Closed eaves are simply described as an overhang that is closed with a soffit. This provides a more finished look and neat as the rafters are not exposed. The Use of Eaves
Eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. 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 syst…
Full Answer
What is close eave?
Closed eave: An overhang with a soffit that closes and finishes the underside of the eaves. Open eave: An overhang with an exposed underside and visible rafters. Box eave: An overhang enclosed with a soffit and a build-up of ornamental molding so the rafters are no longer visible.
What is the difference between closed eaves and open eaves?
The Different Types Of Eaves They can either be open or closed, with the latter being more popular in modern homes. Open eaves have rafters that extend from the roof to the ground, while closed ones hide these rafters behind an overhang of tiles or slates.
What are the different types of eaves?
The four basic types of eaves are exposed, soffited, boxed-in, and abbreviated. Eaves typically include fascia, the material used to close off the ends of the rafters from the elements. When standard gutters are used on a residential structure, they are generally attached to the fascia.
Should eaves be open?
The eave overhang protects your home from rain and sun. Depending on design, it also can allow embers to enter through under-eave attic vents. With open-eave construction, gaps between the rafter tails and the blocking can be vulnerable to ember entry. Soffits (boxed-in eaves) are more robust to embers.
Do eaves need to be closed?
Things You'll Need Closing off eaves in your attic will help to make your house more energy efficient. Open eaves provide access for the effects of weather. Eaves that are not closed off and that do not have proper insulation can cause energy bills to rise due to heated or cooled air leaking out of the house.
Should eaves be sealed?
If you have open eaves and are not able to box them at this time, you should seal all gaps, cracks, and crevices in the eave area with caulking material. Sealing gaps with caulk and a good coat of paint will reduce the risk of embers lodging in the eaves.
What is the purpose of eaves?
What are eaves? Eaves are an extension of the roof that overhangs the walls of your house. Both functional and decorative, having eaves can optimise sunlight exposure and protect from moisture, while also accentuating the overall feel of your home.
What do you mean by eaves?
Definition of eave 1 : the lower border of a roof that overhangs the wall —usually used in plural. 2 : a projecting edge (as of a hill) —usually used in plural.
What is the difference between a soffit and an eave?
In a nutshell, eaves and soffits refer to the part of the roof that overhangs the side of a building. Generally speaking, the eave is the whole overhanging part of the roof, whereas the soffit only comprises the underside component of the eave.
Are eaves and gutters the same thing?
An eaves is a section of the roof that hangs over the wall of the house, so that the wall is protected from rainwater. Therefore, an eavestrough is a channel that is connected to the eaves, taking the water away from the roof and usually towards a sewer or drainage system. A gutter is a more general term.
Do houses need eaves?
Eaves are important for a few reasons. Eaves encourage water to run off the side of your house rather than directly down its walls. If water is allowed to run down walls, several leakage-related problems can come about. First, leaks between the join of the roof and the walls might occur.
How do you enclose eaves in a house?
In some home construction, the eaves are left exposed, which leaves the ends of the roof rafters visible. You can enclose the eaves by installing soffit panels. These are panels made of vinyl or metal that create a solid cover over the eaves.
How do you cover open eaves?
With open eaves, use a sealant (such as caulking) to cover gaps, or enclose the underside of the roof overhang. In open- eave construction, embers can and do accumulate between blocking and joists and can ignite these members if sufficient accumulation occurs.
What is the difference between eaves and soffits?
In a nutshell, eaves and soffits refer to the part of the roof that overhangs the side of a building. Generally speaking, the eave is the whole overhanging part of the roof, whereas the soffit only comprises the underside component of the eave.
Why do houses have eaves?
Eaves are ubiquitous in most traditional architecture, and in addition to their aesthetic role, they serve several important functions, the primary one being to keep rainwater away from the building's walls and structure.
What is the overhang of the 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 is Chapter 7A?
Chapter 7A requirements for eave protection states that either they: shall meet the requirement of SFM Standard 12-7A-3, or. shall be protected by ignition resistant material or noncombustible on the exposed underside. The main objective of the 'eave protection' requirement is to stop fire from getting into the attic.
How is an eave protected from wildfires?
