A quick glossary
The roof edge has parts with names, and the names are worth two minutes. The fascia is the vertical board along the roof edge, the one the gutter hangs on. The soffit is the horizontal surface tucked beneath the overhang. Eave is the general term for that overhang.You will not need this vocabulary often, but it turns up in every proposal in this trade, 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 now know what part of the house they are pointing at.
Why the track mounts at that line
Permanent lighting gets installed along rooflines and eaves because that line solves several problems at once. The eave runs the full width of the house, which gives the light something to trace. Height gives you coverage, and the overhang gives the hardware cover from the worst of the weather.
The direction the light points
Where exactly the channel sits is not arbitrary. Mounted under the soffit, the light washes downward across the wall, which is a wall washing effect. Mounted on the fascia, the run itself is what you see from the street. Neither is the default, and the answer depends on your roof and your goal.The eave line also determines how far down the wall the light reaches, which is why the same house can look very different depending on where the channel ended up.
Not every house is straightforward
Overhang depth varies a lot, and it affects what is possible. A deep overhang shelters the hardware well and lets you tuck the channel out of sight, but it also shades the wall below. A shallow one leaves less to hide behind and pushes the mounting decision. This is why designs get drawn at the house
https://evercrestlighting.com/ rather than from a satellite image.
What the eave line is worth on an ordinary night
Set to warm white, it stops being a holiday product. It puts light on the walk, the drive and the front door, so people can see where they are going. A house with a lit edge looks like somebody lives there.
Gutters, and what happens when the roof gets replaced
The eave line is crowded. Any planned roof work changes the sequence. The sensible order puts the lighting last, since anything installed first has to come off. It is worth mentioning even if the roof work is only a maybe.
Two story houses raise a second question
A single story house presents one eave. A two story has a choice to make. The top edge carries best. The lower run is the functional one. Running both is common, though it does not have to happen in the same year.
The next move
The mounting decision is made at the house, not on a phone call. EverCrest Lighting installs permanent lighting along rooflines and eaves for homes and businesses in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. Consultations are free, and the design is drawn for your house. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].