Origin: A popular Vietnamese name since the 2000s for tiled houses with a steep, multi-plane roof suited to tropical rain and sun.
The Thai-roof house is the Vietnamese name for a home topped by a steep tiled roof, usually split into several planes such as hips and gables, with a high ridge and deep eaves that shade the porch. The large roof sheds rain quickly and creates an air buffer above the ceiling, easing the heat on rooms below.
In the north a pitch of roughly 30 to 40 degrees is sensible against heavy rain and typhoons. Choose well-gripping tiles, fix them firmly to steel trusses or a tiled concrete slab, and detail valleys, gutters and fascias carefully. On the humid coastal regions coast keep the pitch moderate and the overhangs not too long to limit wind uplift, with a waterproof layer under the tiles.
