How Far Should Roof Shingles Overhang

The end with the flange or flare should point down and away from the roof.

How far should roof shingles overhang.

The edge of the shingles should hang over the edge of the roof between an inch and an inch and a half or between a half inch and three quarters of an inch if drip edge flashing is installed and in most cases it should be. Too much overhang and the shingles could blow off in high winds. The drip edge also gives us a nice straight edge with which to align roof shingles slates or other roofing material. If you re going to take the leap and try it yourself do it safely and smartly.

The 3 4 overhang of the shingle creates a full 1 overhang from the fascia to the edge of the shingle. Ideally you d nail about every 12 inches and in no circumstances should you have 16 inches or more between nails. Knowledgeable roofers will install shingles at just the right overhang for your roof type. Use roofing nails to secure the drip edge.

Is the amount of overhang the same at the rake as at the eave. There is a lot to know a lot to do and a whole lot to be carried. The edge of the shingles should hang over a roof between an inch and an inch and a half or between a half inch and three quarters of an inch if drip edge flashing is installed. Knowing how much overhang roof shingles should have is only a small part of the job.

Too little can allow water to seep into rake or fascia boards. Drip edge varies in dimensions but typically the flange that nails to the roof surface is about 2 5 wide and the vertical edge that directs roof runoff down and away is about 1 5 in depth. Nail high up on the drip edge so that the shingles will cover the nails. We ve seen other references that suggest extending the shingles a bit more than the manufacturers suggest to compensate for wavy eaves but they do not indicate extending more than 1 inch over the eave.

A architect and roofing consultant harrison mccampbell responds. Most shingle manufacturers along with the asphalt roofing manufacturers association s residential asphalt roofing manual call for a 1 4 inch to 3 4 inch overhang at both rakes and eaves. The drip edge flashing lip is 1 4 wide.