Roof overhang
The roof overhang is the part of the roof that protrudes over the outer wall of a building . The roof overhang closes on the gable side of the building with the verge and on the long side with the eaves .
Depending on the context, the roof overhang can also mean the underside of the roof in the area of the eaves and the verge, which is traditionally carried out on the eaves as planking below the rafters and on the verge as planking below the protruding roof battens or the purlins .
The primary purpose of the roof overhang is to protect the outer wall from moisture caused by precipitation . In addition, a large roof overhang offers sun protection in summer and prevents the rooms from overheating. In timber construction it is used for structural wood protection .
In the case of historical roof structures , the roof overhang is rather small on rafter roofs for structural reasons, and rather large on purlin roofs .
In the mountains, especially in the Alpine region, particularly wide roof overhangs are often chosen in order to limit the effect of driving rain on the facades in summer and larger snow deposits directly on the outer walls of the building in winter, which can even make it difficult to leave the house in extreme snowfalls. With traditional designs, wooden arcades and external stairs were often completely housed under the roof overhang. Even today, the wide roof overhang protects balconies and stacks of firewood directly on the building from precipitation.
Building law
The outer edge of the building closure includes the gutter . A building law boundary is also built over by the gutter overhanging the property boundary . In addition to the respective building use ordinance (BauNVO), information about permissible roof overhangs is usually given in the development plan of designated building areas .