Roof design guide
Roofing designs in Kenya
The short answer: the five main roof designs for houses in Kenya are the gable, hip, pyramid, mono-pitch and flat roof. Many homes combine two of them, for example a pitched roof over the bedrooms and a flat slab over the living area that doubles as a terrace.
The right choice depends on three things: how much rain the site gets, how wide the spans are, and the shape of your plan. It is not a matter of fashion.
What are the main roof designs for houses in Kenya?
When people search for roofing designs, roof styles or types of roofs, they usually mean the shape of the roof. The shape is set by the architect and decides how rainwater leaves the building, how the structure is framed, how the house looks from the street and whether the roof can be used as an outdoor space. The table below compares the five basic shapes.
| Roof type | Shape | Sheds rain | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gable | Two slopes meeting at a ridge, with triangular end walls | Fast, to two sides | Rectangular plans, family homes, bungalows, extensions | Gable ends need good bracing and detailing in windy sites |
| Hip | Four slopes meeting at ridge and hips | Fast, to all four sides | Houses that need deep shade round every wall, windy sites | More hips and junctions to frame and make watertight |
| Pyramid | Four equal triangular faces rising to one point | Fast, to all four sides | Square plans, single rooms, gazebos, entrance blocks | Not practical over long or wide plans |
| Mono-pitch | A single slope | Fast, to one side | Modern designs, narrow plans, rooms with high windows | All water runs to one edge, so the gutter and downpipes matter |
| Flat | A near-level slab with a slight fall, usually with a parapet | Slowly, through outlets | Contemporary designs, roof terraces, future floors | Waterproofing and drainage must be right from the start |
What is a gable roof?
A gable roof has two sloping sides that meet at a ridge along the top. The triangular wall at each end is the gable. It is the shape most people draw when they sketch a house.
Why people choose it
- Simple, familiar geometry that most builders know how to frame
- Sheds rain quickly to both sides
- Leaves roof space under the slopes for ceiling void, ventilation or a loft
- Works over most rectangular plans and extends easily
What to check
- Gable end walls and the roof edge there need proper bracing and fixing, especially on windy plots
- Overhangs give shade and keep rain off the walls, but must be fixed securely
- On L-shaped or T-shaped plans, two gables meeting create valleys that need careful waterproofing
What is a hip roof?
A hip roof slopes on all four sides. The sloping edges where two faces meet are called hips, and on a rectangular house the faces meet at a shorter ridge on top. There are no gable walls, so the eaves run round the whole building.
Why people choose it
- Eaves on every side shade the walls and windows and throw rain away from them
- No exposed gable wall, so a more compact, settled look
- A well-braced shape that suits exposed or windy plots
What to check
- More hips, ridges and junctions than a gable, so more labour to frame and more joints to keep watertight
- Less simple to extend later
- Roof space is smaller because the slopes close in on every side
What is a pyramid roof?
A pyramid roof is a hip roof over a square plan. The four equal triangular faces rise to a single point. It is common over square rooms, entrance porches, towers and gazebos, and it can crown a square house.
Why people choose it
- A strong, symmetrical shape with a clear focal point
- Good height inside a square room, which can carry a high ceiling
- Sheds rain evenly on four sides
What to check
- It only works well on square or nearly square plans
- A single high point means the roof can become very tall over a large footprint
- Most houses use a pyramid roof over one part of the plan, with another roof type elsewhere
What is a mono-pitch roof?
A mono-pitch roof, also called a skillion or single-slope roof, has one plane that rises from a low edge to a high edge. It gives a clean, modern profile and is often used for narrow blocks, extensions and designs that stagger several roof planes at different heights.
Why people choose it
- Simple structure over a narrow span
- The high side can carry a band of windows for light and air
- One edge to drain, so one gutter line to manage
- A strong modern look, especially when several planes overlap
What to check
- All the rainwater arrives at one edge, so the gutter and downpipes must be sized and placed with care
- On wide spans the supporting beams and walls must be designed for the load
- The high wall faces the weather and needs good detailing
What is a flat roof, and is it really flat?
A flat roof is nearly level. In practice it is built with a slight fall so that water drains to outlets or gutters instead of ponding. Flat roofs on Kenyan houses are often reinforced concrete slabs, usually with a parapet round the edge and a waterproofing layer on top. Because the slab is level and strong, it can serve as a roof terrace, a place for water tanks or solar equipment, or the base for a future floor.
