The external angle where two sloping roof planes meet at the top — a wind-exposed roof edge that requires specific cap shingles and flashing, and one of the most reliably documented locations for wind and hail damage on any Colorado roof.
What a Hip Is
A hip — or hip edge — is the external angled ridge that forms where two adjacent sloping roof planes meet at the top, running from the ridge down to the eave. Unlike a ridge, which runs horizontally at the peak of a gable or hip roof, a hip runs diagonally and is visible as a raised edge along the corner of a hip roof. On a fully hipped roof — one with no gable ends — all four corners of the roof meet at a central ridge point, and every sloped edge is a hip.
Hips are among the most exposed components on any roof — they are raised above the surrounding surface, catch wind from multiple directions simultaneously, and receive direct hail impact on the cap shingles that cover them. When wind or hail damages a Colorado roof, the hips are almost always affected — and cap shingle damage at the hips is one of the clearest and most photographable indicators of storm severity on any property.
Hip Roofs vs. Gable Roofs
Understanding the difference between hip and gable roofs helps you identify which roof edges are hips and which are rakes — a distinction that affects both the scope of any storm damage claim and the applicable code requirements:
Hip Roof
A roof where all four sides slope downward to the eaves — no vertical gable ends. The corners where adjacent slopes meet are hips. Hip roofs are generally considered more wind-resistant than gable roofs because the sloped surfaces on all sides reduce the surface area exposed to direct wind pressure. Common in Colorado residential construction.
Gable Roof
A roof with two sloping sides and two vertical gable ends. Has a ridge at the peak and rakes along the sloped edges — no hips. More common than hip roofs in basic residential construction but more vulnerable to wind damage on the gable ends.
Hip and Gable Combination
Many Colorado homes combine hip and gable elements — a main hip roof with dormers, gable additions, or hip-to-gable transitions. These combination roofs create additional intersection points at hip-to-gable transitions that require specific flashing and are vulnerable to storm damage.
Hip Cap Shingles
The hip edge — like the ridge — is covered with hip and ridge cap shingles: pre-formed dimensional shingles specifically designed to cover the raised edges of a roof. Hip cap shingles are installed over the field shingles from each adjacent slope, overlapping at the hip edge to create a continuous waterproof seal along the full length of the hip from ridge to eave.
Hip cap shingles are among the most wind-vulnerable components on any roof — they are raised above the surrounding surface, installed with exposed edges that wind can catch, and attached with fewer fasteners than field shingles. Wind damage that lifts, cracks, or displaces hip cap shingles is common after Colorado Front Range storms and is one of the most clearly documented and least disputable storm damage items in any hail or wind claim.
Why Hips Matter in Colorado Roof Claims
Hips appear in Colorado roof insurance claims in several important ways:
Wind Damage Documentation
Lifted, cracked, or missing hip cap shingles are among the clearest visible evidence of wind damage on any roof. Because hip caps are raised and exposed, they respond to wind uplift before field shingles in the same area. When an adjuster disputes wind damage on the field shingles, documenting displaced or damaged hip caps on the same roof provides direct, corroborating evidence that wind forces sufficient to cause shingle damage affected the property.
Hail Damage to Hip Caps
Hip cap shingles take direct hail impact along the full length of each hip edge. Granule loss, bruising, and cracking on hip caps parallel the damage pattern on field shingles — and hip cap damage is often more clearly visible and more easily photographed than subtle field shingle damage. Including hip cap replacement as a specific line item in any hail damage estimate is standard practice and should be verified in your insurance estimate.
Hip Cap Replacement in the Insurance Estimate
Hip and ridge cap shingles should appear as separate line items in a Xactimate estimate, measured in linear feet of hip length. A complete estimate includes:
- Hip cap shingles — linear footage of all hip edges on the roof, specified as dimensional pre-formed cap rather than cut-down three-tab shingles
- Ridge cap shingles — typically combined with hip cap as a single line item reflecting total linear footage of all capped edges
Hip cap is one of the line items most frequently underscoped in initial estimates — either omitted entirely, measured incorrectly, or specified as cut-down three-tab cap rather than the dimensional pre-formed cap that is the current installation standard. Verify that your estimate includes hip cap at the correct linear footage and material specification.
Hip Flashing
On some roof configurations — particularly where a hip edge terminates at an eave above a wall rather than at a gutter — kick-out or diverter flashing may be required at the hip termination to direct water away from the wall. This is a code upgrade item on many older Colorado homes that lacked proper termination flashing at hip edges. If your insurance estimate addresses hip cap replacement but omits the termination flashing requirement, that is a supplement item worth raising.
