The emblem of the style is the distinctive mansard roof a device attributed to the 17th century french architect francois mansart 1598 1666.
French house with mansard roof.
This style of roof or curb roof includes a four sided hip roof style with two distinct slopes.
These second empire french house plans from 1878 were designed for a cottage with a mansard or french roof.
A century later the french architect françois mansart 1598 1666 used double sloped roofs so extensively that they were coined mansard a derivation of mansart s name.
The steeper angle can be found on one side and the window creates an extra floor of space in a home called a garret.
If you are not familiar with a gambrel roof then let us first explain its architecture in brief.
When napoleon iii ruled france 1852 to 1870 paris became a city of grand boulevards and monumental buildings.
The steep roof with windows creates an additional floor of habitable space a garret and reduces the overall height of the roof for a given number of habitable stories.
You can consider gambrel roof to be a modified version of a gable roof.
A mansard or mansard roof also called a french roof or curb roof is a four sided gambrel style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope punctured by dormer windows at a steeper angle than the upper.
Simply put the mansard roof also known as the french roof or curb roof is a hybrid between a gambrel roof and a hip roof.
This 1870s house in rhinebeck new york has traditional second empire features with distinctive window ornaments and lintels.