Gable

• The gable roof is a standard American style of roof, whether it be in the Colonial or contemporary style. This type of roof dates as far back as ancient Greece and inspired the early builders of Northern Europe. If you've ever watched children draw a house and roof, it's more than likely the triangular-shaped gable roof that's on their house.
  
  

A-frame

• Andrew Geller introduced the A-frame home in 1957. An A-frame house has no perpendicular walls, but instead is all roof. You basically see this style being used in homes such as vacation cottages.
  
  

Saltbox

• This roof got its name for the boxes of salt stored in during the Colonial era. This type of roof basically looks like a lopsided triangle. This roof was quite popular in the Colonial era, as people added one-story rooms to the back of their taller homes. We now call the type of homes that use this style of roof split level, with the saltbox roof line now facing the front of the house.
  
  

Shed

• This type of roof if basically half a gable and is used to cover porches. This is a basic, streamlined shape of roof that is used on contemporary houses.
  
  

Gambrel

• A gambrel roof is a Dutch Colonial style that is often seen on barns. This style of roof is basically a gable-roof style that has a small bend on each of its sides.
  
  

Hipped

• This style of roof slopes to the eaves on all sides of the house and can form a pyramid as it has a single point on the top of it. These roofs are used on Colonial, Victorian as well as French-inspired homes.
  
  

Mansard

• Mansard roofs were quite popular in France in the 17th century because of the extra space it created in the attic that could be lived in. These roofs are almost totally flat on top and slope vertically down on all its sides. You can see similar variations of this style of roof on some contemporary homes as well as Second Empire-style homes.