IN THE PRESS: All the right angles

They say you should be happy with a roof over your head, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be aesthetically appealing – and with so many options out there, you can be hard-pressed to find one perfect for you.

“Perth has such a diverse mix of home styles coming through that we don’t believe one particular style is more popular than another,” Brian Burke Homes Managing Director Michael Burke said.

“We are seeing minimalist homes being built next to ultra-modern homes, with more traditional homes always a popular option.”

Mr Burke used the example of a recently completed Hamptons-inspired home which had a very traditional hipped roof, while skillion and flat rooflines had also been very popular in minimal, modern designs.

“A combination of roof styles is also popular. One client built a French Provincial-style home that had a tiled hipped roof for the main part of the home and a feature flat roofed section at the front,” he said.

“Another client had a flat roof for the front two-storey part of the home to allow for higher internal ceilings, while the back single-storey zone had a traditional hipped roof.”

Mr Burke said the roofline could set the tone for the home.

“A red clay tiled hipped roof will lend itself to a more traditional home, while a flat white roof lent itself to a more minimalist home,” he said. “You would be hard-pressed to find a red clay tiled flat roof.

“The roofline can be as much of a feature or as minimal as you like and should be considered from the minute you collate inspiration images.

“Stronger colours and a larger presence from the street will make the roof stand out more, while a simple flat roof can almost be invisible if you want the focus to be the main home.”

Mr Burke said colours should be in line with the overall colour scheme and design of the home.

“Hamptons-style homes, for example, are known for their grey tiled roofs,” he said. “In a client’s recent Hamptons home, we used a tile colour similar to the external paint colour to integrate the two elements.

“Another client recently went with a monochrome colour palette, so they had a feature skillion roof over the lighter-coloured garage at the front in a darker colour to make it a design feature.”

Mr Burke said straight rooflines allowed for simple installation of solar panels and also worked well with skylights.

Another design is the skillion roofs which feature a single slope.

“Aside from its aesthetic appeal and architectural interest, the roof provides the opportunity for more windows and natural light to enter the home,” Mr Burke said. “The slopes are also perfect for eco-friendly devices such as solar panels and solar pool heating.”

Mr Burke said flat roofs were a great option where height restrictions were in play because you could generally achieve a higher internal ceiling height due to the lack of angles.

“The durability, simplicity and stability of a hipped or pitched roof has made it one of, if not the most, popular roofing shapes in Australia,” he said. “As an added bonus, the pitched roof allows for additional attic space to be used as storage or another bedroom, as well as great angles for PV solar panels to be installed on to.”