What Happens at the Eave of a Building?
The roof ends at the eave, but the house does not. At the eave, the roof extends past the exterior wall, creating an overhang that helps move rainwater away from it. That overhang also gives the attic a place to draw fresh air from below.
Because the eave is the roof’s lowest edge, it is especially vulnerable to wind upliftPerformance - Wind uplift is the upward force exerted on a roof system when wind over a building creates suction and pulls against the roof assembly. More and water intrusion. Starter courses are placed at the eave to help secure the first course of shingles against wind uplift, while ice and water shieldComponent - Ice and water shield is a waterproof layer installed beneath shingles or other roof coverings in leak-prone areas of a roof. More is installed at the eave to protect it from ice dams.