Selecting a Shed Roof for your Storage Shed: Gable vs. Gambrel

There are so many decisions surrounding the purchase of a new backyard shed- one of the most important of these being the decision of which roof style to choose. 

The Gable vs. Gambrel roof is the most common debate, and focuses around aesthetics, storage volume and price.

Let us first take a look at the aesthetics.  The Gable roof, more commonly known as the A-Frame, is by far the most universal looking roof line.  Most people want their storage shed to match their house (in roof pitch, color, siding and overall appearance), and the A-Frame shed matches a large percentage of home designs.  The Gable roof also allows you to design a shed that will most closely fit current and past home designs.  Its steep pitch withstands rain, snow and wind very well so it is ideal for areas with high snow fall. 

The Gambrel or “Barn” style roof has a more unique look to it with its steeper pitch and slope. The most notable feature of the Barn roof is that it offers a more storage volume per square foot than an A Frame roof. The steep roof line also allows for storage “lofts” to be built inside of the building providing extra overhead storage space. The design does lend itself to more rustic settings and is limited in the number of home designs it can duplicate.  Still, it is a popular design used by many, even if it’s just because they like the barn look.

Bear in mind, the size of the shed does have a bearing on the overhead storage capacity. The benefit of the barn style is that even a small size shed can accommodate an overhead storage loft, where the A-Frame realistically requires a 10’ wide design to have practical overhead storage.

Due to the increased material and labor necessary for the barn style, you can expect to see approximately a 10-15% cost difference between the A Frame (Gable) and Barn style (Gambrel) roof, a small price to pay when storage space is needed.

Take everything into consideration when choosing the roof style for your backyard shed and you’ll be happy with your purchase for years!