Which roof for your house: gable, hip or flat, covering and cost 2026

For most family houses with a habitable loft, the sensible choice is a gable roof with concrete or clay tiles or metal; a single-storey bungalow is usually better served by a hip roof or a flat roof. The decision always has two parts — roof shape and covering — and they must match, because every covering needs a minimum pitch. In the Czech Republic covering costs from CZK 1,900/m² for metal and from CZK 2,300/m² for tiles, and a new timber roof structure CZK 900 – 2,000/m², all excluding VAT. Below you will find shapes and coverings compared, how to work out roof area and a worked budget.

Roof shapes at a glance

Shape	Loft space	Complexity and cost	Suits
Gable (sedlová)	full, sloping ceilings on two sides	the simplest pitched roof	two-storey houses with a loft, solar panels
Hip (valbová)	limited, slopes on four sides	more complex structure, hips, more flashing	bungalows, windy sites
Half-hip (polovalbová)	mostly usable	between gable and hip	a compromise of looks and loft space
Pyramid (stanová)	small	medium	square plans, smaller houses
Mono-pitch (pultová)	one tall wall, bright interiors	simple	modern houses, garages, extensions
Flat (plochá)	none, but a terrace or green roof is possible	no timber structure, but demanding waterproofing and parapet	modern cubic houses, bungalows

Under the Czech standard ČSN a roof up to 5° counts as flat, 5 – 45° as pitched and above 45° as steep. The municipal zoning plan may dictate appearance, ridge height and sometimes the roof shape itself — check before you pay for the design.

Gable or hip?

This is the most common dilemma. A gable roof is simpler, cheaper and gives a full loft with ordinary windows in the gable walls. A hip roof has no gables, so the house looks lower and more settled, it copes better with wind and the overhang protects the walls all round — but the structure is more complex and the loft smaller. A two-storey house with a loft therefore usually gets a gable roof, a bungalow a hip roof. A detailed cost comparison on a model house, planning constraints and snow loads are in our article hip or gable roof.

Pitched or flat: which is cheaper?

A flat roof needs no timber structure or tiles, but it does need a load-bearing slab, a thick layer of insulation, a parapet, high-quality waterproofing and well-designed drainage. So the final price is not automatically lower than a simple gable roof. Flat wins where you want to use it — as a terrace, a green roof or a place for equipment — and on a single-storey house where a pitched roof would only cover an unused attic. Pitched wins when a habitable loft goes under it: the same roof effectively adds a storey. Only a budget for both options on the same plan answers the question reliably.

Covering: tiles, metal or shingles?

Covering	Pitch (indicative, per manufacturer)	Weight	Rain noise	Price (re-roofing)
Concrete tiles	usually from about 22°	heavy, tens of kg/m²	quiet	from CZK 2,300/m²
Clay tiles	usually from about 22°, by model	heavy	quiet	from CZK 2,300/m²
Metal tile sheet / profiled sheet	lower than tiles	light, a few kg/m²	louder without insulation	from CZK 1,900/m²
Standing-seam metal	even very low pitches, by system	light	louder without insulation	by quote
Asphalt shingles	usually from about 15°, on full boarding	light	quiet	by quote
Membrane or bitumen felt	flat roofs	light	quiet	by build-up

Tiles are quiet and durable, and individual pieces can be replaced. Their weight, however, needs a properly sized roof structure. Metal is light, quick to lay and tolerates a lower pitch, which is why it is often the first choice when re-roofing older houses with weaker timbers. Rain noise is dealt with by the right build-up with insulation and boarding. The exact minimum pitch is always set by the manufacturer of the specific covering; below it, the covering alone is not enough and additional measures are needed.

Pitched roof build-up over a habitable loft

The covering is only the top layer. Whether the loft is warm in winter, bearable in summer and free of mould depends on the build-up underneath. From the inside out, it should be:

1. Ceiling lining — plasterboard or boarding on battens.
2. Vapour control layer — continuous and taped airtight at joints and penetrations. A leaky vapour layer is the most common cause of damp in lofts.
3. Insulation — between the rafters and ideally below them too, so the rafters do not act as cold bridges.
4. Rafters — the load-bearing roof structure.
5. Underlay — a vapour-open membrane, on full boarding where required.
6. Counter-battens — create a ventilated gap that carries away moisture and summer heat.
7. Battens and covering — batten spacing to suit the chosen covering.

Usable loft floor area depends on the combination of pitch and knee-wall height: the higher the knee wall and the steeper the roof, the more floor area with full ceiling height. That is why roof shape, pitch and the loft layout are decided together, at the design stage.

