What Is The Difference Between An Eave Roof And A Gable End Roof
We have had various discussions about roofs in our latest blogs such as Architectural Roof Types and the Importance of Roof Pitches, now lets dive deeper into these two roof types. What is the meaning of an eave and gable roof and how do they differ?
An Eave is defined as the edge of the roof that overhangs the face of a wall. This is the portion of the roof that protrudes beyond the side of a house or building. In contrast, a Gable is the overhang of a building that occurs on the side that is topped by a gable roof.
Famous Design Styles And Their Eaves
Sometimes eaves become an important component of design. For example, the Prairie style, which originated in Chicago sometime the 1900s, was created by a group of young architects including Frank Lloyd Wright. The style went beyond its eaves, of course, and combined the elements of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic a look that appreciated nature and its simplicity along with precise technique and the theories of Louis Sullivan. This style is seen in homes like Wright’s Robie House, as noted by the Chicago Architecture Center.
Prairie styled buildings, according to Wright, are “married to the ground,” per the Chicago Architecture Center. Reminiscent of the clean long lines of the Midwest countryside, these buildings feature flat roofs, lots of rowed windows, and broad overhanging eaves. Other home styles appreciate eaves as well according to Polaris, many A-frame homes in the United States have eaves that almost touch the ground. These mid-20th century residences and the extreme roofing offer a modern feel. Finally, many classic Italian and Spanish luxury manors feature exquisitely adorned eaves along with its subtly pitched roofs.
What Is The Underside Of A Roof Eave Called
Soffit: The underside of the eaves, or roof overhang, which can be enclosed or exposed. Soffit Vent: An intake vent in the soffit area of the house that provides attic venting at a lower portion of the roof deck and good circulation with other forms of venting such as ridge or roof vents also called an intake vent.
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Want Eaves You Can Install Them
If reading about eaves makes you sad that your home does not have them, no worries: You can add them to your home if you like. While the construction work requires some effort and expense, the good news is it’s not terribly difficult, according to SF Gate.
You’ll need to remove the fascia board from your roof and exterior wall. The first big job requires you to extend the rafters to create the overhang. SF Gate recommends that this should be 2 feet or less so it’s stable. New fascia will be needed next and you’ll also create a soffit. Finally, you should cover the overhang with new material and fix any roofing removed during this process. This is a good time to put on a new roof, but if that cost is too high, you can always replace individual shingles trying to match the texture/color to the old ones. Presto, you’re part of the eaves club.
Are Eaves Important
Why are eaves important? Eaves provide shading to your windows, protecting your home from the harsh summer and winter sun. Through shading, opening your windows for ventilation is possible, rain or shine, which lessens reliance on cooling systems.
There are four basic types of eaves: exposed, soffited, boxed-in and abbreviated. In an exposed eave, the finished underside of the roof and its supporting rafters are viewable from underneath.
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What Do Eaves Do
Eaves define the style of a home, but they also have a major function. Eaves can protect the siding and foundation of a structure. A roof’s eaves protruding beyond the sides allow snow and rain to fall from the roof away from the siding and to the ground. The further that the “weather” gets thrown away from the house, the more likely you’ll have a dry basement, too.
In hot climates and depending on the roof’s pitch, long or wide eaves on a properly positioned home can provide a sunshade for interior spaces. Eaves also provide an unobtrusive location for security cameras and lights when they are attached to the soffits.
How Do Soffits And Eaves Work Together
Eaves usuallybut not alwayscreate the need for soffits. An exposed eave is vulnerable to weather and pests. However, some homeowners may prefer the look of open rafters, and will thus skip soffits entirely. A flat roof with no overhang may not require eaves or soffits.
Eaves and soffits are often composed of different materials. Eaves are usually made of wood and then covered with roofing material. Soffit materials coordinate with siding and fascia boardson theexterior walls, and generally follow the aesthetics of the residence.MT Copeland offers video-based online classes that give you a foundation in construction fundamentals with real-world applications.
Classes include professionally produced videos taught by practicing craftspeople, and supplementary downloads like quizzes, blueprints, and other materials to help you master the skills.
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What Is An Eave Vent On A House
As you proceed with the talk of eaves and roofing stuff, you might stumble upon another term called an eave vent. What is this?
