Weathervane Roof
Raise Your Roof With a Cupola
Copyright (c) 2008 Elda Titus
Elevate the design of your house, a time honored way---with a cupola??
Cupolas are making a comeback---not only for barns, but for homes, garages, commercial buildings, and gazebos. Although they are ornamental, cupolas are also very functional by circulating air and providing an inexpensive light source. Cupolas bring back a bit of country to your estate by providing warmth and charm, with traditional early American architecture. Installed on rooftops, they create an asymmetrical appeal that allows the outside buildings to look there absolute best.
A cupola is defined as a dome-shaped ornamental structure that sits on top of a larger building. Cupolas are called belvedere when it can be reached by an inside stairway. Lanterns, when they have windows that illuminate the areas below. Like a skylight.
Cupolas meet aesthetic and functional needs. Most owners today use them as decorative, an easy add on. One just bolts them in on the rooftop. Some cupolas are weathervane ready to give your cupola a personalized and finished look.
The shapes of cupolas can be round, square or octagonal, and come in a variety of styles from windows, louvered or Custom Made. Cupola bases are designed to accommodate different roof pitches of the structures they sit upon. Common materials include wood, vinyl, stone and metal.
Wood is the preferred material, as it looks natural and is weather resistant; furthermore, it can be painted to match your d?r. Wood does not retain heat, but it requires upkeep of being painted every 6 to 7years, smog and humidity affect how long the paint will last.
Vinyl cupolas are weather resistant. It is heavier than woodso there may be extra cost to reconstruct the rooftop the cupola will sit on. Vinyl does not offer as many color options, and the color fades with consistent exposure to the elements. Vinyl can distort and warp because the heat on the roof is from 30-35 degrees warmer than the ground temperature; also it is not environmentally friendly.
Proportion is important, in terms of look and function. Larger buildings require larger cupolas. Size is the big issue----what they look like on the ground versus what they look like on the roof. The ratio of 1 inch cupola per one foot unbroken roofline and height a ratio of 1 ½ inch (tall) per foot of roofline.
When choosing a cupola one needs to stay true to the style of the building it will be placed on, cupolas should compliment architectural style. Bell style rooflines are most appropriate for buildings with gambrel roof and Colonial style homes, while pagoda style for raised center barns and French Country homes.
The biggest mistake is getting a cupola that is too small, which then has the appearance of a Bird House. It's all about a tower pointing to the sky. When properly proportioned, cupolas articulate the skyline, getting your outside buildings to look their absolute best.
Cupolas are an architectural accent. They are a great way to add class, sophistication, or a little country charm to add beauty to the roofline of buildings. From residential barns to grand cathedrals, the cupola is a timeless masterpiece, a nostalgic remembrance of early American architecture.
About the Author
Cupolas bring a bit of country to your estate by providing exterior building ornamentation with traditional early American architectural accents. Cupolas decorate exterior roof tops of houses, garages, commercial buildings, and gazebos. Distinguish your home and business from your neighbors by placing a custom built cupola on the roof tops of your buildings. First impressions do matter. Give your exterior buildings some pizzazz… to stand out from the rest
Conneting ground wire to Weather Vane on roof?
I am installing a weatervane on the top of my roof. I live in Sterling Heights, the area is in the suburbs. The reason that I am mentioning the area is I need to know if you need to install a ground wire to the weathervane. I am not shure if it matters, but the height of the roof around 35 feet. I am wondering if during a thunder storm if that will be a hot target.
Any metal on a roof can have lightening strike it, even if it is not the tallest building in the area. It would not hurt to run a ground wire just to be safe. You can use aluminum for the wire and attach it to a copper grounding pole that is pounded into the ground. You can use your water pipe but I personally would keep it separate.
Fox on the Roof
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