How to make roof eaves - the device and installation,

10-04-2018

Roof

No wonder people from ancient times said that the main thing - it is a reliable roof over your head. Professional roofing masters also confirm that only a reliable, durable roof provides a comfortable stay in the house. Moreover, the reliability and durability of this complex structure, sometimes depends on seemingly insignificant elements.

For example, the eaves of the roof, despite the small size and percentage of the surface area of the slopes, this element performs important functions that affect the service life, insulating capacity and strength of the roof. In this article we will tell about the device of the roofing cornice of the house, methods of its formation and optimal sizes.

Device and functions

The eaves of the roof - an important element of roofing, this term refers to the lower part of the roof slopes, which are their continuation. Installation of eaves is carried out during arrangement of the rafter system by increasing the length of the rafters or by installing fillies. From above, the eaves, as well as the entire area of the slope, are covered with roofing material, and from the bottom it is sewn up with the help of lumber, soffits, siding. In the construction of the roof of the house, it performs the following functions:

Protects the walls of the house from moisture. The eave roof overhang protects the upper part of the outer walls from ingress of atmospheric moisture and dirt, while maintaining their attractive appearance and integrity.
Prevents a drain of thawed and rain water on a blind area of the base. The device of the eaves of the roof is such that it makes water flows and blocks of snow slipping from the slope, further from the foundation of the house, preventing blurring and destruction of the blind area.
It gives the roof a finished, neat look. Roofing overhangs, being a continuation of the slope, give the structure a more proportional look, harmoniously completing the architectural design of the house.

Note! Installation of eaves is an obligatory stage of roofing work, which is required by the roof construction technology, regardless of its type, form and type of waterproofing coating. Even flat roofs have a small takeaway protruding beyond the external walls of the structure.

Kinds

Many homeowners are interested in whether it is possible to design a roof ledge with their own hands, since its visual design seems extremely simple. Experienced masters believe that this is a job for the hands of even a non-professional. The main thing to understand the purpose and types of eaves. The design of pitched roofs distinguish the following 2 types of overhangs:

Gabled The gable overhang is a part of the roofing slope, which protrudes beyond the outer walls of the house from the side of the gable. As a rule, the eaves of this type have a small length and are formed by the sheathing and the frontal plank, which gives it shape.
Eaves. The eaves overhang or eaves are called the lower part of the slope, starting from the intersection of the plane of the roof with the outer bearing walls. These curtain rods are usually much larger than the gable ones as they prevent splashing of water from the slope onto the walls.

Important! In fact, the eaves is the elongation of the truss legs. Since the overhang is located at the bottom of the slope, the minimum snow load falls on it. However, the installation of a gutter or snow guard changes the distribution of loads, so it can be subject to considerable pressure.

Forms of formation

Before you make the eaves for the roof, you need to understand the device of this element of the roof structure, as well as methods of its formation. The method of mounting the overhang depends on the design and type of roof, the length of the slopes. The most common technologies with which you can form a roof cornice are:

Lengthening truss legs. The easiest way to form a roof overhang is to use rafter legs that are longer than the slope. The more you want to get the overhang, the longer should be the bars from which the rafters are made. The disadvantage of this method is to increase the weight of the frame, and, consequently, the load on the foundation.
Building rafters using fillies. To form the eaves of the roof, it is possible to build up the ends of the truss legs with the help of fillies - lighter and cheaper elements from a cut board of smaller thickness. Thanks to the filly, the frame has less weight, despite the large cornice.

Professional craftsmen consider it expedient to use fillies for the formation of an overhang, if the length of the slope exceeds the standard size of lumber. Usually the length of the boards from which the roof frame is made is 6 meters. If the roof slope is 6 meters long or more, the installation of the cornice is carried out with the help of fillies.

Optimal size

Often it is difficult for non-professional craftsmen to determine what size the curtain rod should be made. This is really a very important constructive decision, because if it is too small, then melt or rain water from a ramp will fall on the lining of external walls, on the blind area of the foundation, leading to destruction, as well as damage to the appearance of the structure. When choosing the length of the cornice, the following factors are taken into account:

Climatic conditions. The optimal size of the roof cornice depends on the amount of precipitation falling in the winter and summer. In the more snowy regions, roofs with a wide cornice are traditionally used, which protect the walls, the foundation from snow ingress. For example, alpine chalets located in the mountains usually have eaves overhangs at least 1 meter wide.
Roof slope. The greater the angle of inclination of the roof slopes, the less you can make the eaves. This is explained by the fact that with the flat form of the roof the trajectory of falling snow and water goes far from the external walls of the house. If the slopes are steep enough, it is better to make the eaves wider to protect the structure from splashing water that can reach the wall during heavy snowmelt or heavy rains.
The proportions of the house. The wide eaves with a flat roof make the building visually lower, squat, distorting the optimal proportions. A narrow overhang with a high, steep roof, on the contrary, draws out the silhouette of the house.

Important! The minimum allowable width of the eaves is 45-50 cm, but this is clearly not enough for regions with high snow loads. If necessary, the size of this structural element is increased to 1 m.

Binder material

Installation of overhangs is carried out at the final stage of work on the assembly of the rafter frame. As the sheathing is ready, the rafter legs are trimmed by level, and then the frontal (wind) bar is fixed at their ends. In order to protect the bottom surface from moisture penetration or the birds settling overhang, a cornice is filed. This task can be accomplished with the help of various materials:

Boards. You can sew the lower surface of the overhang using a regular edged board or other lumber. The advantage of this method is that wood is a fairly affordable, light, environmentally friendly material. However, the tree does not tolerate moisture, being rotting. Therefore, filing eaves boards is relatively short, in addition, it needs regular updating of the paint layer, protecting the tree from rot.
Siding. Filing of overhangs with siding is considered a practical solution, since this material is easy to install. In addition, siding made of metal or plastic with polymer protection perfectly tolerates adverse weather conditions, maintaining its appearance for a long time. The disadvantage of this solution is that it makes it difficult to ventilate the roof, blocking the air, because of which the wooden frame of the structure can rot.
Soffits. Soffits are called special panels for filing the eaves and gable overhang, the difference of which is the presence of perforation, so air can easily penetrate through them, but water cannot pass. They are wider than siding, so hem overhang them faster.

Remember that ventilation of the roof space is an important factor affecting the service life of the rafter frame. Therefore, experienced craftsmen for filing overhangs recommend using spotlights. It is better to use models with central perforation, providing an average level of ventilation.

Ways of filing

In order for the eaves overhang not only to perform its functions qualitatively, but also aesthetically pleasing, neatly looked, it is necessary to hem it correctly. For this, it is not enough to choose a high-quality material, one must also decide on the method of filing, which depends on the slope and the length of the slope. There are two methods:

Diagonal filing. This method consists in filing the eaves using spotlights so that they are parallel to the ramps. Thus hem roofs with a large slope, but a small length of the slope. The diagonal method is considered more laborious.
Direct filing. This option is characterized by the fact that the eaves of the roof are sewn up with soffits using a duct located at a right angle to the outer wall of the structure. Direct filing takes less time, but it is more costly in terms of the consumption of building materials.