Most adaptable roofs?

[Raven]

If I was sensible, I'd start building my Latest Idea For A Building from the roof downwards.  But I'm not sensible.  I always start from the bottom and go upwards. And then find that my available roof pieces do not quite fit.

I think that I need more roofs.  But what roof pieces from which sets are the most adaptable?  Which come in the smallest sized pieces, or with the most variety in size?

[Indianna]

What sort of roof are you hoping to have - the classic red Steck castle roof, the classic black Victorian House roof, the western green roof, something else?  Could you post a photo of your project so far as that might help to generate some ideas? 

[Raven]

I prefer just a 'suggestion' of roof, like in the 4324 School.  But I don't have the school, so I have no idea whether the roof pieces are large (and only fit certain shaped buildings), or small (so more adaptable).  The red colour is not essential ... so maybe some other city building roofs are more useful.

I'm thinking of buying a secondhand everything-incomplete-so-therefore-very-cheap set, just for the roofs, but I don't want to make a mistake.  For example, I have the 4857 Vacation/Summer House and I love the roofs: but the two right-angled parts won't fit anything except that exact shape.

Nothing ever has to be perfect.  Just a vague image of something is good enough for me.  And the occasional 'artistic bit' in a missing part is OK too.  It's just when the artistic bits are more than the actual real roof pieces, I feel a bit frustrated.

[Birdie]

It sounds like you're looking for system-X roof pieces (like the school, big hospital, supermarket, vacation house 4857, the small shop building available through Playmobil DS...).

Like you said, the vacation house has only two roof pieces, so that isn't very versatile.
But the other buildings I mentioned all have separate roof pieces with variable size: a few corner pieces, sometimes a few inward corners, some longer straight pieces (+/- 10 cm) and some shorter (+/- 5 cm). They all fit on top of system-X beams (with the holes and the red connectors).

A lot of the roofs of the buildings that I mentioned have a different colour (or different colour shade) from each other. Some have modern windows.

You'll have to see what's available and start puzzling something together, but it should work.

Be sure not to buy buildings for the roof if they are system 'why?'. I mean the system that isn't versatile at all: the buildings consist of a few big chunks that you click together, but you can't really use those parts for anything else.
For instance: the forest cabin 4207, the alpine lodge 5422, the small farm house 5120...

Hope this helps 

[Raven]

^ Thank you.

I was busy with the Rest-of-Life for a while, but eventually decided to go with my idea of an incomplete (in furnishings) 4324 large school - and gymnasium, for some extra roofs.  It arrived today.

And I love the roofs.  There is one dedicated piece for the rounded wall, but the other roof parts are wonderful, including a reverse/inverted corner piece which will be so very useful.

More than just that, though, I unexpectedly love the whole set - there are three school-specific windows, but the rest of the structure will have so many uses.  There are 'taller' walls and connectors and windows (which match the 5302 house and the supermarket), and 'smaller' walls too .... and many of the smaller walls have separate windows to add to them above, which bring them up to the taller height: these are just what I so often need!  And I love the shapes and sizes of the base boards too.

All in all, I was just so thrilled that I'm buying another (even more incomplete) Large School and Gymnasium now so that I have even more of everything!

[indianapierre]

The most versatile SysX roof I've seen has been on 5221 -- Large Horse Farm with Paddock.  The segments are 1 wall wide, and there is a corner piece.  Between those, you could build a rectangular building infinitely long and infinitely wide.  The only problem seems to crop up if you are making a 270°/concave turn.