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Eaves, rakes and drip edge · Lesson 1 of 4

Eaves, rakes and drip edge: principles and terminology

Why a roof edge needs metal, the parts of a drip edge and its L and T profiles, the shapes FlashDraft holds, where the code requires drip edge, and the safety boundary at the edge.

You will be able to: Tell an eave from a rake, name the parts and profiles of a drip edge, state where the 2018 IRC requires one, and state who installs it and the fall rules at the edge.

14 min · 12 slides · 12 questions

All lessons in this module
Slide 1 of 12

Two edges, two jobs

NRCA defines the eave as the lower edge of a sloping roof.

Water leaves the roof there, over a gutter or the fascia.

NRCA defines the rake as the sloped edge of a roof at or next to the first or last rafter.

At a rake, water runs along the edge instead of off it.

Sources

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: Tom Silva shows why a roof edge needs a drip edge: per the description, surface tension draws water into the sheathing's end grain without one. His finger-width gap to the fascia is his practice, not a code rule.

Video: Testing Drip Edge Installations on Roofing | Ask This Old House by This Old House, on YouTube. AFS checked its description against this lesson.

Glossary

Eave
The lower edge of a sloping roof, the part of the roof that projects beyond the wall; water leaves the roof there.
Rake
The sloped edge of a roof at or next to the first or last rafter.
Drip edge
Metal edge flashing with an outward projecting lower edge that controls dripping water.
Roof flange
The leg of a drip edge that lies on the deck and takes the nails.
Kick
The outward bent flange at the lowest edge of a drip edge.
L-type and T-type
The two usual drip edge configurations (NRCA); IKO's Type C and Type D.
Face
The leg of a drip edge that hangs past the deck edge; the 2018 IRC has it reach at least 1/4 in below the roof sheathing.