Glossary - Parts of a House

Soffit, Fascia, Hip, and Rave! It sounds a little bit like a kid's song full of nonsense words. But these are actually proper names for various parts of your house. As you're planning your next major home remodeling project, familiarize yourself with these terms so you can make smart, informed decisions with your contractor!

Let's start with the most common parts of modern suburban homes. The terms have been broken down into categories, to give you a clearer idea of the parts that make up each section, and role they play in the overall structure of your house.

So, let's begin with the roof:

Roof Structure

Each part of the roof structure serves an important and specific purpose.

Gable

The gable is a wall’s triangular part where all the roof pitches join at the top.

Ridge

The ridge is the gable roof’s top peak that runs horizontally where both of the sloping sides join.

Eave

The eave is the extended parts of your roof that keep the lower parts of the house safe from rainwater.

Rake

The rake is the outward sloping edge of the gable roof that starts from the ridge and goes to eave.

Hip

The hip is the sloping junction, which is downwards and is the point where the sloping sides intersect. The hip is part of the pitched roofs that have sloping planes. These planes join at the sides, just like a pyramid's edges.

Fascia

Fascia is the protective board that is horizontal, which covers the rafter’s area under the roof edge. It holds the gutters as well. It can also serve decorative purposes.

Soffit

Soffit is the vented covering that covers is the eave’s underside.

Roof Vents

Roof ventilation is very crucial in both hot and cold weather. It helps to regulate the temperature of the attic while preventing condensation and damage due to moisture. It also lengthens the life span of a home while improving its energy efficiency at the same time. Here are a few types of roof vents:

Gable Vent

The gable area vent.

Roof Vent

The vent is located on the roof.

Ridge Vent

Located along the ridge, which is the highest point of your roof that helps in exhausting the heat.

Roof Gutter System

Your gutters are an important part of keeping moisture from seeping into your home.

The Roof Gutter

The gutter is for catching all the water that trickles from the roof and carries it away.

Down Spout

Downspout takes the gutter water down.

House Sides

And how about the parts of your house under the roof?

Ends and Edges

Corner Post

Trim at the outer corner for sealing edges of the walls and siding.

Frieze Board

The trim board at the wall top just below the edge of the roof.

Base/Foundation

The base for the structure of your home, made from concrete on which the home sits.

Doors and Windows

Trim

The decorative and protective around edges of your doors and windows.

Header

The headers are the decorative boards/moldings that are larger than trims and located above doors and windows.

Grid

The window trim divides the glass visually.

Apron

These are the larger boards/moldings below the windows meat for decoration.

Miscellaneous Parts

There is so much more to your home than you ever knew. See our full Glossary of Building Terms to learn more about the part and pieces that make up your home!

Chimney

The chimney is the large ventilation for fireplace smoke.

Dormer

The extended area of the roof wall for windows.

Column

The upright posts for supporting the roof and serve for decoration as well.

Porch

The open extended home entrance which is usually covered.

Railing

The fences with decorative posts and rails outline the porch or deck.

Home Remodelling Services

If you require top-notch home remodeling services in Naperville, look no further than Smardbuild, the most trusted contractor in the area. Contact us for more information, and see what other homeowners have said about their exceptional home remodeling experience with us!