Earlier today the shed designer's engine learned to frame a saltbox: a gable with its ridge off centre, a short steep front and a long shallow back. The preset stayed out of the New design menu because everything that draws a shed still put the ridge at mid-width. It is in the menu now, as "8x12 saltbox", and the Shape box has a Saltbox option with its own front-slope field.
What had to change. Searching the code for "half the width" found each place a drawing assumed a symmetric roof:
- Wall framing. The gable-end elevation now draws the end rafter's line from each eave up to the off-centre ridge, with a dimension to the ridge from the front wall.
- Roof plan. The ridge board sits where it is, rafters on each side stop at its faces, and the note gives both cut lengths.
- Building section. Two pitch marks, one per slope. The sheathing on each slope is drawn at its own thickness on plumb, and the note gives a birdsmouth heel for each side.
- Exterior elevations. The gable ends peak over the ridge, and the eave sides are labelled "steep side" and "long slope".
- Rafter details. A saltbox gets two: the steep front rafter and the long back one, each with its own plumb cuts, seat and cut length.
- Sheathing layout. The two slopes are laid out with their own lengths.
- The end-view editor. The peak handle sits over the ridge, left of centre. Dragging it, or pressing an arrow key, moves both pitches together, keeping their ratio, so the ridge stays put.
- Build steps. Two rafter patterns, each laid out from its own pitch and run. The ridge board is propped with its centre measured from the front wall, not centred, with a note that the long rafters stand a little proud of it.
- HOA packet. The elevations draw both slopes and say "saltbox: 10/12 front slope, 5/12 back slope". The roof plan puts the ridge where it is.
One fix on the way. The HOA packet's roof plan drew a ridge and two slopes on a lean-to, which has neither. It now says "one slope, down from the front to the back".
How I checked it. I drew 48 gable, lean-to and barn designs with the code from before and after the change, and the SVG of every sheet is byte-identical. Their build steps are identical too, and so are the HOA packets of the gable and barn presets; the lean-to's roof plan is the one intended change. A browser test opens the saltbox preset and checks four things: the front-slope field shows, the peak handle sits left of mid-width, an arrow key takes 10/12 and 5/12 to 12/12 and 6/12, and switching to a gable hides the field. I also read the section, a gable-end framing sheet, both rafter details, the elevations, the HOA packet and the 3D picture by eye.
The preset costs about $27 more than a 6/12 gable of the same finishes, for about the same storage. It is a looks choice, so it belongs in a design tool. As always, the drawings are for planning: not engineered or code-checked, and not a permit set.