First, the words
The roof edge comes with vocabulary, and knowing them helps you read a quote. Fascia: the vertical face. Soffit: the underside. Eave: the whole projecting edge.You will not need this vocabulary often, but it appears in every estimate, and it is easier to compare two quotes when both are describing the same part of the building. When somebody says the run follows the fascia, you know exactly what they mean.
The reason for that spot
Permanent lighting runs along the roof edge and the eaves because that line solves several problems at once. It is unbroken, and a run that keeps breaking looks unfinished. It is high enough to throw light down the wall, and it is protected by the overhang above it.
Two mounting choices
The channel can mount up under the soffit or out on the fascia, and that decision changes the effect. Tucked underneath, the light falls down the elevation. Mounted on the fascia, it reads more as an outline against the sky. Which one is right depends on the house and on what you want it to do.Where the channel sits decides the reach down the wall, and that turns out to matter more than the
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ brand of the hardware.
Deep overhangs, shallow ones, and no overhang at all
Not every roof has a generous overhang. A deep overhang shelters the hardware well and lets you tuck the channel out of sight, though it can shadow the surface you wanted lit. A shallow one leaves less to hide behind and pushes the mounting decision. This is why designs get drawn at the house rather than from a satellite image.
Beyond the holidays
A lit eave line does real work on a normal evening. It puts a soft wash on the approach to the house, so people can see where they are going. It also means the house has a shape at night rather than a dark patch.
Gutters, and what happens when the roof gets replaced
A lot of things live at the roof edge: the gutter, the drip edge, and the track. Any planned roof work belongs in the first conversation. Doing it backwards costs a second visit. It is worth mentioning even if the roof work is only a maybe.
What happens above the first floor
A single story house has one line to consider. Add a floor and the plan has a decision in it. The top edge carries best. The lower run lights the approach. Running both is common, though it does not have to happen in the same year.
The next move
The mounting decision comes out of standing under your own overhang and looking up. EverCrest Lighting installs permanent lighting along rooflines and eaves for homes and businesses in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, working out of Greenville. The consultation is free, and the plan is built around your building. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].