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What size cupola do I need?

Cupolas

Selecting the proper cupola size for your home, garage or outbuilding is important to the overall appearance of your structure. There are as many sizing charts as there are cupola sizes and many leave out important factors which should be considered when determining size.

Below is a detailed guide to selecting the proper size however it does not take into consideration personal preference or your structures design both of which are very important in your decision making.



What you need to determine your cupola size

If your cupola will be installed on the center of your home, garage or outbuildings roof:
   Total length of unbroken roof line on which your cupola will be mounted.
   Height of roof (from ground to peak)

To begin: 1 foot of unbroken roofline equals 1.25 inches of cupola base. So if your structures unbroken roofline is 30 feet long then the cupola base width would be approximately 37.5 inches. With that said the height of the structure must also be considered.

The height of the structure upon which the cupola will be mounted is also a factor in determining size. If your structure is relatively short such as a ranch style home then it is a good idea to change the ratio you use to determine size: "1 foot equals 1 inch" is probably a good ratio. If the cupola will be going on a two story structure where the roof line is unbroken then the 1.25 inch per foot rule of thumb is the better option. If the cupola will be on a large/tall horsebarn etc. then using the 1.25" per foot rule and then going one (or two) sizes larger may be a good idea.

The majority of cupola buyers now have all the information they need to make their purchase however there are other factors which some of you may need to take into consideration.

*Long and Skinny - Some buildings such as Single Bay Garages, Row Barns and Monitor Barns are long and narrow and therefore the cupola may need to be downsized.Imagine a 12' wide by 36' long single story, single bay garage. A 36" wide cupola would look ridiculous on the roof (at least to most people). So you may want to downsize slightly. A 30" cupola would probably look appropriate on this building.

*Very steep - When a cupola is installed the base of the cupola is cut to match the pitch of your roof. If the roof is say a 12/12 pitch the cupola will sit lower on the roof. In these cases you should be considering cupolas which are taller. A short cupola will only look shorter once mounted. Conversely, if you have a very shallow pitch like a 5/12 a very tall cupola will still look tall when mounted.

*Multiple cupolas - Larger structures or structures with "broken roof lines" in many cases will look better with more than one cupola as opposed to one very large cupola. "L" shaped houses sometimes look as if something is missing when only the main part of the house has a cupola. A single HUGE cupola on a large Riding Arena may seem lost. These are perfect examples of structures which will look better with multiple cupolas. Determining the size of these cupolas is a matter of taste however if it is an "L" shaped house for example use the 1 foot = 1 inch rule of thumb for each section of unbroken roof line. For a very large barn or Stable you may want to go a bit larger. In the case of a super large structure you may want to consider a large cupola in the center of the roof with 1 smaller cupola on either side centered between the main cupola and each gable end of the building (a total of 3 cupolas).

Note: This is by no means a definitive guide to cupola sizing as it is not an exact science. In the end it is purely a matter of taste.