A quick glossary
Three words come up constantly and most homeowners have never needed them before. Fascia: the board at the edge. Soffit: the panel below. Eave: the overhang itself.Knowing the words is not a requirement, though it helps when a quote uses them. So when the plan says soffit mounted, it is a location and not jargon.
Why the track goes there
The mounting line is
https://evercrestlighting.com/contact/ not an aesthetic preference, it is where several requirements meet. It is continuous, which matters because a light line that stops and restarts reads badly. It is high enough to throw light down the wall, and it is protected by the overhang above it.
The direction the light points
The channel can mount up under the soffit or out on the fascia, and that decision changes the effect. Mounted under the soffit, it throws down the face of the house, which lights the building itself. Mounted on the fascia, it reads more as an outline against the sky. Which one is right comes out of the design conversation.The eave line sets the throw down the elevation, so two identical houses can read differently based on that one decision.
Not every house is straightforward
Not every roof has a generous overhang. A deep overhang shelters the hardware well and lets you tuck the channel out of sight, but it also shades the wall below. With little overhang, the fascia often becomes the answer. This is exactly the kind of thing a site visit settles and a phone quote cannot.
Beyond the holidays
Set to warm white, the run is exterior lighting rather than decoration. The practical version is being able to see the steps, which is not a small thing in February. A house with a lit edge looks like somebody lives there.
Coordinating with other roof work
The eave line is crowded. If a roof or a gutter replacement is coming in the next year or two, say so during the consultation. The sensible order is roof first, then gutters, then lighting, since anything installed first has to come off. It is a five second question that saves a real headache.
Two story houses have two eave lines
A single story house has one line to consider. A two story has more than one option. The top edge carries best. The lower run lights the approach. Running both is often the answer, though it does not have to happen in the same year.
Having your eave line looked at
Somebody needs to look at the actual roof edge to draw a plan worth anything. EverCrest Lighting installs permanent lighting along rooflines and eaves for homes and businesses across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, working out of Greenville. Consultations are free, and the plan is built around your building. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].