Simply style: interesting eaves
Style starts with the roof. A more eco style blurs the line between what’s roof and what’s veranda, while new-but-traditionally styled coastal roof designs use steep pitches, wide eaves and even sun towers. Add a finishing touch and hark back to the past with narrow-lined texture.
Roofs that are skillion, curved or flat seem to go hand in hand with wide eaves and verandas – as well as geometry. The sharp lines of expressed joint cladding used in eaves and soffits add a sophisticated kind of texture.
The simple approach: bring the outside in
When that outdoor room is almost bigger than your indoor room, and the materials palette is unadorned and honest, then sometimes a simple approach with eaves is best. Here, a wide expanse of white is relieved by subtle, simple texture.
Nothing is more seamless than bringing the outside in. Using exterior materials inside – from feature walls to feature ceilings – strikingly tells the story.
Fixed shading: effective protection
Fixed shading, including structures such as eaves, is only appropriate for use over north-facing windows. Although fixed devices provide effective protection from heat gain, they lack flexibility in situations where shading may be needed one day but not the next.
However, fixed shading is durable and does not require ongoing adjustment. It is important to allow an adequate distance between the top of the window and the underside of the shading device.
This avoids partial shading of the window in winter, and should be about one sixth or 16% of the height of the window.
When you get around to doing some house painting, try and use a variation colour tone of your primary house color to accentuate the eaves and bring a style to be appreciated.