Why people choose it
- Clean contemporary look, with the roof hidden behind a parapet
- A usable roof terrace or lounge space
- A level platform for tanks and equipment
- Easy to add another storey later if the structure is designed for it
What to check
- It sheds water slowly, so falls, outlets and waterproofing must be designed and built correctly
- Leaks usually start at joints, edges, outlets and junctions, so the detailing matters more than the slab itself
- It needs inspection and maintenance over the years
Flat roofs have their own guides. Read flat roof house designs in Kenya, contemporary flat roof house designs, low-cost flat roof house design and flat roof waterproofing.
Can a house combine a pitched roof with a flat terrace?
Yes. Many houses do not use one roof shape throughout. A common idea is to put a pitched roof, gable, hip or mono-pitch, over the main block, and a flat slab over another part, such as the living area, a garage or a single-storey wing. The flat part becomes a terrace or balcony with a parapet or railing, and the pitched part keeps the main roof simple and quick at shedding rain.
This mixed approach has a few advantages:
- You get an outdoor space without making the entire roof flat.
- The pitched part can be kept simple while the flat part is limited to where it is needed, which also limits the area that needs terrace-grade waterproofing.
- It breaks up the mass of a larger house into smaller, more interesting volumes.
The junction where the pitched and flat roofs meet is the detail to get right. Ask your architect to show it on the drawings.
How do I choose the right roof design for my house?
Start from the site and the plan, then choose the shape. These are the questions an architect works through.
1. How much rain does the plot get?
Kenya's rainfall differs a lot between regions. On wetter sites, a pitched roof that sheds water quickly, with generous overhangs and well-sized gutters, is the safer starting point. A flat roof is still possible anywhere, but the waterproofing and drainage must be designed to match the rainfall.
2. How wide is the span?
The distance the roof has to cross decides how heavy the structure must be. A wide span needs larger timber trusses or steel members, or a thicker concrete slab with closer support. A narrow plan is easier to roof, which is one reason mono-pitch and gable roofs suit narrow blocks well.
3. What shape is the plan?
A simple rectangle suits a gable, hip or mono-pitch roof. A square plan suits a pyramid or hip. An L-shaped, T-shaped or irregular plan produces valleys where roof planes meet, and every valley is a place where water collects and a leak can start. Sometimes a flat roof over the awkward part is the simpler answer.
4. Do you want to use the roof?
If you want a roof terrace, a rooftop lounge, a place for solar panels or tanks, or the option of adding a floor later, a flat slab gives you that. If you do not need any of those, a pitched roof is usually simpler to build and to keep watertight.
5. What look are you after?
Pitched roofs read as traditional and familiar. Mono-pitch and flat roofs read as modern. A mix reads as contemporary and layered. The look matters, but it should follow the decisions above, not lead them.
6. What will it be covered with?
The covering affects the weight, the lowest practical slope, the look and the maintenance. See roof coverings and structure below. The structure must be designed for the covering you choose.
7. How hot will it be inside?
The roof is the surface that takes the most sun. Overhangs, a ventilated roof space, a ceiling void and light-coloured finishes all affect comfort under the roof. Raise this early with your architect.
What are modern roofing designs in Kenya?
People who search for modern, latest or contemporary roof designs usually mean one of these:
- A flat roof with a parapet. A clean, boxy outline, often with a roof terrace.
- A mono-pitch roof, sometimes with several planes at different heights.
- A low-slope gable or hip roof with a deep, crisp overhang.
- A mixed roof of pitched and flat parts, which gives the house several distinct volumes.
What makes a roof look modern is usually simple geometry, clean edges, concealed gutters or neat fascias, and honest proportions. We would not call any single shape the latest. Roof design is driven more by climate and plan than by trend, and a good roof outlasts any fashion.
What are simple and cheap roof designs?
We do not quote prices on this page, because roofing cost depends on the covering, the structure, the span, the site, the finishes and the market on the day. What we can explain is what makes a roof simpler and generally cheaper to build:
- Fewer planes and junctions. Every hip, valley and change of level is more labour and another place that can leak. A simple gable or mono-pitch has the fewest.
- A simple plan. A plain rectangle gives a plain roof. Complex footprints produce complex roofs.
- Modest spans. Shorter spans need lighter structure.
- A lighter covering over a lighter structure, where it suits the design.
- Good detailing the first time. A cheaper roof that leaks costs more in the end. Drainage, overhangs and flashings are not the place to save.
For a real figure, ask for a priced bill of quantities for your own design. Pricing a roof without drawings is guesswork.
Which roof suits a 3-bedroom house, a bungalow or a maisonette?
