What do ridge vents look like in pictures of different houses?
Short answer. On a gable house a ridge vent shows as one raised, shingle-capped line across the full peak; on a hip house it is a short raised section at the top where the hips meet; on a metal roof it is a formed metal ridge cap; and on many older homes it is an exposed aluminum strip with louvered sides. The shingle-over style is what most new shingle roofs use today.
By roof style
- Gable roof: a long straight peak with the vent running nearly end to end. Look at the gable ends for the slightly thicker profile under the last cap shingle.
- Hip roof: four slopes rise to a short ridge. The vent, if present, covers only that short ridge; the hips themselves are usually not vented.
- Cross gable or complex roof: several ridges at different heights, each with its own vent run. Lower ridges over vaulted rooms may have none.
- Metal roof: a formed metal ridge cap, sometimes with a visible gap or mesh closure beneath.
- Older aluminum ridge vent: a silver or painted metal strip a few inches tall, with slots or louvers along the sides and end plugs at each gable. These predate shingle-over vents and are usually replaced during a reroof.
Things that look like ridge vents but are not
A tall, thick ridge can simply be high profile decorative cap shingles. To be sure, look from the attic: a working ridge vent shows a strip of daylight along the peak on a sunny day.
Taking useful photos of your own
- From across the street, zoom in on the ridge at a low angle.
- Photograph each gable end, where the vent profile shows best.
- Take one shot from the attic toward the peak.
Those three photos let any roofer tell you what you have before climbing up. See roof anatomy explained for the names of each part of the roof.