what is an eave and gable

Eaves: The eaves

are the lower edges of the roof that overhang the home’s exterior walls. The diagram above also has an eave on the opposite side of the home in the same place. Gable: The A-shaped side wall of the home that forms the peak of the roof is called the Gable.

Full Answer

What do you need to know about your eaves?

• Probably the most common wood used for eaves is cedar.
• You can also use a composite material that is a combination of different types of woods and other materials to help give it a cedar look.
• Another type of wood that can be used for your eaves and is, of course, a lot less expensive would be the use of plywood.

What are the advantages of a gable roof?

What are 3 advantages of a gable roof?

• Low cost. As the gable roof is effectively two large pieces slanted together and attached, it is a very simple design – which forms a large part of its popularity.
• Weather resistance.
• The space it offers.
• Aesthetics.
• Customised pitch.

What does gable end mean in construction?

The term gable wall or gable end more commonly refers to the entire wall, including the gable and the wall below it. Some types of roof do not have a gable (for example hip roofs do not). One common type of roof with gables, the gable roof, is named after its prominent gables.

What does "gable" mean?

A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns.

What is considered the eaves of a roof?

Eaves are the underside of your roof – specifically the part of the roof that attaches to and juts out from the house. They not only make your house look more aligned to rest of the Atherstone streetscape – they can also save you money.

What is a gable?

A gable is a section of wall located at the end of a pitched roof, between the edges of the intersecting pitches. It is usually triangular and extends from the eaves to the ridge, although the shape and detailing depends on the particular structural system used for the roof.

What part of a house is a gable?

A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns.

What is a gable on the roof?

A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins.

What is another word for gable?

In this page you can discover 26 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for gable, like: housetop, gabled, peak, ridge, , cornice, buttress, , , corbel gable and tie beam.

What does a gable on a house look like?

0:351:50Home Improvement Projects : What is a Gable Roof? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe gables are gabled roof they have different pitches you can see anything from a 3:12 pitch.MoreThe gables are gabled roof they have different pitches you can see anything from a 3:12 pitch.

Where is the eave on a house?

What Is an Eave? An eave is the edge of the roof that overhangs the exterior siding. Parts of an eave include the soffit, which is the underside of your roof's eaves, and the fascia, the vertical facing board.

What's the overhang on a roof called?

eavesWhat 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”.

Do you need eaves on a house?

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.

What's a gable look like?

Gable Roof Shapes. Gabled roofs are the kind young children typically draw. They have two sloping sides that come together at a ridge, creating end walls with a triangular extension, called a gable, at the top.

How does a gable roof look like?

2:023:21What is a Gable Roof? (Gable Roof vs Hip Roof) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo if you have any question on what a gable roof is just remember it looks like a triangle.MoreSo if you have any question on what a gable roof is just remember it looks like a triangle.

How do I know if my roof is gable?

The main difference between a hip and gable roof are the slopes on its sides. On a hipped roof, all sides slope downward to the home's walls. Gable roofs only have two triangle-shaped slopes that extend from the bottom of the roof's eaves to the peak of its ridge.

Why is it called a gable?

Nathaniel Hawthorne famously wrote about a building with this architectural feature in The House of the Seven Gables. Gable, originally an Old French word meaning "facade or front," is from the Old Norse gafl, "gable-end," or "gable."

What is the difference between a gable and a dormer?

A gable window is a flat window on the flat end of the house. A dormer window is a protruding window coming out of the roof of the house.

What does gable mean in construction?

gable, triangular section of wall at the end of a pitched roof, extending from the eaves to the peak.

What is a gable as in the House of Seven Gables?

Constructed in 1668, the House of Seven Gables typifies a tradition of wood building brought to New England by the Puritan colonists. The building is characterized by steeply pitched gable roofs, massive chimneys, and asymmetry. For the record, a gable is the triangle formed by a sloping roof.

What is the eaves section?

The eaves are the sections that overhang the walls . The gables are the pointed triangular sections on the end of buildings . Then there is the verge which is the overhang that goes up the gables . The underside of these and the faciaboard is the soffit. The faciaboard runs the length of the building and the barge board goes up the gables on the face . Then their are the hips which run up the roof from the corners to the ridge and valleys where two sections of roof join together .

What is the advantage of a gable roof?

