Flat Roof Overhanging Eaves

My system is straightforward and provides strong positive attachment of the overhanging elements to the building as well as solid nailing for the finish materials.

Flat roof overhanging eaves.

Overhangs are common in most house designs providing protection against both wind and rain. Overhangs are extensions of the roof beyond the exterior wall i e the joists rafters or trusses and the decking they support cantilever past the wall. The siding underneath the overhang is known as the soffit. Closed eaves with flat soffit and no raised heel the default in eave design is a flat soffit.

They also help to frame windows on upper stories. In order to give yourself clear access to the eaves you may first need to detach the drainage structures covering them. With a flat shed roof the roof simply extends past the wall plate to provide an overhang. First place your drip edge on the rake edge.

Remove the gutters and roof flashing if needed. I recently built a small outbuilding with a 6 in 12 pitch roof that offers a perfect example for showing the process i use to build eaves and rakes. Start with the rafter tails. An eave is the edge of the roof that overhangs the face of a wall and normally projects beyond the side of a building.

An overhang protects the upper portion of the wall that it is attached to from rainfall and it also shades the windows under it from the sun. Do the same for flashing where it overlaps the edges of the overhang. Mark where the drip edge begins to overhang and one inch further out from that overhang. Roof overhangs are the amount that the roof hangs over the top of the siding in residential home construction.

While flat soffits work well in some situations in most they result in pork chop eave returns. That is their functional purpose. Unscrew the gutters at the brackets then pull out the nails holding them in place and lower them down safely. Cut the entire drip edge by your second mark so that it only hangs past the edge by.

For gabled roofs the roof rafters extending beyond the wall caps creating an angled roof overhang on the eaves. Too little can allow water to seep into rake or fascia boards. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural style such as the chinese dougong bracket systems. Because this style of a shed has a flat roof it can facilitate a wider overhang which is ideal for storage.

When you reach a corner where an eave and rake edge meet you need to make a cut to ensure a proper fit. Proceed with extreme caution when using a flat soffit. Eaves form the overhang to distribute water clear of the walls. Too much overhang and the shingles could blow off in high winds.