The pitch of the roof and the width of the eaves are largely matters of
personal taste and the kind of cabin you are building. A low pitched or
flat roof, however, must be thoroughly braced if it is to bear a heavy
load of snow, and the additional materials may cost more than a steeply
pitched roof. The most effective roof for many cabins is low pitched
with wide eaves—not too wide, of course, but wider than you’d have on a
city house. Build the gable ends to the height you finally decide on;
then trim down the rough ends along a line marked to the pitch of the
roof.
If you have been wise, you have a long, straight log of unquestioned
strength saved for your ridge pole. This should rest in notches at the
very peak of the gables, and since it forms the keystone of your house,
be sure it is solid and well bedded in oakum. The auxiliary roof
supports, called purlins, run parallel to the ridge log and should be
set by notching out the gable log where the purlin end rests. Cope the
log above it so that the two gable logs grip the purlin firmly. These
purlins ought to project eight or ten inches beyond the roof itself to
allow for axe-trimmed ends. (Fig. 9.)