Roof construction can be considered one of the critical elements of your home building. Of the entire budget for your house, the lion’s share will be for the roof. Your roof’s structure and style, the materials you use for roof construction and the labor costs you incur together make up the price you’ll pay for a new roof. Estimating the cost of roof construction is not very difficult, and you can do it even more easily with the aid of a roofing calculator.

Roof construction involves the following steps. First comes the construction of a superstructure upon a frame, usually of wood, followed by sheathing, roofing felt and flashing. Then the surface of the roof is laid, making up the final cover. Regardless of what kind of roof you get, the superstructure will cost almost the same because it involves putting up a skeleton upon which the rest of your roof will be built. The only factor that may increase your expense is if the frame needs to be reinforced because the new roof you install will be heavier than the older one.

Roof construction can be of 3 kinds. Traditional or ‘cut’ roofs are made with beams and trussed rafters. The choice will depend upon how much roof space is available and how you intend using it. The easiest way to roof construction is by using closed trussed rafters. These come prefabricated for easy installation. The major disadvantage of this style is that the enclosed roof space becomes useless and cannot be re-purposed for other uses.

Wherever the space beneath the roof has other purposes, you must opt for alternatives like cut, beam or panellized roofs. Open rafters with trusses or attic trusses may also serve the same purpose. The cost of the frame isn’t very important here in light of the fact that the space being useful pays for itself in a short time.

Beam and panel roof construction is useful in simple roofs that don’t have much detailing. But complex roof construction designs need traditional roofs that fit your needs. Whichever kind of roof you end up choosing, be sure that you have taken note of the roof edge. Overhanging eaves or closed off ones are options, and the gables are another choice you must make.

For more about roof construction, go through this special report here.