What Is a Rake Edge?

Gable roofs have two kinds of edge. The eaves are horizontal and shed water into gutters. The rakes follow the slope and have no gutter, so they are the edge seen in profile from the gable end of the house. A rake is finished with a rake board or trim and with drip edge laid over the underlayment. Many rakes overhang the wall slightly, and the shingle edge is fastened and sealed there. Wind pushes hardest at the edges and corners of a roof, which makes the rake a high-stress strip.

Aerial measurement reports list rake lengths apart from eaves, ridges, hips, and valleys, and each number feeds different materials: drip edge, starter where the system calls for it, and rake trim. Reading the report line by line shows how the quantities were built. After a wind event, lifted or creased shingles at the rakes and corners are the first places an inspector looks, which makes them a natural spot to photograph for a claim.

Rake and eave are easy to confuse by name, and the mix-up costs money on paper: a rake is on the gable end, an eave is on the low side. People also forget rake lengths when adding up drip edge, or treat the rake as decoration. Poor rake detailing lets wind get under the shingles, and rake trim that is soft or rotted gives water a path into the deck edge.