Building components · Roof Carcass & Edges
Verge
Explains the verge as an exposed edge with an uplift problem, which distinguishes it from the eaves.
Educational reference entry. What this element has to do, and whether any particular arrangement of it is adequate, depends on the whole assembly, the loading, the exposure, local requirements, the manufacturer's instructions and qualified professional design.
Overview
What a verge is
The verge is the edge of a roof that runs up the slope at a gable. Unlike the eaves it has no gutter and collects nothing: its job is to finish the covering where it stops and to stay put.
It is one of the most exposed positions on a roof. Wind flowing over a building accelerates at edges, and uplift at the verge is a recognised reason coverings are lost there first.
Boundaries
How it differs from nearby elements
The distinctions that keep this entry from being a restatement of its neighbours.
- It is not the eaves. The eaves is horizontal, collects water and commonly ventilates; the verge is sloping, sheds sideways and is dominated by uplift.
- It is not a barge or a fascia board, which are components sometimes used at a verge rather than the edge condition itself.
- It is not a hip. A hip is where two slopes meet; a verge is where one slope ends at a wall or open air.
Terminology
Common names and aliases
These names describe the same element. The library keeps one entry per component so that a trade term or a regional name never becomes a second, thinner page.
- roof verge
- gable edge
- raking edge
Dependencies
What it depends on
What has to be right elsewhere for this element to do its job.
- How the covering is secured against uplift at the edge, which is a different requirement from the rest of the roof.
- How water running along and off the edge is directed away from the wall beneath.
- What the covering bears on and is fixed to at the edge, since the last unit has support on one side only.
- Whether the verge oversails the gable or is flush, which changes both weathering and appearance.
Considerations
Topics that genuinely apply here
Subjects worth discussing about this element. These are discussion topics, never measured values, ratings or performance claims.
Wind uplift concentrates at roof edges, so fixing requirements at a verge commonly differ from those in the field of the roof.
Water running off a verge lands on the gable wall unless it is directed clear, which is what an overhang or a throated edge achieves.
Verges are where covering loss most commonly begins, and where mortar-bedded arrangements crack and fail first.
The verge is at the highest and least accessible part of many roofs, which makes inspection infrequent.
Assemblies
Building systems this element is met in
The role this component fills inside each assembly. A role describes what the element does there — it is not a statement that this component suits that system in any particular building.
Junctions
Interfaces this element takes part in
Junctions where the condition between this element and another governs how the construction behaves. These name the junction and the subjects it raises; they are not details, arrangements or approved ways of building.
Verge Covering Termination
Where the roof covering stops at a gable, in the position most exposed to wind uplift.
Raises: Weathering · Moisture · Structural transfer · Buildability
Where it is met
Application contexts
Building contexts where this element is commonly encountered. Association is not recommendation: appearing here does not mean the component suits every instance of that context, or any particular one.
- Pitched Roof
Related elements
Neighbouring components
Typed relationships to other elements. There is deliberately no generic “related” category: an edge that cannot be classified does not exist.
Clarifications
Commonly misunderstood
- That the verge is finished the same way as the rest of the roof. Uplift at edges commonly requires additional securing.
- That a flush verge is simply a style choice. It changes how much water reaches the gable wall.
Conversations
Questions for qualified professionals
Questions worth asking someone with the project in front of them. This page cannot answer them.
- How is the covering secured against uplift at the verge?
- How is water directed clear of the gable wall below?
- What supports the last course of covering at the edge?
- How is the verge inspected and maintained?
Go deeper
Related Build Design Hub guides
Planning guidance behind the decisions this element involves.
Preparation
Related planning checklists
Owner-side preparation before the conversation where this element comes up.
What this entry does not do
- No fixing, overhang, bedding or uplift figure is stated here.
- Wind uplift on roof coverings is a design calculation, and edge fixing requirements follow from it.
Roof Carcass & Edges
The battens, boards and edge elements that finish a roof structure and prepare it to receive a covering.
Browse all roof carcass & edges entries →