Just like its name, an eave vent is a kind of ventilation. However, its not like you mount it on a windowsill or a wall. Builders put such vent on the underside of your eaves. It can also be defined as the soffit ventsa set of vents placed on the soffit, the bottom of an eave.
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Why do you need this? Indeed, each roofing system requires this since this item will help the air to flow under your roofing sheets. This will help in reducing moisture built up under the shingles.
Eave vents should be smartly positioned. This is because this structure cannot be owned by too many or too few. Too few vents cause the roofing underlayment to be too moist from having no outlet for the moisture build-up. While too many vents even cause weak spots and leaking as well.
Well, thats the information which answers your question about what is an eave on the house. Hopefully, this explanation will be helpful for you.
Rake Of A Roof Vs Roof Rake
There is a difference between these two terms. The rake of a roof, as explained above, is the exposed portion on the sides of a gable roof that extends from the eave to the ridge of the sloped sides. It covers the top edge of a roof, while a roof rake is used for removing snow from the roof of a house.
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What Are House Eaves And Why Are They Important For Your Home
Eaves: While the name itself evokes something romantic and picturesque, these undersides of your roof serve a practical purpose and keep water away from the building’s walls during rainstorms. The overhang produced by the eaves also keeps your home cleaner and maintains it. Furthermore, eaves can act as a sun barrier, creating more shade during the summer so your air conditioner gets a little cooling help, notes Communities. But eaves aren’t only functional they add some style to your home as well. Between the four basic types and the different materials available from PVC to cedar wood to aluminum to create these roof extensions, a wide variety of combinations exist, with eaves adding a distinctive aesthetic to a home .
The word comes from the Old English efes, which means the “edge of a roof,” and was probably used as early as the mid-1500s, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. While not all buildings contain the feature, eaves can complete a home’s look as they preserves its future. Here’s what you need to know about eaves.
How Do You Fix Rotting Eaves
There are several steps you can take to fix your eaves.
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What Is The Overhang Of A Roof Called
What Is a Soffit? Your roof by necessity, will often times extend over the walls of your home. This overhang can go by a few names, such as the house eaves or the rafters of your roof. The underside of this overhang, when given a finished appearance, is known as the soffit, which means something fixed underneath.
What Categories Of Eave Are There
There are four main categories of eave, which are listed below:
- Exposed: this is where the underside of the roof and the supporting rafters are visible from below.
- Soffited: these include a soffit, which connects the bottom edge of the eave with a building.
- Boxed-in: boxed-in eaves are encased, like soffited eaves, but the side of the building is met at the same angle as the roof pitch.
- Abbreviated: this type of eave barely extends beyond the side of the building.
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What Are The Parts Of A Roof Called
The Architectural Parts of a Pitched Roof
- Roof plane: This is the surface of the roof.
- Ridge: This is the top or peak of the roof, where two roof planes meet.
- Valley: This is where two pitched roof faces connect and project inward.
- Dormer: This is a roof feature that projects out from the roof face.
What Is Roof Overhang
The roof overhang refers to how much the edge of the roof goes beyond the house siding. Under the overhang is a structure known as the soffit. Most homes have an overhang, however, length varies greatly depending on the architectural style of the roof, with slate roofs having longer overhangs typically.
Purpose
The main purpose of an overhang is to give the house protection against strong winds and heavy rain. Aside from preventing water from running over the edge of the house, snow and other debris are also caught by this extended edge. The overhanging edge of a roof also gives extra shade to the windows, preventing glare and a major heatwave from entering the home. This keeps your internal home environment comfortable.
Usually, homeowners or contractors adjust the overhangs to fit the weather in an area. Most homes in Frederick have standard overhang lengths. Homes in areas where rains are more frequent have longer overhangs, with the maximum overhang length measured at 2 ft. This type of overhang is great for preventing most types of damage against bad weather. Extending beyond that length is possible with the installment of additional support.
Dry Climate
Areas that have a dry or arid climate are characterized by little rainfall. This makes it less likely for roof decay to occur. Because of less rainfall, overhangs are often not as long as areas with more rainfall and minimal overhangs or, in some cases, no overhangs extend from the roof.
Moderate Climate
Wet Climate
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Common Problems With Roof Overhangs
There are two common problems encountered with roof overhangs:
- The roof overhang is too wide
- The roof overhang does not extend far enough
In the first case, the overhang is simply too big for the home. This leads to a situation where there is an excess amount of shade and the exterior of the home appears dark and gloomy.
