Did you know what eaves are an important component of your roofing?  So what exactly are eaves, and where are they located? Where the roof extends out past the wall is what is known as the eaves. A lot of people do not know this, but the roof eaves help the house breathe and walls stay dry. They can range from being non-existent to very large. They are built for both purposes of design and to keep the exterior walls of the home dry.

Eavesdropping - a common term that you might have heard before where you overhear others' conversations - started in the medieval times.  When it would suddenly rain, people would run to the eaves area under the roofs to take shelter and could hear interactions inside the homes. When this happened, it was because those homes were not as well insulated as the homes of today. Today, ventilation still exists in the eaves, are but it is to provide air intake through to the attic to keep the temperatures and moisture levels equal to the conditions outside.

Many problems can  arise in the eaves area of the roof. Often these can be extreme and can mean a replacement. The proper ventilation is needed on the roof in the eaves are to ensure that ice does not build up or moisture is not locked into this area which can cause further problems later on down the road. The winter can also cause ice dams to form in this area; at Quarve we have permanent solutions for ice dam build-up.

Are your eaves in good shape?  If you're not sure, perhaps it's time for an inspection.   You may not have known what they were used for or if they were even important, but you should know that maintaining them in good condition is important to protecting your roof.  We are a Minneapolis and St. Paul MN roofing company, and for 30 years we've been helping homeowners around the Twin Cities protect their homes.  If we can help you, give us a call today for a free consultation - (763) 785-1472.