Pitch For Lean To Shed Roof

I am planning a 12x16 shed with a lean to coming out 12 on one side.

Pitch for lean to shed roof.

When it comes to shed roofing the calculations of a lean to shed roof pitch are expressed in inches of the vertical rise over inches of the horizontal run. The run for a lean to shed rafter ending into a wall should account for the ridge board nailed into the wall where the tops of the rafters rest into. When comparing roof types you see a lot of gable and hip roofs but a contemporary option with a simple design is a shed roof. If the roof pitch is very steep at all then it will rise to a height that becomes unsightly.

I am trying to get the max height out of the lean to that i can what is the minimum roof pitch for asphalt shingles. This image shows a relatively shallow roof pitch of 15 degrees. Basically a steeper pitch is better at shedding rain and snow. The minimum pitch for roll roofing is 2 12 or 2 inches rise to 12 inches run.

Turn in a set of building blueprints with a pitch less than 3 12 or build a shed style roof with a low pitch and your building inspector will not pass the construction and provisions will have to be made to get the pitch up to acceptable standards if it is going to be shingled. In other words if there is a 1 1 2 ridge board nailed into the wall and the width of the lean to is 96 then the run will be 94 1 2 96 1 1 2 94 1 2. I could go with a metal roof but would rather explore asphalt as the rest of the shed is asphalt on a 7 12 roof. The loft space would be much larger with a roof pitch of 45 degrees.

Lean to shed roofs develop an interesting problem as they get larger. There are advantages and disadvantages to having a steep pitch the most apparent of which is the roof s ability to withstand or shed heavy rain snow and wind. Some may say it is ugly. The minimum pitch for a standing seam metal roof is 1 4 or 3 inches rise to 12 inches run.

This ugly design is most often avoided by installing a low slope roof to keep the rise of the roof at a minimum. Consider different roof designs when building a shed but understand that pitch is pitch whether you have a 3 12 gable roof or lean to roof the physics of moisture penetration won t change even though the style is different. Having a steeper pitched roof allows for more space in a shed loft. Another widely used method is to follow the house s roof pitch on one side building the ridge off center then sloping down more drastically on the shorter side which will be closer to the house.