Hip Length Measurement and the Insurance Estimate
Hip length is measured along the diagonal edge from the ridge to the eave. On a standard hip roof, each corner has one hip edge — a four-sided hip roof has four hip edges. On combination roofs with dormers or hip-to-gable transitions, additional hip edges may be present that require specific identification and measurement.
Satellite-derived measurements in Xactimate sometimes understate hip length on complex rooflines — particularly where dormers or additions create hip edges at unusual angles. Your contractor’s field measurements of hip length should be compared against the insurance estimate to identify any discrepancy worth correcting as a supplement.
Hip Roofs and Wind Resistance
Hip roofs are generally considered more wind-resistant than gable roofs because the sloped surfaces on all four sides reduce wind pressure on any single face. However, the hip edges themselves — and the cap shingles covering them — are still directly exposed to wind and hail. A roof’s overall hip configuration does not make it immune to hip cap damage in Colorado’s wind and hail environment.
Some insurance carriers offer modest premium discounts for hip roofs over gable roofs in recognition of their generally better wind performance. If your home has a hip roof and you are not receiving a hip roof discount from your carrier, asking your agent about eligibility at renewal is worthwhile.
Common Hip Questions
My adjuster measured the hip length in my estimate but I think it is wrong. How do I check it?
Your contractor can measure the hip length directly during their inspection — the diagonal distance from the ridge to the eave along each hip edge. Compare your contractor’s measurements against the linear footage in the insurance estimate. Xactimate’s satellite-derived measurements are generally accurate on standard rooflines but can understate hip length on complex or unusual geometries. If the contractor’s measurements are higher, submit a supplement with the field measurements and supporting documentation.
My estimate specifies cut-down three-tab shingles for hip cap. Is that correct?
No — cut-down three-tab shingles are not the current standard for hip and ridge cap installation. Pre-formed dimensional ridge cap is the appropriate replacement material on any roof where architectural shingles are being installed. Cut-down three-tab cap is a shortcut that reduces material cost and provides inferior wind resistance and appearance. If your estimate specifies cut-down cap, request a revision to dimensional pre-formed hip and ridge cap at the appropriate pricing.
How much hip cap linear footage should a typical Colorado Springs home have?
It depends entirely on the roof geometry. A standard four-sided hip roof on a 2,000 square foot home might have 80 to 120 linear feet of hip edge — but this varies significantly based on roof pitch, overhang, and the number of hip edges. A combination roof with dormers and multiple hip-to-gable transitions can have significantly more. The only reliable figure is a field measurement — do not accept a satellite estimate without verifying it against your contractor’s direct measurement.
Are hip cap shingles covered at RCV or ACV?
Under a standard RCV policy, hip cap shingles are covered at replacement cost — the same as field shingles — with recoverable depreciation available after completion. Under an ACV policy or an ACV roof endorsement, hip cap shingles are subject to the same depreciation as the rest of the roof covering. The coverage type and depreciation treatment for hip cap should match the treatment for field shingles in the same estimate.
How Claim Advocacy Helps With Hip-Related Claims
Hip edges and cap shingles are high-visibility components that are easy to document and hard for carriers to dispute — but they still require correct measurement and specification to be properly included in a settlement.
- Hip length measurement — verifying satellite-derived hip length measurements against field measurements and submitting corrections when discrepancies exist
- Material specification verification — confirming that dimensional pre-formed hip and ridge cap is specified rather than cut-down three-tab shingles
- Wind damage documentation — photographing lifted, cracked, or displaced hip cap shingles as primary wind damage evidence that corroborates field shingle damage findings
- Hail damage documentation — photographing hail impact patterns on hip cap shingles as corroborating evidence of storm severity across the full roof perimeter
- Supplement preparation — submitting hip cap replacement supplements when omitted from or underscoped in the initial estimate
Related Glossary Terms
- Hip and Ridge Cap
- Ridge
- Wind Damage
- Hail Damage
- Architectural Shingle
- Scope of Loss
- Supplemental Claim
- Xactimate
- Flashing
- Documentation
Hip Cap Damage After a Colorado Storm?
Hip and ridge cap damage is one of the most clearly visible and most defensible items in any Colorado wind or hail claim — but it still needs to be correctly measured, properly specified, and included in your estimate before you accept a settlement. A free inspection covers every hip and ridge edge on your roof so nothing gets underscoped or left out.
📞 Call to discuss your claim: (719) 210-8699
📧 Email: gerald@winik.io