How Long Is A Standard Roof Overhang

Usually homeowners or contractors adjust the overhangs to fit the weather in an area.

How long is a standard roof overhang.

A standard overhang is 16 24 inches but the overhang can be any length you wish. The roof overhang is too wide. A typical metal roof overhang may be 2 to 4 inches or even less. The roof overhang does not extend far enough.

When i drew out our house i simply liked the looks of the 4 foot overhang better. We could have had about an 18 one or as we chose one that is about 4 foot. An overhang is the portion of the roof that runs past the wall providing coverage for the space around the foundation of your shed. Overhangs can vary in width from a few inches to several feet.

Our previous houses had in the range of the 18 and i think that is fairly typical. Homes in areas where rains are more frequent have longer overhangs with the maximum overhang length measured at 2 ft. Two feet is the general maximum length for a typical roof overhang. Some slight overhang is recommended in conjunction with a drip edge flashing to prevent water from getting under the roofing and onto underlying wood.

This type of overhang is great for preventing most types of damage against bad weather. If the wind is blowing overhangs only protect the top few feet of the wall anyway. Roof overhangs can extend farther than 2 feet but beyond this length they begin to lose structural integrity and require external supports. 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.

There are two common problems encountered with roof overhangs. In the first case the overhang is simply too big for the home. This leads to a situation where there is an excess amount of shade and the exterior of the home appears dark and gloomy. 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.