How to work out roof area

Covering, membranes and labour are priced per m² of roof surface, not of floor plan. The area of a pitched roof is the plan area including overhangs divided by the cosine of the pitch — or simply multiplied by the factor in the table. This works for gable and hip roofs alike, provided all slopes have the same pitch.

Roof pitch	Factor (roof area / plan area)
25°	1.10
30°	1.15
35°	1.22
40°	1.31
45°	1.41

Example: a 10 × 12 m house with 0.5 m overhangs has a roof plan of 11 × 13 = 143 m². At a 35° pitch the roof area is 143 × 1.22 ≈ 175 m².

What a roof costs

Rates from our 2026 construction price list, excluding VAT:

Item	Price
New timber roof structure (gable roof)	CZK 900 – 2,000/m²
Boarding, membrane, battens	CZK 250 – 500/m²
Re-roofing — metal	from CZK 1,900/m²
Re-roofing — concrete/clay tiles	from CZK 2,300/m²
Insulation between rafters	CZK 600 – 1,200/m²
Flashing and gutters (gutters, downpipes, flashings)	CZK 450 – 900 per running metre
Roof window incl. fitting	CZK 12,000 – 28,000 each

Worked example for 150 m² of roof: roof structure CZK 135,000 – 300,000, metal covering from CZK 285,000, tiles from CZK 345,000, gutters and flashing for 40 running metres CZK 18,000 – 36,000. A new roof with metal therefore starts at about CZK 438,000 and with tiles at about CZK 498,000 — without insulation or roof windows. For a habitable loft, add insulation at CZK 90,000 – 180,000 plus each roof window. Covering prices include battens and the underlay membrane; full boarding under metal or shingles is an extra item.

If you are dealing with an existing house — when a repair is enough, when you need a new covering and when new timbers as well — see our article on roof renovation.

Which roof to choose: recommendations by house

Situation	Recommendation
Two-storey house or a house with a habitable loft	gable, tiles or metal, pitch around 35 – 45°
Single-storey bungalow	hip with a lower pitch, or flat; house types compared in bungalow or two-storey house
Modern cubic house	flat with a parapet, or mono-pitch
Renovation with weaker timbers	metal instead of heavy tiles, after a structural check
Solar panels planned	gable with a large south-facing slope without dormers
Exposed, windy site	hip, with careful fixing of the covering

Common mistakes

• Covering below its minimum pitch. Leaks that are hard to trace and not covered by the warranty.
• Heavy tiles on old timbers without an assessment. The structure can start to sag.
• A complicated roof for no reason. Every dormer, valley and hip adds cost and leak risk.
• A flat roof without falls or maintenance. Standing water and blocked outlets shorten the life of the waterproofing.
• Insulation left for later. A loft insulated afterwards from the inside means doing the work twice.
• Ignoring the zoning plan. Changing the roof shape after the permit means a new approval process.

Checklist

• I know the zoning plan requirements for shape, pitch and height.
• I have decided whether I want a habitable loft and the shape fits that.
• The chosen covering is approved by its manufacturer for my pitch.
• The roof structure is designed for the weight of the covering and local snow loads.
• The quote states roof area, not plan area, and is itemised: structure, underlays, covering, flashing, windows, insulation.
• Drainage, penetrations, chimney, lightning protection and solar readiness are resolved.

FAQ

What is the best roof for a family house? A gable roof for a house with a loft, a hip or flat roof for a bungalow. It depends on whether you will live under the roof and what the zoning plan allows.

Is a gable roof or a flat roof cheaper? There is no general answer. A flat roof has no timber structure but needs a load-bearing slab, thick insulation, a parapet and waterproofing. Only a budget for both on the same plan will tell.

Tiles or metal? Tiles are quiet and durable but heavy. Metal is lighter, quicker to lay and suits lower pitches and weaker timbers. Tiles from CZK 2,300/m², metal from CZK 1,900/m².

What pitch should I choose? For a habitable loft under tiles, usually 35 – 45°. The minimum pitch is set by the covering manufacturer; for tiles usually from about 22°.

How much does a new roof for a family house cost? For 150 m² of roof, timber structure with metal covering and flashing starts at about CZK 438,000, with tiles at about CZK 498,000, excluding VAT, insulation and windows.

Which roof suits a bungalow? Most often a hip roof with a lower pitch, which visually settles a single-storey house, or a flat roof on a modern design. A gable roof makes sense if you want at least storage space under it.

Do I need a permit to replace a roof covering? Replacing the covering without changing the roof's shape or appearance is usually treated as maintenance work. In a heritage zone, or if you change the shape, pitch or material, check the procedure with the building authority.

We design and build roofs in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region, from the timber structure to the gutters. Send us a floor plan or design and we will price both a tiled and a metal option. Use the calculator below for an indicative price of a house including the roof.