The advantage of a gable roof is the simplicity of the supporting structure, which today, is a number of identical roof trusses spaced 16/24″ apart.

What is the top of a roof called?

The very top of the roof is called the ridge . Internally you can have trusses or A frames with purlins and Jack post supports . There are rafters that go from the wall plate to the ridge board . There are lateral restraints that go across trusses to give added rigidity . There are ladders which with trussed roofs carry it out over the walls . There are collars that link rafters across the roof . There are king and queen posts which support the ridge board from the base of A frames . Sometimes there are corbals which is the fancy shaped section between the fascia and the gable wall, or on stone buildings slabs can go all the way to the ridge, and sometimes known as caps .

What is the highest point on a pitched roof?

The highest point on any pitched roof is the line where each side of the pitch meet. This is called the ridge. Seen from one end, these create a triangle as though two pent roofs were arranged back to back. This is a strong roof & is more or less self supporting as the forces act against each other. It is also ideally suited for long runs, so works well for terraced housing.

What is the white section of a gable called?

This is a gable the triangular timber accross the top is a barge board the white section is an eave the timber cladding we call ‘Gable infill’

What is a girder roof?

Girder is a type of roof truss or beam that is built stronger than a standard truss to support in construction. It can bear the load extra loads imposed on it. See the figure below:-

What is the point at which the top of a triangle meets the ridge?

Through geometry, the infill triangle of roof, with its two bottom corner positions fixed by the wall extents, will be set back to incline at the same degree as the two preexisting sides. The point at which the top of the triangle meets the ridge forms a Y shape, which if viewed (in this case upside down) from above, resembles the body & two legs of a stick man drawing. Thus the point at which they meet is called the hip. If both the ends are done this way, or if the house has another perpendicular roof due to the building floorplan being T shaped, they are often referred to as double hips.

What is a gable?

A gable end is an area on an exterior wall where the roof and a horizontal section intersects. Gable roofs are one of the most common and ancient architectural elements and can be seen in churches, barns, and cottages worldwide.

What are the eaves of a house?

Eaves refer to the overhanging part of the roof rafters that protect its windows and walls below during rainstorms. The word “eave” originates from the Old English word “efes,” meaning “overlapping.” Most often, eaves are found in older homes with pitched roofs because they have always been used to divert water away from the foundation.

What are the different types of eaves?

There are three basic types of eaves, and they have a variety of benefits. The main ones are closed, exposed, and boxed.

Learn how to detail exterior trim with harmonious proportions on eaves that don't return onto the gable

The three primary variables to consider when designing the eaves for a gable roof are the width of the gable trim, the projection of the eaves, and the details at the corner of the gable ends. This first installment of a two-part series focuses on eaves that do not return onto the gable.

General rules of thumb

Eave design starts with looking at the overall building composition and proportion. When designing a gable-end eave without a return, the dimensions to look at are the width of the trim (set between 6 in. and 8 in. thick) and the overhang from the side wall (set between 12 in. to 18 in., depending on the style of the building).

Start with roof framing

The design of your eave is dictated by the construction of your roof. before manufactured trusses, the simplest roof construction involved extending exposed rafter tails beyond the walls of the house. Trusses streamline construction, but it’s important when using them to make sure the resulting eave works with the design of your building.

What is the eaves of a house?

Eaves: The eaves are the lower edges of the roof that overhang the home’s exterior walls. The diagram above also has an eave on the opposite side of the home in the same place. Gable: The A-shaped side wall of the home that forms the peak of the roof is called the Gable.

What is a gable roof?

A gable roof is a roof that’s shaped like the houses your kids draw. It has 2 sloping sides that meet at a peak. Ridge: The peak of your roof is the ridge. It’s the highest point on a sloped roof. Eaves: The eaves are the lower edges of the roof that overhang the home’s exterior walls. The diagram above also has an eave on the opposite side ...

What is the underside of an eaves?

Soffit: Soffits are the underside of eaves.

What is a hip roof?

A hip roof is a roof where the ends are also sloped. The gable end is replaced by a hip end. Also, notice that a hip roof still has a ridge and eaves (as do all peaked roofs). Hip: Sloped, diagonal ridge between 2 sections of roof is called the hip ridge. Hip end: The sloped side of a roof with a peaked top.

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 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 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.

What are the eaves of a house?

