Typical Roof Overhang Length

The typical roof overhang serves six basic purposes.

Typical roof overhang length.

However it s far more common that roof overhangs are built too stingy. Metal is usually installed on rafters or strip sheathing rather than the solid decking used under other materials. Of course there are engineering factors that restrict the length of the overhang. The ideal spec for roof overhangs.

This is particularly true in geographical regions where high winds are a common issue. With a flat shed roof the roof simply extends past the wall plate to provide an overhang. On very tall buildings there. If the overhang extends beyond 24 inches say to 30 inches then a 2 6 top chord for the tail section will be required to handle the additional overhang.

The typical overhang for residential is between 16 inches and 24 inches. Most homes these days have boxed soffits but i find that a bit of creativity at the roof edge goes a long way toward style. Two feet is the general maximum length for a typical roof overhang. This will protect a roof from most types of damage.

By precutting all of the roof purlins to length and making any necessary adjustments in the last bay of the roof it should be possible to easily be within 1 16 th inch plus or minus. A typical metal roof overhang may be 2 to 4 inches or even less. Even if most people don t register what it is that makes a home seem special using a sloped soffit is an easy way to make a home look old or built with more craftsmanship than typical new homes. The size of the roof overhang you choose depends largely on the style of your shed s roof.

Some slight overhang is recommended in conjunction with a drip edge flashing to prevent water from getting under the roofing and onto underlying wood. Roof overhangs can extend farther than 2 feet but beyond this length they begin to lose structural integrity and require external supports. Again this length can be adjusted to fit the need of the truss. Help to shade windows in hot weather.

In addition a roof overhang can lower your energy costs. The diagonal measures are actually relatively easy to get equal as it takes very little effort to shrink a long diagonal by several inches.