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Eaves, rakes and drip edge · Lesson 4 of 4

Eaves, rakes and drip edge: defects, verification and case study

An inspection checklist for eaves and rakes, correct and incorrect pairs, the recurring defects with their rules and fixes, a worked case of a leaking gable corner, and how to record the evidence.

You will be able to: Inspect eave and rake metal before it is covered, diagnose a plausible defect, name the rule it breaks with its source, choose a fix and document the evidence for review.

10 min · 12 slides · 7 questions

All lessons in this module
Slide 1 of 12

Inspect before it is covered

Check against code, maker and job: eave laps and nails before the underlayment covers them, rake and corner before shingling.

  • Drip edge at every eave and rake
  • Laps 2 in or more; rake laps upper over lower
  • Face 1/4 in or more below the sheathing
  • Flange 2 in or more on the deck
  • Nails 12 in or closer, none in the face
  • Layer order at eave and rake
  • Overhang in the window, after shingling
Inspection points at an eave-rake cornerPlan of a roof corner with the underlayment on and no shingles yet. Along the eave at the bottom the underlayment covers the red drip edge flange, so its top edge, laps and nails are drawn dashed as hidden and only a thin red strip of the metal edge shows past the deck. Up the rake at the left the red drip edge flange lies over the underlayment, made of lengths whose laps show as charcoal joint lines and nailed high, and runs past the eave metal at the corner. A gutter runs below the eave. Numbered circles mark ten inspection points.gutterunderlaymentrakeeave12345678910Underlayment on; dashed = hidden under it

Plan view of a roof corner with the underlayment on and no shingles yet. The rake up the left side shows its red drip edge flange, laps and nail dots, running past the eave metal at the corner. Along the bottom the underlayment covers the eave flange: its laps and nails are drawn dashed as hidden, and only a thin red strip of the eave metal edge shows. A gutter runs below the eave. Numbered circles mark the inspection points.

1
Drip edge at every eave and rake (2018 IRC)
2
Rake laps 2 in or more, upper over lower (2018 IRC; ProTradeCraft)
3
Eave laps 2 in or more, checked before the underlayment covers them (2018 IRC)
4
Rake bottom past the eave metal (ProTradeCraft)
5
Nails high in the flange, 12 in or closer, or the maker's spacing; none in the face. Eave nails before the underlayment, rake nails before the shingles (2018 IRC; ARMA)
6
Flange 2 in or more on the deck (at the eave, before the underlayment); face 1/4 in or more below the sheathing (2018 IRC)
7
Layer order: underlayment over the eave metal, under the rake metal (2018 IRC)
8
Shingle overhang inside the window for the profile, measured once the shingles are on (ARMA; NRCA)
9
Corrosion-resistant metal (ARMA)
10
Photographs of the eave before the underlayment and of the corner before the shingles
Plan, not to scale, with the underlayment on. At the eave the underlayment already covers the flange (dashed, hidden), so eave laps and nails are checked and photographed before the underlayment goes on; the rake is checked before the shingles. The legend gives each check, when, and its source.

Sources

Glossary

Water-injection
ProTradeCraft's word for rake laps that drive water under the metal: lower pieces over upper ones.
Overhang window
The range of shingle overhang past the drip edge, such as the 1/4 to 3/4 in ARMA and NRCA give for an L profile; a shingle maker's instructions may set it for its own shingles.
Documented method
A maker's published eave method, kept with the job and shown to the inspector.