Thanks Chris,

I think Housewright's original question about proportion of these roofs has been answered:

http://www.tfguild.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=16234&page=3#Post16234

Proportion is all about balance, it seems. My two-to-one and then one-to-two "inverted" approach is one way to achieve balance, as is your half circle method... either way seems to produce a half octagon: 4 even-length segments (displayed as 4 roof slopes).

I'm always interested in proportion and balance or "the golden mean" (which you wrote about on your blog)... That's what makes a building.


Names are another matter. I think we all agree Gambrel is pretty well established in the trade--at least in the USA. Changing it is like renaming the claw hammer to "naildriver."

There are as many different hammer types out there as there are roof styles. You know, ball-peen, drilling, brick-layer's, etc... anyway, might be one of those things where it's just called one thing in French but another in English ???

It's been interesting to read the old definitions, however. Most of us have a thirst for knowledge.