A wider eave can be protected from wild fire exposures by using ignition resistant or noncombustible materials. In this case the overhang (on the rake end of the building) is protected by stucco that was wrapped around and under the eave.
What is an open eave roof?
Open-eave: When you look at the open eave detail, you see the rafter tails, the blocking, and the roof sheathing that extends beyond the exterior wall. A normal 'generic' assembly could consist of 2x rafter tails, ACX plywood sheathing, and 2x4 or 2x6 blocking between the rafter tails. If this assembly were to be tested to SFM 12-7A-3, and pass (i.e., flame doesn't penetrate beyond the blocking, into what would be the attic space), then this assembly would comply with Chapter 7A provisions. Since this assembly has been rated as 'fire resistant' in the building code, there have been discussions as to whether this assembly should be tested to SFM Standard 12-7A-3. The California Building Standards Commission is currently considering language that would clarify this issue.
What is boxed in soffit?
Boxed-in: If the soffit material (the material that you 'box-in' with) is rated as noncombustible (for example, three-coat stucco, or a fiber cement soffit material) or 'ignition resistant' (for example, exterior rated fire-retardant-treated plywood), then the design would comply with the provisions of Chapter 7A. If you want to use untreated plywood, or wood tongue-and-groove material as the soffit material, then this construction would have to be tested to SFM 12-7A-3. If the material and design being proposed for use hasn't been tested, then it would have to be tested and approved by a certified fire testing laboratory.
What is the purpose of eaves protection?
The main objective of the 'eave protection' requirement is to stop fire from getting into the attic. It says that eave protection can be obtained in one of three ways. You can use ignition resistant materials or noncombustible materials on the exposed underside, or the underside assembly can be tested to (and pass) SFM 12-7A-3. Given the differences in construction of 'boxed-in' and 'open-eave' designs, you can see that the details of complying will be more or less complicated, depending on the construction technique chosen.
Why aren't vents included in the Wood Products Handbook?
Accepted vents aren't currently included in the Wood Products Handbook because a standard test method to evaluate vent performance to ember and flame exposure hasn't been approved yet. In creating a soffited eave, the enclosed soffit must be able to communicate with the attic space.
What is soffit material?
The soffit material was untreated tongue and groove boards. Note that burn through occurred at the joint. Testing has shown that, with wood and wood-based products, vulnerable characteristics include 1) joints, 2) knots, and 3) in the case of plywood panels, core gaps in the inner plies.
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.
What are eaves on a house?
Roof ea ves are designed in length and style to enhance a home's design and to fit the roof's aesthetics. For example, a Craftsman-style bungalow might have a low-pitched roof with a wide eave overhang that's open to expose the roof rafters. Dutch colonial homes have gambrel roofs with distinctly flared eaves . Victorian-style homes are known for their wide overhanging eaves. Many house styles have eaves that are finished with decorative brackets or corbels to make homes appear more stately or to add an architectural element of interest.
What is a closed eaves?
Closed eave: An overhang with a soffit that closes and finishes the underside of the eaves. Open eave: An overhang with an exposed underside and visible rafters. Box eave: An overhang enclosed with a soffit and a build-up of ornamental molding so the rafters are no longer visible.
What is the meaning of eavesdropping?
Fun Fact. Centuries ago, the word eavesdrop defined the perimeter around the house under the eaves where water fell from during a rainstorm. It was said that any person standing on the eavesdrop line of a home could hear conversations inside the home.
What are the parts of an eaves?
Parts of an eave include the soffit, which is the underside of your roof's ea ves, and the fascia, the vertical facing board. Roof eaves serve both decorative and practical functions for a home. Eaves are characteristic of classic architecture.
Why do houses have eaves?
Many house styles have eaves that are finished with decorative brackets or corbels to make homes appear more stately or to add an architectural element of interest. There are three basic types of eave styles that home builders and architects typically use:
What are the downsides of eaves?
Potential Downsides of Roof Eaves. Pests are drawn to making their homes in open-style eaves. The longer the roof overhang, the more protected space it offers to wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, birds, and sometimes larger creatures like raccoons and squirrels.
Step 1
Clear the area in your attic near the eaves. If there are openings in the attic floors or walls for electrical wiring, plumbing, or cracks in the floor, make sure that they are sealed. Use caulk to seal off these areas.
