Flat Roof Overhanging Eaves

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.

Flat roof overhanging eaves.

Proceed with extreme caution when using a flat soffit. Mark where the drip edge begins to overhang and one inch further out from that overhang. The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and normally project beyond the side of a building. With a flat shed roof the roof simply extends past the wall plate to provide an overhang.

The edge of the shingles should hang over a roof between an inch and an inch and a half or between a half inch and three quarters of an inch if drip edge flashing is installed. Remove the gutters and roof flashing if needed. While flat soffits work well in some situations in most they result in pork chop eave returns. 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.

Eaves form the overhang to distribute water clear of the walls. Do the same for flashing where it overlaps the edges of the overhang. Closed eaves with flat soffit and no raised heel the default in eave design is a flat soffit. 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.

Because this style of a shed has a flat roof it can facilitate a wider overhang which is ideal for storage. That is their functional purpose. 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. Too much overhang and the shingles could blow off in high winds.

In order to give yourself clear access to the eaves you may first need to detach the drainage structures covering them. Too little can allow water to seep into rake or fascia boards. For gabled roofs the roof rafters extending beyond the wall caps creating an angled roof overhang on the eaves. Start with the rafter tails.

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. They also help to frame windows on upper stories. The length of the overhang depends primarily on the climate. Roof overhangs are the amount that the roof hangs over the top of the siding in residential home construction.

Unscrew the gutters at the brackets then pull out the nails holding them in place and lower them down safely. Overhangs are common in most house designs providing protection against both wind and rain. Cut the entire drip edge by your second mark so that it only hangs past the edge by. The siding underneath the overhang is known as the soffit.