3-bedroom houses
There is no single roof for a 3-bedroom house. The plan decides. A compact rectangular 3-bedroom house suits a gable, hip or mono-pitch roof. A wider plan, or one with wings, may be better with a mix of roof planes or a flat roof over part of it. Choose the plan first, then fit the roof to it.
Bungalows
A bungalow is a single-storey house, so the roof is a big part of what you see from the street. A hip or gable roof with a good overhang is a classic match. A low mono-pitch roof or a flat roof with a parapet gives a more modern bungalow. Because everything is on one level, a bungalow has the largest roof area for its floor area, so simple shapes pay off.
Maisonettes and storeys
On a two-storey house the roof is further from the eye, and the plan of the upper floor matters. A flat slab over a lower part gives a terrace off the upper floor, and a pitched or mono-pitch roof over the upper block keeps the profile clean. If you may add a floor later, tell your architect now so the structure can be designed for it.
What are roofless house designs and open-roof houses?
No house is truly roofless. When people search for roofless or open-roof house designs, they usually mean a house with no visible pitched roof. The top is a flat concrete slab, often behind a parapet, and part of it is open to the sky as a terrace. Some searchers also mean a house with an open-to-sky courtyard or terrace inside the plan.
Both ideas are really about flat roofs and roof terraces, and the same advice applies: design the falls, outlets, parapet and waterproofing carefully. Slab roof house designs are in the same family. Our flat roof house designs guide covers them in detail.
What are the types of roofing in Kenya, and what holds them up?
The roof shape and the roof covering are two separate decisions. Shape is the geometry covered above. The covering is the material on the outside. Common coverings for houses in Kenya include:
- Iron sheets (mabati) over timber or steel framing. Light, quick to lay and used on all the pitched roof shapes.
- Roofing tiles over timber or steel framing. Heavier, with a more traditional look, and they need a stronger frame and a suitable pitch.
- A reinforced concrete slab with a waterproofing system on top. Used for flat roofs and terraces.
Under the covering sits the structure. On a pitched roof this is usually timber or steel trusses or rafters, carried by the walls or beams. On a flat roof it is the slab itself, carried by beams and columns. The covering sets the weight and the minimum slope, and the structure has to be designed for both. Specify them together, never one after the other.
What are the common roof design mistakes to avoid?
- Choosing the look before the plan. A roof drawn on top of an awkward plan creates valleys and leaks.
- Too little overhang. Short eaves let rain hit the walls and windows and give no shade.
- Undersized or badly placed gutters and downpipes. Heavy rain overwhelms them, especially on mono-pitch roofs where all the water goes to one edge.
- Too many roof planes. More junctions mean more risk. Keep it as simple as the design allows.
- Treating waterproofing as an afterthought on a flat roof. It has to be designed from the first sketch.
- Specifying the covering after the structure is built. The two must be designed together.
- Forgetting the future. If you want a terrace, solar panels, tanks or another floor, say so before the roof is designed.
Roof terms explained
- Ridge
- The horizontal line at the top where two roof slopes meet.
- Hip
- The sloping line where two roof faces meet at an outside corner.
- Valley
- The line where two roof faces meet at an inside corner. Water collects here.
- Gable
- The triangular part of the end wall under a pitched roof.
- Eaves and overhang
- The lower edge of the roof and the part that projects beyond the wall.
- Fascia
- The board along the edge of the roof, which often carries the gutter.
- Rafters and trusses
- The sloping timber or steel members that carry the roof covering.
- Pitch
- How steep the roof slope is.
- Parapet
- A low wall round the edge of a flat roof.
- Fall
- The slight slope built into a flat roof so water drains off.
- Flashing
- Waterproof strip that seals a joint between the roof and a wall or another roof.
- Skillion
- Another word for a mono-pitch roof.
What should I ask my architect about the roof?
Bring these questions to your first design meeting:
- Which roof shape suits my plot, my rainfall and my plan, and why?
- What will the roof be covered with, and what structure does that need?
- Where will the water go? Show me the gutters, outlets and downpipes.
- If any part is flat, how is it waterproofed, and where are the falls?
- How deep are the overhangs, and what do they do for shade and rain?
- Can the roof take a terrace, solar panels or tanks now or later?
- Could we add a floor later, and what would that need from the structure today?
- How does the roof meet the walls, and where are the junctions that need extra care?
See how roofs sit on real houses in the project list, or read about Aalis Studios as architects in Kenya. A consultation is booked on the architect consultation page.