A related problem is that the roof is actually at greater risk of wind damage. Moreover, in winter months when the supply of sunlight is limited, the gloominess factor is only magnified.
In the second case, the overhang does not provide enough protection. This means that rain will tend to drip next to the foundation and perhaps enter the basement area.
It also means that it will be more difficult to reduce splashback. And the more splashback there is, the greater the potential is for siding rot. It also means that there is not enough shading for the windows.
This leads to the situation where windows receive too much sunlight during peak hours of the day, especially during the summer.
This situation where the overhang does not provide enough protection is especially common with more modernist architectural styles, where the emphasis is on producing either sleek, curved buildings or boxy, highly angular buildings. It is also an issue with metal roof overhang.
Kinds Of Overhangs To Protect Your Windows And Doors
Home architects have a number of different options when they are looking to protect doors, entryways and windows:
- They can make the overhang of the main roof wide enough to protect them
- They can integrate a gable roof overhang or roof crickets with the main roof to protect them
- They can attach a smaller roof to the wall above every door or window
- They can create a recessed entry, in which doors are set back from the exterior plane of the wall
If the home only has one level, the standard roof design strategy is clear: make the main roof wide enough to protect all windows and doors. However, there are more options if the home has multiple stories, or if the roof has different slopes and angles.
Here, you will need to pay more attention to how any rain runs off the roof. You want to make sure that any water is landing far enough way from the foundation, as well as from the doors of the home.
Metal roofs also require particular attention, especially the length of flat metal roofs.
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Common Problems With The Rake Of A Roof
Believe it or not, the purpose of rake board serves as a moisture barrier to your home and roofing system. The most common problem area for a roof is moisture. Roof damage can be caused by various types of moisture such as rain, snow, and high humidity, so your rake of a roof must be intact. A rake of a roof is also meant for aesthetic value.
Another more common issue that could arise if the rake of a roof is not intact is pest damage. Insects and animals like to access any openings of your roof so that they can nest and use it as shelter. Gaps of crevices in your roofing system such as an open soffit or fascia is an issue that should be addressed. Keeping pests and animals out of your attic is a key reason for rake boards.
Knowing to address the area of your rake after a snowstorm is vital to the health of your roof. Typically, the area of the rake of a roof is where ice dams can form and this could be a cause of leaks in your roof. You will want to remove any ice dams in or near your rake of a roof system.
What Makes Up My Eaves
Understanding your eaves helps you notice problems when they occur. While the eave is the whole roof overhang, it has various components.
- Soffit This is the horizontal section between the edge of the roof and the wall. Typically made of fibre cement, it serves an important protective and aesthetic function. Fibre cement is used because it is light, waterproof, and rodent proof. Other material like wood can also be used as soffit boards, but it is susceptible to rot due to the high moisture conditions.
- Fascia board Fascia is the vertical board of wood just below the roof edge. It serves to protect the soffit beneath as well as the wall, and also make the house very beautiful by softening the roofs edge.
Sydney Roof Maintenance is your go-to eave repair team when you want to repair or replace your eaves. Our highly professional team is skilled in the use of metal and fibre cement. We then paint your eaves and roof to make them look as good as new. Needless to say, this also adds significant value to your home.
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Things Every Homeowner Should Know About Their Roof Eaves
Your residential roof consists of more than just the shingles covering the surface or the underlayment below. The roof edges, commonly referred to as the eaves, are more than just the end of your roof. Eaves consist of two main components the soffits and the fascia which work together to create an end cap on the roof that keeps out moisture and pests while regulating air flow through your attic.
Read below to learn more about these two important aspects of your roof.
What Threats Can Damage Your Eaves
Similar to every other component of your homes interior, some threats can damage your eaves or affect their integrity, the most common being:
If you suspect that the eaves or other parts of your Flagstaff, AZ roof are compromised, dont hesitate to give Polaris Roofing Systems a call at 440-9542. The sooner you get your roof fixed by an expert, the less likely the damage will become worse.
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Are Soffits And Eaves The Same Thing
Soffits and eaves literally overlap one another, therefore its not surprising some confusion exists regarding whether they are the same thing. However, despite their close proximity, theyre actually quite different.
To help you learn more about soffits and eaves, weve created a handy video along with this blog.
