I miss a good thunderstorm.

tptacek 10y ago

No, that is definitely not what the McMansion Hell author thinks. A lot of the criticisms on that site are about ostentatious design details divorced from their functional goals, and on the impact a lot of this design has on energy efficiency.