The eaves of a home can hold a considerable influence over its style and even general structure. Here are a few notable examples: 1 Some mid-20th century homes in the US have A-frame designs that have eaves reaching the ground level. This exaggerated roofing feature gives the home a uniquely modern appeal. 2 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie House design features widely overhanging eaves that make structures seem bigger. 3 Classic Italian and Spanish luxury homes often sport intricately decorated overhanging eaves and slightly pitched roofs. 4 Craftsman bungalows and original ranch-style houses have deep and wide eaves to create a homey look.

Why do we need eaves?

Eaves can shade your windows from the sun, especially during the hot summer months, to help your exterior maintain a comfortable temperature. During the winter, the low-level sun can still reach the windows to warm and illuminate the interior.

What Threats Can Damage Your Eaves?

Similar to every other component of your home’s interior, some threats can damage your eaves or affect their integrity, the most common being:

What is the most common type of eaves?

Types of Eaves. Depending on your home, some designs might be more suitable than the other: Soffited Eaves are probably the most common type of eaves. It has a paneling underneath that connects the eave’s bottom tip to a building’s side at a 90o angle.

What is the aesthetic appeal of eaves?

Aesthetic Appeal. The eaves of a home can hold a considerable influence over its style and even general structure. Here are a few notable examples: Some mid-20th century homes in the US have A-frame designs that have eaves reaching the ground level.

Why are exposed eaves so rare?

Exposed Eaves are extremely rare to find in most modern homes because they leave a roof and its supporting rafters exposed. Boxed-in Eaves encase the roof rafters but meet the building’s side at the same angle as the roof’s pitch. Abbreviated Eaves cut off almost perpendicularly to a building’s side.

What is the trim between the roof and the soffit called?

If you look directly at the eaves of a building, you should notice a trim between the roof and the soffit. This piece is called a fascia board, and it sits parallel to a house’s siding, so it faces outward and away from your home, while a soffit faces downward.

What is an Eave Height on a House?

Before knowing what the right eave size for your house is, let’s discuss the definition of the eaves first. So, what is an eave on the house?

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?

What are the two planes on a gable roof?

A gable roof consists of two sloped planes that meet at the ridge or “peak” and rest on the top plates of 2 parallel exterior walls. In wood-frame construction, the primary structural members of a gabled roof frame are the ridge board and the rafters. If the lower section of the roof rafters, or “rafter tail,” extends beyond the exterior wall, ...

What does a bow on a rafter mean?

Large bows indicate places where the rafter tails will have to be trimmed. Once you’re satisfied that the fascia will go on straight, align the bottom edge of a 2-foot level with the level cut of a rafter tail. Make a pencil mark on the sheathing where a horizontal line would meet the exterior wall.

How to check if rafter tails are aligned?

You can check the plumb cuts by nailing a linear 12 foot or longer 2 x 4 to each rafter tail as you would the fascia. Look down the edge of the 2 x 4. Large bows indicate places where the rafter tails will have to be trimmed. Step 2 - Attach a Nailer Board.

How does a rafter tail shape?

The end of the rafter tail is shaped by 2 cuts that form the corner of a right angle. When the rafter is installed onto the roof, the bottom “level” cut, onto which the soffit will be installed, is now horizontal, and the end “plumb” cut, onto which the fascia is nailed, is now vertical.

What is a rake made of?

The rake is often designed in such an intricate way. The size and materials vary, but it is commonly made from wood materials. It depends on the builders, as they often have different fascia or trim styles to match with the rest of the buildings. Some homeowners may choose to wrap the rake boards with metal to achieve a more polished look.

What are the different types of roof rakes?

Type. There are three types typically available for roof rakes, which are extended or abbreviated, overhanging and boxed in, and overhanging exposes. Cottages homes or sheds are usually used exposed rakes instead of closed rakes. The overhanging exposes and extended types are usually wider than the boxed-in types with more intricate details.

Why wrap rake boards with metal?

Some homeowners may choose to wrap the rake boards with metal to achieve a more polished look. See Also : How to Install Drip Edge on Shed Roof. What is a rake on a roof purpose? The purpose of installing a rake board is to prevent roof damage from running or leaking water behind the siding.

Is a rake on a roof?

In fact, the rake is a term used to refer to the sloped sides at the end of the gable, so it is not exactly on the roof. The rake may overhang at the tip of the gable or not overhang and lying flat. It is either left open or closed with fascia or soffit.