Once upon a roof...

Series of lathed, square, or sculptured posts embedded into a wall and symmetrically positioned on either side of a door.

Framing system in which the beams extend from the sill of the first story all the way to the top plate or end rafter of the second story, or the wall plate supporting the roof.

Protection barrier made from a series of vertical posts (railing posts) with a handrail on top.

Angle created by the two slopes of a broken "Mansard-type" roof line. The break is the lower slope with the sharper incline. It is at an angle with the less inclined upper slope of the roof.

Windows mounted on hinges which open inward or outward.

Brick, stone, or wood-beam system positioned at the angles of a building. The method is used to tie together the walls of a construction, thus creating a chaining effect and preventing separation.

Wood board vertically-installed at the external corners of a house where the exterior siding of the walls meet.

Prominent moulding around the upper edge of a building, at the roof line.

- Roof with two slopes with breaks and which covers the house on two sides.
- Roof of which the two slopes only cover two facades (Quebec influence).

Roof with fours slopes with breaks and which covers the house on four sides.

A gable-dormer is a centred break in the roof line in the form of an inverted "V". This triangular break links two roof slopes to create a window opening in the attic space.

Wall with a pointed upper part and topped by a double-slope roof.

Exterior ornament generally made of wood or stone and which frames the doors and windows in order to hide the junction between these assemblies and the wall.

Panels added on either side of a door.

Small ornaments installed at close intervals and used to support the overhang of a cornice in a decorative fashion.

Roofing structure made up of felt paper and tar deposited in alternate layers and covered with mineral aggregate.

Window or series of windows, generally on the upper floors, projecting out from the façade and supported by ogees, corbels, or cantilevers.

Triangular ornament which tops and crowns the main entrance of a building or the upper part of a façade.

Framing system in which the floor joists of each floor rest on the wall plate of the lower floor (or on the sill plate of the first floor). The retaining walls and partitions rest on the siding support of each floor.

Inclined structural element that supports a sloped roof.

Square or lathed posts: parts of a balustrade that hold up the handrail.

Dormer window with a single-slope roof inclined in the same direction as the main roof, but at a lesser angle.

Crowning of the flat part of a truncated roof and often made of decorative wrought-iron motifs.

Small addition to the main body of the house used as a kitchen during the summer, and for winter storage. It is generally located on the gable-wall that is exposed to high winds.

Uniformity of size, form, and position of the openings, as well as structural and decorative elements.

Angle created by the two slopes of a broken "Mansard-type" roof line. The upper slope is the least-inclined part of the roof. It is at an angle with the steep-inclined roof break.

Eave of a roof made with a curved board which keeps dripping and runoff water away from the walls.

The definition of vernacular may differ from one author to the next, but the term generally refers to local architecture (sometimes indigenous in certain countries) born out of craftsmanship and necessity (weather, culture, materials) rather than widespread artistic movements.