Standard Roof Overhang Size

This will protect a roof from most types of damage.

Standard roof overhang size. Roof overhangs can extend farther than 2 feet but beyond this length they begin to lose structural integrity and require external supports. I ve always felt overhangs should generally be proportionate to the height of the building being constructed with some exceptions of course due to function. You can add 3 to 5 inches to the top. 12 foot eaves and under 12 inch overhangs.

A shed overhang is an easy and effective way to protect your shed. Cantilevered structures are popular for homes with balconies. At the rakes however with a nod to yankee frugality and clean modern lines we kept the roof trim as close to flush as practical while still allowing for a rain screen channel. The run or the base number is 12 inches.

That said overhangs can extend as far as 2 without the need for external supports. Some slight overhang is recommended in conjunction with a drip edge flashing to prevent water from getting under the roofing and onto underlying wood. Two feet is the general maximum length for a typical roof overhang. Pitch slope the pitch or slope is the incline of the roof expressed as a fraction describing the rise over the run.

With that in mind we kept a roof overhang at the eaves as it provides a nice shadow line and protects the second floor windows from a bit of the summer sun. The rise will be the elevation change over the 12 inches. However the suggested width of an overhang is between 12 and 18 for eaves and no more than 8 for rakes. To create a cantilever properly you will need to know plenty about physics like torque and rotational equilibrium.

If the overhang exceeds 2 5 feet we will need to use a larger top chord for the overhang typically a 2 6 top chord for the truss. 12 to 16 foot eaves 18 inch overhangs. A typical metal roof overhang may be 2 to 4 inches or even less. For example a slope of 6 12 means for every 12 inches of horizontal distance the slope of the roof will rise 6 inches vertically.

Overhangs can vary from a few inches to a few feet depending on preference.