Roofing Glossary

Hip

A hip is the external angled corner where two roof slopes meet — the diagonal line running from the eave up to the ridge on a hip roof. It is the opposite of a valley: where a valley is an inside corner that collects water, a hip is an outside corner that sheds it.

Hips are capped with hip cap shingles, similar to ridge caps, bent to straddle the angle. Like ridges, hips take significant wind exposure, so the caps must be well-nailed.

Hip roofs — roofs with hips on all four sides and no gables — are prized for wind resistance because their sloped sides deflect wind rather than catching it like a gable-end sail.

Why It Matters

Hip caps loosen over time, especially under wind and thermal cycling. Loose hip caps are a common source of wind-driven-rain leaks.

What to Watch For

• Cracked or missing hip cap shingles
• Caps lifting at the corners

A Maryland Note

Hip roofs are popular in Maryland's wind-exposed coastal and open-subdivision areas precisely because they handle storms well.

Questions about your own roof? Request a free estimate or call Nucci Brothers Roofing at (301) 458-1003.