Conical turret roofs
A cone over a round tower. Continuous curvature in one direction, which means every course is a slightly different length.
- Typical pitch
- Steep, often 12:12 and up
- How often we see it
- Rare
Pitch ranges are trade convention, not code. Code sets minimum slope by material, not by roof shape.
Is this your roof?
- A round or near-round tower with a cone on top.
- No hip lines and no facets — the surface curves continuously.
- Often finished with a finial or weathervane at the point.
In Johnson County
Turrets show up on the older housing stock in Prairie Village, Mission Hills and parts of Overland Park and Kansas City, Missouri. The recurring problem is the same as with hexagonal turrets: they get left off the main re-roof. The second is the finial — a penetration at the highest, most weather-exposed point of the house. When it was last sealed with caulk rather than properly flashed, that is where the water is getting in.
What you can put on it
Material choice on this shape, and where code rather than preference makes the decision for you.
Synthetic slate or shake
Works wellSmall units follow a cone naturally. Usually the right call.
Asphalt shingles
WorkablePossible with narrow-cut courses, but standard architectural shingles are too wide to follow the curve cleanly.
Standing seam metal
Specialist onlyTraditional and handsome on a turret, with every panel tapered. Fabrication-heavy.
Natural slate
Specialist onlyPeriod-correct on older homes. Heavy, expensive, and few crews left who can do it.
What we check first
The failure points that are specific to this shape, in the order a roofer looks at them.
- The finial or peak, which is a penetration at the worst possible location.
- Course alignment down the cone, since a badly set out cone shows as wandering courses and open joints.
- The junction where the turret roof meets the main roof or wall.
- Whether it was included in the last re-roof.
What moves the price
Square footage is a poor predictor on its own. These are the things that actually change the number on this shape.
- Every course is a different circumference, so nothing is repeatable and nothing can be batched.
- Narrow-cut units mean far more pieces per square foot than a conventional roof.
- The finial or peak cap is fabricated.
- Access around a tower usually needs scaffolding rather than ladders.
Common questions
Can you shingle a round turret roof?
Yes, but not with standard architectural shingles straight out of the bundle. The cone's circumference shrinks continuously toward the point, so courses have to be cut narrow to follow it without gapping. Small-format synthetic slate or shake follows the geometry more naturally and is what we would usually recommend.
Why is my turret leaking at the very top?
Almost always the finial. It is a penetration at the highest and most exposed point on the house, and it is very often sealed with caulk rather than properly flashed. Caulk has a service life of a few years in Kansas sun. A correctly detailed finial has fabricated flashing under it, not a bead of sealant around it.
Do you quote turret roofs separately?
We can, and sometimes that is right if the main roof is sound. What we will not do is quote the main roof and quietly leave the turret off — that is how homeowners end up with a new roof and an old leak. If the turret needs work it goes in the scope, and if it does not, we will say so.
More answers on the roofing questions page, or see every roof shape side by side.
Often confused with
Hexagonal and polygonal
Six or more planes meeting at a point, over a bay window, a turret or a gazebo. Small in area, disproportionate in difficulty.
Pyramid hip
A hip roof with no ridge at all: four planes rising to meet at a single peak. Most often seen on square outbuildings, garages, gazebos and porticos.
Geodesic dome
A shell of triangular facets forming a dome. There is no continuous roof plane and no eave, which rules out most conventional roofing logic.
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