How To Choose The Right Roof For Your “Storybook” Home
Often when someone is telling me about how they want their home to look they use the word “storybook” to describe the style. As far as I know this is not a term used in architectural design, however I do know exactly what the homeowner means.
As we were growing up most of us saw lots of pictures of homes in the books we read. The illustrations often included unusual details, fun shapes and even some not-often-seen in real life colors. Although most of the pictures were stylized, your idea of a quaint home with unique details can be brought to life.
Your home does not need to be large and in fact many of the homes described as “storybook” are small homes or cottages. It does however need to have some details that make it special. After all, that is what captured your heart in the pages of the picture book.
Bellaforté Shake in Mountain-VariBlend
Above is an example of a “storybook” home. From the thick shake roof and details under the roof peaks to the lattice on the windows, exposed beams and window box this little charmer could have come out straight off the page of a children’s book.
A “storybook” home looks best with bolder details like a thicker shake that is uneven rather than a traditional single-width shake.
DaVinci Slate also works well on this type of home. I usually recommend a multi-width slate roof alternative for these little dream homes but a single with can work, too especially if it is colorful. Speaking of which – have some fun with the color. Multi-color roof tiles are a perfect fit here. Select multi-width slate in Aberdeen, European, Vineyard or Weathered Green. This is the one type of home where it is better to go with more rather than less when it comes to details.
These homes are so much fun to renovate because the possibilities are just about endless. In fact, usually the only lament is, “There are too many colors and I can’t make up my mind”. Don’t worry I’ve got you covered on that one. You can see what I recommend here.