How to Make a Roof in SketchUp (Gable, Hip, Mansard) — 2026

Roofs trip up more SketchUp beginners than any other object — because a roof is really about editing the top face of a box, not building a separate object. This guide covers the four most common roof types, plus fixes for the classic "my roof looks wrong" problems.

Before You Start: Group Your Walls

Always make your walls a Group before building the roof. Otherwise the roof geometry sticks to the walls and you'll never separate them.

Type 1: Simple Gable (2-Sided) Roof

1. On the top face of your building, draw a line from midpoint to midpoint along the ridge direction.
2. Pick the Move (M) tool, click that ridge line, and lock the blue (vertical) axis by tapping the up arrow.
3. Move up (e.g. type 2m) to raise the ridge.
4. SketchUp auto-generates the two sloped roof faces. Done.

Type 2: Hip Roof (4-Sided)

1. On the top face, find the center point of each edge with the Tape Measure tool.
2. Draw a ridge line connecting the two midpoints of the long sides.
3. Use Move + blue axis lock to raise the ridge — but this time also raise the two ridge endpoints to create the hip angles.
4. The four sloped faces form automatically. For a proper hip, use the Instant Roof extension (paid) or draw manually with the Protractor at 30–45°.

Type 3: Shed (Mono-Pitch) Roof

1. Select one edge of the top face (say the back edge).
2. Move it up on the blue axis — the entire roof tilts to one side.

Type 4: Mansard Roof

A mansard has two slopes per side (steep bottom, gentle top). Model it in two passes:

1. Offset the top face inward by ~1m (Offset tool, keyboard F).
2. Push/Pull that inner face up by 2m.
3. On the new top face, offset inward again by ~0.5m and push/pull up by 1m for the gentle-slope cap. Adjust angles with Move.

Overhangs (Eaves)

Before raising the ridge, use Offset (F) on the top face outward by 0.5m to create eave overhangs. Push/pull the offset ring down slightly for fascia depth.

Roof Plugins to Save Time

• Instant Roof (Vali Architects) — one-click hip, gable, gambrel, and complex roofs with rafters. Paid.
• Medeek Truss — engineering-grade roof trusses and framing. Paid.
• 1001bit Tools — free/pro versions with roof helpers.

Common Roof Problems

• Faces stay flat instead of tilting — the roof face is a group. Enter the group first (double-click) before moving the ridge.
• Roof pierces the walls — you didn't group the walls first. Undo, group walls, redo the roof.
• Slopes don't match on both sides — ridge line wasn't centered. Use midpoint inference (green dot) when drawing it.

FAQ: Roofs in SketchUp

How do you make a roof in SketchUp?

Draw a line across the top face of your walls at the midpoint, then use the Move tool with the blue axis locked to raise that line. SketchUp automatically forms the sloped roof faces.

How do I make a hip roof in SketchUp?

Draw a ridge line between the midpoints of the two long edges of the top face, then use Move to raise both the ridge line and shorten it toward the center — this creates the four hip slopes.

Is there a roof plugin for SketchUp?

Yes — Instant Roof by Vali Architects generates gable, hip, gambrel, and complex roofs with a single click. Medeek Truss adds engineering-grade framing.

Why does my roof mess up my walls in SketchUp?

Because your walls aren't grouped. Always triple-click the walls and make them a Group before drawing the roof, so the two geometries stay independent.

How do I make roof overhangs (eaves) in SketchUp?

Use the Offset tool (F) on the top face, offsetting outward by 0.3–0.6 m before you raise the ridge. That creates the overhang edge automatically.