Parts of a Roof Explained: Ridge, Verge, Eaves and Valley

What are the parts of a roof called?

A roof's main parts are the ridge at the apex, hips and valleys where slopes meet, verges at the gable edges, eaves at the bottom, fascia and soffit boards beneath, and battens and underlay under the covering.

A hip is the external angle where two slopes meet on a four-sided roof; a valley is the internal angle where two slopes meet, carrying water down. A verge is the edge of the roof at a gable, running up the slope.

What is at the top of a roof?

The ridge is the horizontal line at the apex where two slopes meet, capped by ridge tiles. Hips are the external angles running down from the ridge on a four-sided roof, and they are capped in the same way.

• An eaves is the lowest edge of the slope, where the roof meets the wall head.
• A fascia is the board fixed to the rafter feet, carrying the guttering; a soffit is the horizontal board closing the underside of the eaves overhang.

What are the edges called?

The eaves is the lowest edge, where the slope meets the wall head and the guttering hangs. The verge is the edge at a gable, running up the slope. A bargeboard covers the verge on some houses.

• A flashing means sheet material weathering the junction between roof and abutment.
• A batten is the timber the covering is fixed to, spaced at the gauge.

What is underneath the tiles?

Beneath the covering sit the battens the tiles are fixed to, the underlay catching anything that passes them, and the rafters or trusses forming the structure. None of it is visible without lifting the covering or entering the void.

• Underlay is the secondary barrier beneath the covering.
• An abutment is where a roof meets a vertical surface such as a wall or chimney.
• A pitch is the angle of the slope, expressed in degrees.

What is the difference between a hip and a valley?

Both are junctions between two slopes. A hip is an external angle that sheds water outward and is capped with tiles. A valley is an internal angle that collects water and carries it down, usually lined with sheet metal.

A gauge is the spacing between battens, set by covering type and headlap.

1. The ridge runs horizontally where two slopes meet at the apex.
2. A valley carries water down, while a hip sheds it outward.

These names appear on your quotation.

Reading the terms on a survey or quote

Both are the meeting of two slopes; one sheds outward and one collects. Getting them the wrong way round makes a quotation unreadable.

1. The fascia carries the guttering and is fixed to the rafter feet.
2. The gauge is set by covering type and headlap.

Getting a report you can read

The verge runs up the gable and the eaves runs along the bottom; homeowners routinely use one for the other. Organising terms by position — apex, slope, edge, underneath — is more useful than an alphabetical glossary. A reader who can name the parts can verify that a quotation covers the verge as well as the slopes.

Ridge, and 13 more

• ridge
• hip
• valley
• verge
• eaves
• fascia
• soffit
• bargeboard
• flashing
• batten
• underlay
• abutment
• pitch
• gauge

The ridge runs along the apex. A hip is the external angle where two slopes meet and sheds water away; a valley is the internal angle where they meet and collects it, which is why valleys fail first. The verge is the edge at a gable end, the eaves the lowest edge carrying the fascia and gutter, and the soffit the underside of the overhang. Flashing is the sheet lead sealing the joint where the chimney stack passes through the covering.

Read next

• roof survey booking
• rafters vs trusses
• why is my roof leaking

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