Roof eaves are a typical installation built together with a roof that can improve the aesthetics and functionality of your home. This is the edge of the roof, typically hanging over your exterior walls and leaving the top of your walls protected from too much sunlight and during wet seasons as well. While they may be seen as just an additional decoration that overdoes your roofs, they are efficient in helping you have a good sturdy home too. In case your roofing system needs some work, you may consider hiring a professional roofing contractor.
Benefits of Roof Eaves
The main purpose of roof eaves is to project beyond the sides of a home or a building. As roof eaves are overhangs that come in together with your roof, it is also an industrial way to provide your exteriors with an adequate shade from hot weather conditions or just on a typical day and even protects your walls, windows, and doors from water damage when rainy seasons occur. Not being able to have considerable roof eaves for your home can damage your exterior walls, much more creating mould and wall damage when the rain comes together with strong winds.
Another advantage provided by roof eaves is the improved temperature inside your home. As they can protect your home from extreme weather conditions (still depending on the size of the overhang), it creates a barrier that can make your home more breathable and comfortable. Again, it avoids interiors from being affected by the outside weather.
As such, it also seeks to protect your interiors and exteriors as well. You can avoid too many UV lights from damaging your furniture, and also provide shade for your exterior walls to prevent discolouration and deterioration as well.
Moreover, it also makes out a contemporary and elegant look for your homes – the bigger the roof eaves, the better it can make your home grander.
Parts of Roof Eaves
While they may be seen as common to your homes, roof eaves must be built efficiently. It must always have a soffit, the foundation under your overhang to keep it strong, and the fascia, which forms the vertical finishing edge that connects the gutters and other roof attachments (made from wooden or hard-wearing non-corrosive metal). If your roof eaves do not have both parts, then your overhang might not be stable enough to protect your house.
Types of Roof Eaves
Roof eaves have variations and homeowners can pick their most preferred eave. Aside from being an added protection to your exterior walls, they can always enhance the beauty of your roof and the overall look of your home too. For instance, bungalows have low walls but still have a long overhang for their roof eaves. Consequently, they can be seen in Victorian architecture too where they are always evident and emphasize the shape of your home. Yet, they still come in different styles as years go by.
Open Eave
The cheapest roof eave you can install for your home, this type of roof eave has an open underside that exposes rafters. This is the most common type of eave you can find in the market, as they are preferred by homeowners due to their availability and convenience upon installation. You may also put some decorative ornaments under your roof eaves, to give them an artistic touch. Additionally, because it does not have anything that blocks your outside ceiling, it provides better ventilation and is efficient in giving you a much cooler atmosphere as cool air can get inside your ceiling. Nevertheless, because it is not labour-extensive, it is the best alternative to other roof eaves you can ever find.
However, they can have accompanying cons too. Due to its openness, creatures like birds can build a nest inside your ceiling. Bats, raccoons, rats, and even snakes might consider your roof eaves as their temporary shelter. On another note, when you have tanks and gutters lying around open roof eaves, it might be susceptible to bugs and insects (wasps included).
Closed Eaves
You might have an idea about this kind of roof eave knowing what open eaves are like. Well, you are not mistaken. Closed eaves are overhang roofs that have a closed soffit beneath them, where roof rafters will not be visible at all (and it is advisable for gable roofs). They can enhance your home’s exterior architectural design, in a way that it appears more protected and enclosed to give a neat and sophisticated look to your roof overhang. Alongside this, they prevent insect infestation inside your ceiling. The additional refurbishments on the soffit make it difficult for animals to come by and consider your roof eaves as a home, and it will be harder for them to have access to your attics too. Furthermore, it also adds up to the estate value of your home.
Yet, closed eaves have disadvantages. As there are added materials, they are quite expensive than open eaves and are also labour-extensive; they can be tricky to install and need ample measurements to be put perfectly. Consequently, they also entail high maintenance – they must be checked occasionally to see if there are broken soffit vents as this will lead to insects circling around your soffits and ceilings.
Box Eave
If you want something that extra for your roof eaves, you might as well consider having box eaves for your roof overhang. They are made with horizontal roof panels and no hat channel or ridge cap for that added stability.
Thus, rafters are also not visible and serve as additional ornamental moulding for your home.
Yet again, it’s just an extra installation for your roof. They also come expensive like closed eaves and are just an added match to your home’s roofline. Nothing more actually.
Roof eaves perform the same purpose regardless of the design. However, they are different in terms of aesthetics and the disadvantages it has for your home. Still, it is necessary to keep in mind that the roof eaves’ efficiency depends on how big it is, protecting your home’s interior and exterior from the hostile environment in Australia, and also preventing animals and insects from infesting your overhang and ceiling too. Therefore, aesthetics and functionality must always come together to achieve a good looking home that improves practicality.
