What are Eaves?
Eaves are the horizontal section of a roof that extends beyond the outside wall of a structure. The sloped connection between a gable or shed roof and an exterior wall is called a rake. Building eaves provide protection to buildings. The overhang created by eaves prevents rain, snow and other debris from spilling directly down the side of the building and causing damage to the siding or foundation. In addition to their mundane function, roof eaves have historically been used as architectural features. In Dutch Colonial houses, the bottom tips of flared roof eaves curve up and away from the roof creating a silhouette reminiscent of traditional Dutch caps. Frank Lloyd Wright used sweeping, elongated eaves on his prairie style residential homes to create flowing lines seemingly connected with the earth. Traditional Asian architecture of the Zhou period took advantage of extended sloping building eaves to construct the intricate painted designs, as is common on pagodas. There are four basi
