A simple gable roof has one ridge and two ends. A roof with a hipped section, a half-hip or an extension adds hips: the sloping lines where two roof slopes meet at an external corner.
Those are the places with the most ridge tiles over the shortest length, where the most water runs past and where the wind gets the strongest grip. That is why things go wrong there first.
The ridge end tile
The end of the ridge has to be closed: there is an opening between the two roof slopes, and it is closed off with a special ridge tile or a closed end. In a classic finish, that is a ridge tile with a closed end, sometimes with a decorative motif.
This ridge tile has the hardest time: it sits on the corner, the wind gets at it from two sides and on one side it has no neighbour to hold it in place. If a ridge tile comes loose or blows off anywhere, this is the likely one. See
loose ridge tiles.
The hip
All ridge tiles in a sloping line. On a hip, the ridge tiles run downwards at an angle, which means each tile has to be held in place against gravity, not just against the wind.
The tiles have to be cut to size. Along a hip, the tiles are cut at an angle. Done sloppily, it leaves a gap where water and leaves get in.
Water from two slopes. On a hip, water runs away on both sides rather than into it, which is favourable. But in driving rain it is actually pushed up against the hip.
The joint at the bottom. Where the hip reaches the gutter, everything comes together: hip, two roof slopes and the eaves. That is a detail that needs attention.
“If you want to know whether a roofer is careful, look at the hip. There is nothing to hide there.”
Fouad, owner of Astrodak Service
Ridge end tile
most heavily loaded
wind from two sides
Hip
most detailing
tiles cut to size
Not sure about the right approach?
I would rather come and look at your roof with my colleagues first than come up with a solution from a distance. During the free inspection you hear what is really needed, even if that is less than you thought.
How it should be done
In a modern finish, a ventilated hip roll is laid on the hip batten, just as on the ridge, and the ridge tiles are fixed onto it with clips. It moves with the roof, lets air through and each tile is fixed individually.
The ridge end needs a closed end and a fixing that can cope with wind from two sides. Where a hip comes out at the gutter, it needs a finish that brings the water neatly onto the tiles and not behind the eaves. See
wet or dry fixing.
Where it goes wrong in practice
With a hip in mortar where the mortar has crumbled, exactly as with the ridge. With tiles along the hip that have been cut too short, leaving a gap open. And at the bottom point of the hip, where water that has run along the hip gets behind the eaves.
In the attic you see this as a damp trail running diagonally upwards, rather than straight up as with a ridge. That diagonal trail is a good sign that it is the hip and not the ridge. See
following the water trail.
When to tackle it
Together with the ridge, because it is the same type of work on the same part of the roof and only one setup is needed. On a roof with several hips that is a considerable length, so have it stated per metre in the quote so you know what you are buying.
Why a hip is more metres than you think
On a roof with a hipped section or several extensions, the hips together often add up to a greater length than the ridge itself. That is a considerable item that easily disappears under the heading of ridge work on a quote.
So ask whether the hips are listed separately and what length has been used. On a roof you have no drawing for, that simply means measuring, and that is part of the inspection. Then you know what you are buying instead of it appearing as a ridge work item.
Frequently asked questions about ridge ends and hips