Step 2
Cut the wire mesh to fit across the eave opening. You should leave about 1 inch of mesh on each side to help secure the mesh.
Step 3
Place the wire mesh across the opening and secure in place using a staple gun or a hammer and nails. Place the staples or the nails at even intervals across each side of the mesh to ensure its security.
Step 4
Install insulation. Insulation in your attic should be laid parallel to the joists in warm climates, perpendicular to the joists if your roof is susceptible to ice dams in the winter. Insulation can be blown in or laid in sheets. Do not cover the eave openings with insulation.
What is an open eave roof?
In an open-eave design, the roof rafters or joists and roof sheathing are visible. With a soffited-eave design, the roof rafters and sheathing are hidden through the use of a panel or boards that extend horizontally from the edge of the roof (typically being attached to the bottom of the fascia) back to the exterior wall. “Boxing-in” the eave when sheathing or boards are attached to the bottom side of the roof rafters in the exterior portion of the eave.
What is under the attic?
The under-eave area is vulnerable if embers enter the attic area through any gaps that may exist in this area, or if flames from ignited vegetation, siding, or other near-home combustible materials reach the area. Attic vents are commonly found in the under-eave area, and embers can also enter the attic through these openings (for more about vents, click here ).
How to measure for soffit panels?
Measure the distance between the inner edges of the F-channels on the fascia and the side of the house to determine the necessary width of the soffit panels. Subtract 1/4-inch from the distance to allow for the panels to expand and contract.
What is a soffit?
Things You'll Need. A soffit can conceal the rafters exposed in the eaves of a roof. The eaves of your home are the points of the roof along the bottom edge which extend out and over the walls. In some home construction, the eaves are left exposed, which leaves the ends of the roof rafters visible.
Where are nail cornice panels?
Nail cornice panels at the end of the eaves where you can see the gap between the eaves and the soffit. The cornice panels can be made of metal, fiberboard or plywood, and can be painted to match the soffit.
How to install F channel on side of house?
Place a level on the bottom of the F-channel and position it so the other end of the level is against the side of the house. Make a mark on the side of the house to indicate the location of the F-chan nel. Do this once every foot for the length of the fascia. This provides you with a guide when installing the F-channel onto the side of the house so that the two F-channels are perfectly aligned.
Can you enclose eaves?
In some home construction, the eaves are left exposed, which leaves the ends of the roof rafters visible. You can enclose the eaves by installing soffit panels. These are panels made of vinyl or metal that create a solid cover over the eaves. Advertisement.
Where to nail fascia boards?
Nail down any loose fascia boards along the eaves. These are the boards that are nailed to the edge of the rafters.
What is the edge of a roof called?
Put simply, an eave is the edge of a roof, which is why they're often called 'roof eaves'. If you look at the exterior of a house, the eaves will often stick out over the side of the building.
What is soffit made of?
Along with this, soffit may be made from aluminum, wood, or vinyl. It’s important that you have a soffit material suitable for the climate you live in. For homeowners in the Midwest, vinyl soffit is the way to go. It's also important to keep your soffits in good condition to prevent serious, avoidable problems later on.
What is the eaves of a roof?
Remember that an eave is the lower edge of a roof which projects beyond the face of the wall. Here's a little anecdote to help you understand the difference between eaves and soffits.
Where is soffit located on a roof?
Another way to explain it is to say soffit is the exposed siding underneath your roof’s overhang. Since your soffit is located on the underside of your roof , it’s usually not visible in terms of curb appeal.
Why is it important to know the basics of soffits?
Knowing at least the basics about features like soffits and eaves will help you to make informed decisions about the upkeep of your house. Doing your research will allow you to make better choices and will ultimately save you time and money in the long-run.
Where did the term "eavesdropper" come from?
The term 'eavesdropper' came centuries ago from the fact that eavesdrop referred to the indentation line made around a structure when the rain rolled off the edge of the roof onto the ground. Anyone who stood very close to the house, on the eavesdrop, was probably trying to hear what was going on inside that house.
Where is the eave in an attic?
In most attics, you'll find part of the eave visible. It's the angle where the roof meets the outside wall and it's a good place for insulation, as long as it doesn't get into your soffit.
