A lean-to is a term used for two related but distinct types of structure. It can be a free standing structure of three walls and a sloping roof. The open side is sheltered away from the prevailing winds and rains. Often it is a rough structure made of logs or unfinished wood and used as a camping shelter. It can also refer to a shed with a sloping roof and three walls that abut the wall of another structure. This form of lean-to is generally provisional; it is an appendix to an existing building constructed to fulfill a new need. Sometimes they cover external staircases, as is the case with the lean-to building built in the 15th century against one of the walls of the large chapter room of the cathedral of Meaux. Sometimes, they are built to protect entrances or to establish covered markets around certain large civic building.
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Also seen accross South Florida is the Mansard Roof.