Roof Cornice Return

Done properly this is hip cut back to the wall and the eavestrough runs all the way around back to the wall.

Roof cornice return.

Eave returns are the decorative extension of the roof eave that wraps around the gable end of the house. A cornice return is a triangular piece of material that is placed below the rake fascia on the corner of a roof. Heres some terminology for you click to enlarge. Also called an eave return a cornice return is a graceful way to transition the eave and the main fascia board around the gable end of a house.

A cornice return is an architectural detail that occurs where the horizontal cornice of a roof connects to the rake of a gable. This can be challenging because the returns are located outside the corner boards which means they require additional structural support. Most greek revival buildings have substantial cornices that extended into gable ends as returns below picture. Sometimes this helps with drainage and other times the cornice return is more of a decorative piece.

This article has some good snobbish info about how cornice returns are supposed to look. The greek revival roof return s tyle emulated the temple forms of ancient greece resulting in the creation of straightforward box like buildings we see in historic towns of america. Many old victorian style homes have a very elegant cornice return that has been carved and painted. But there are ways to ensure they are sound.

This house had rotted roof rake returns.