Construction glossary · Envelope and Finishes

What is an eave?

The eave is the lower edge of a sloped roof, the line where the roof overhangs or meets the exterior wall along the bottom of the slope. In estimating it is a linear-foot run that organizes the trim, gutter, drip edge, and soffit and fascia scope. You take it off as the perimeter length of the eave condition, not as an area.

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Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by the Ruh construction team

Overhang 16 to 24 in typicalLocation Low edge of roofIncludes Fascia + soffit + dripVent area 1/300 of attic sf

The definition

Eave, Explained.

An eave is the horizontal lower edge of a pitched roof, where the slope terminates over (or short of) the wall below. It is distinct from the rake, which is the sloped edge at a gable end. For the estimator the eave is a linear-foot control line: it sets the length of drip edge, gutter, eave flashing, ice-and-water shield strip, and the soffit and fascia that close in the overhang. The eave detail in the wall section governs how much of that scope exists: a closed eave with an overhang generates soffit area and fascia run, while a closed-cornice or boxed eave adds returns at the corners. Eave length is read off the roof plan perimeter, but you must separate eave runs from rake runs because they carry different trim. On a gable roof only two sides are eaves; on a hip roof all sides are eaves. Getting that distinction right is what keeps gutter, soffit, and fascia quantities honest.

How it is measured

Eave is measured in linear feet along the lower roof edge, taken from the roof plan and confirmed against the wall and eave-detail sections. Trace the roof perimeter, then mark which segments are eaves (bottom of slope) versus rakes (gable slope) because only eaves carry gutter and the horizontal soffit and fascia. On a hip roof the full perimeter is eave; on a gable roof only the two non-gable sides are eaves. Read the eave detail to see whether there is an overhang (which drives soffit width and fascia) and whether returns occur at corners. The eave linear foot then feeds drip edge, gutter, eave flashing, and the soffit and fascia takeoffs.

What Is an Eave Detail?

The eave detail is the wall-section drawing of the lower roof edge, and it is what fixes the scope the eave run carries: how far the roof overhangs, how wide the soffit is, where the fascia lands, and how the drip edge terminates. The plan gives you eave length; the detail gives you everything priced against that length.

Read four things off it. Overhang depth, which runs 16 to 24 in on typical work and multiplies the eave run into soffit area. Soffit width and fascia depth, which set the panel and board sizes. The corner condition, because a closed-cornice or boxed eave adds returns at each corner that a plain overhang does not. And the ventilation call, since a vented eave carries a vent area of 1/300 of attic square feet and splits the soffit run into vented and solid panel at different unit prices.

What to read off	What it sets
Overhang depth	The overhang runs 16 to 24 in on typical work and multiplies the eave run into soffit area.
Soffit width and fascia depth	These dimensions set the panel and board sizes.
Corner condition	A closed-cornice or boxed eave adds returns at each corner that a plain overhang does not.
Ventilation call	A vented eave carries a vent area of 1/300 of attic square feet and splits the soffit run into vented and solid panel at different unit prices.

The four read-offs above, one line each. Every figure is the one already stated in this section.

What Is the Eave of a Building?

The eave is the lower edge of a sloped roof, the line where the roof meets or overhangs the wall at the bottom of the slope. It is measured in linear feet along that edge, not as an area, and that length is what drives the drip edge, gutter, eave flashing, soffit, and fascia quantities. The sloped edge at a gable end is the rake, and it carries different trim, so the two are separated in the takeoff.

Where Is the Eave Line on a Roof Plan?

The eave line is the traced lower-slope run of the roof perimeter: the segments where the slope terminates over the wall, as opposed to the rake segments that climb a gable end. It is the line that carries gutter, and it is the line every dependent trim quantity is measured against.

Which segments qualify depends on the roof type, not on the footprint. A hip roof slopes on all four sides, so the whole perimeter is eave line. A gable roof puts eave line on the two non-gable sides only. On the same 60 ft by 40 ft footprint that is 200 lf of eave line as a hip against 120 lf as a gable, which is why the roof type gets confirmed before the length is committed.

Eave and Rake Trim, Side by Side

Eave trim and rake trim are separate takeoff lines because the two edges carry different scope. The eave carries drip edge, gutter, eave flashing, the ice-and-water shield strip, and the horizontal soffit and fascia that close the overhang. The rake carries raking trim and no gutter at all.

That split is the reason eave and rake runs are never summed into one perimeter number. Sum them and the gutter, soffit, and fascia quantities inherit rake length they will never need, which on a gable roof is the two ends of the building.

Item	At the eave	At the rake
Drip edge	Yes	Not stated on this page
Gutter	Yes	No
Eave flashing	Yes	Not stated on this page
Ice and water shield strip	Yes	Not stated on this page
Soffit	Yes, horizontal soffit closing the overhang	No horizontal soffit
Fascia	Yes, horizontal fascia closing the overhang	No horizontal fascia
Raking trim	Not stated on this page	Yes

The table restates the scope already listed in this section.

Worked example

A Worked Roof Eave Example: Hip vs Gable

Take a simple roof over a 60 ft by 40 ft footprint. If it is a hip roof, the full perimeter is eave: (60 + 40) x 2 = 200 lf of eave, all of which carries gutter, drip edge, and soffit and fascia. If instead it is a gable roof running the long way, only the two 60 ft sides are eaves: 60 + 60 = 120 lf of eave, while the two 40 ft ends are rakes (no gutter, raking trim only). So the same footprint yields 200 lf of eave as a hip versus 120 lf as a gable, a difference that directly changes gutter and soffit quantities. With a 2 ft overhang on the gable case, the eave soffit area is 120 lf x 2 ft = 240 sf. The estimator confirms the roof type from the roof plan before committing the eave length.

How Ruh handles it

How Ruh Handles Eave.

Ruh reads the roof plan and the eave-detail wall sections, traces the roof perimeter, and separates eave runs from rake runs so only the true eave length feeds gutter, drip edge, soffit, and fascia. It returns eave linear feet by elevation and prices the dependent trim on the contractor's own price book. The estimator confirms the roof type (hip versus gable) and signs off on the eave length.

On this page: What Is the Eave of a Building? · Where Is the Eave Line on a Roof Plan? · A Worked Roof Eave Example: Hip vs Gable.

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Eave: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an eave and a rake?+

The eave is the horizontal lower edge of the slope; the rake is the sloped edge at a gable end. Only eaves carry gutters and horizontal soffit and fascia, so you must measure them separately.

Why does roof type change my eave length?+

A hip roof slopes on all sides, so the entire perimeter is eave. A gable roof has eaves on only two sides and rakes on the others, which can cut eave length and gutter quantity substantially.

What is the eave of a roof?+

It is the roof's lower edge, where the slope ends over the wall below. On a pitched roof you have two kinds of edge: the eave along the bottom of the slope, and the rake running up the slope at a gable end. Only the eave carries gutter and the horizontal soffit and fascia, which is why the takeoff separates the two before anything is priced.

What is a home eave?+

The same edge, on a house. The word does not change with building type: it is still the lower edge of the sloped roof where it meets or overhangs the wall, still measured in linear feet, and still the line that sets the gutter, drip edge, soffit, and fascia runs. What changes between projects is the roof type, because a hip roof puts eave on the whole perimeter while a gable roof puts it on only two sides.

What scope keys off the eave linear foot?+

Drip edge, gutter, eave flashing, the ice-and-water strip, and the soffit and fascia that close the overhang all take their length from the eave run, so an accurate eave length anchors several trims.

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Related Terms

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Keep going: A Worked Roof Eave Example: Hip vs Gable, read the full guide or explore Roofing Estimating Software.

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