The rake is the sloped edge of a roof that runs up the gable, the side where the roof stops at the wall and nothing sits beneath the overhang to catch what runs off. On a St. Louis house that edge takes the weather. Storms here often push rain sideways across the front or back of a house, and the rake is the first place driven water finds an opening. The metal that closes the rake is a small line on most roof quotes, and it is often written as rake edge with nothing after it. That is not enough for a spec.
This page covers what a homeowner should see written down about the rake trim: the profile, the metal and its thickness, the lap direction, the fasteners and the sealant. It is written for the stage where the bids are in and you are comparing what each roofer will install on the gable edges. Keys Roofing can walk the job with you at (314) 220-2333.
What the rake trim is
Rake trim is a metal piece that runs along the sloped edge of the roof. It covers the end of the deck and the cut edge of the shingles or panels. On a shingle roof it is usually called rake drip edge. On a metal roof the gable edge is closed by trim and panel details, and the trim is a separate piece from the panel itself. A spec for one does not cover the other, so the proposal should say which trim is meant and where it runs.
The profile decides how the water sheds
The profile is the cross section of the metal. A typical rake drip edge has a top flange that lies on the deck or underlayment, a bend that projects past the roof edge, and a lower leg that hangs down and turns water away from the fascia board. Some profiles have a deeper hem and others a shallow one. The depth of the hang matters on St. Louis roofs because wind can push water along the lower face of the trim and back toward the fascia if the leg is short or bent flat. Ask the roofer to name the profile by the manufacturer's number or by a drawing, and ask how far the leg projects past the fascia.
Gauge and metal
Rake metal is usually aluminum or galvanized steel. The thickness is written as a gauge or as a thickness in mils, and the two numbers do not mean the same thing across metals, so the spec should give the metal and the thickness together. Thinner metal flexes under wind and hail and can bend between fasteners, which opens the lap at the joints. Thicker metal holds its line but costs more and is harder to bend on site. The spec should name the metal and the gauge, and it should match the eave drip edge unless there is a reason not to. If the eave and rake pieces differ in finish, the spec should say so in writing so the crew does not guess at the color on the gable.
Hail reaches the rake too. A dented piece of trim is easier to document when the metal and gauge are already on record before the storm, because the photo file then matches the proposal line for line.
Lap direction is a spec line
On a shingle roof the usual practice is to set the eave drip edge under the underlayment and the rake drip edge over it. That order lets the rake metal shed water that has come across the underlayment and the shingle edge at the gable. Many installs follow that order, but not every crew does, and the spec should say which order is being used at each edge. A rake piece set in the wrong order can hold water against the wrong side of the underlayment, and that is the kind of detail that is hard to see once the shingles are on.
Ask each roofer to write the order into the proposal rather than leaving it to the chalk line on the day. The same question applies to metal roofs, where the trim and the panel edge have their own order of pieces at the gable.
Fasteners, clips and the sealant
The trim is held by nails or screws through the flange into the rake board or the deck edge. The spec should name the fastener type, the length, the spacing and whether the holes are round or slotted. Long rake runs expand and contract with the heat and the cold, as all metal does. A piece fastened tight at every hole can buckle in a St. Louis summer and open a seam at the joint. Slotted holes or clips allow movement, and the spec should say which one the crew uses.
Sealant at the rake is a product, not a repair. Where the crew adds sealant at a joint between rake pieces or at the corner, the spec should name the product and the bead location. A bead of sealant does not replace a correct lap, and a joint that relies on sealant alone will need attention sooner than one that was lapped properly.
Corners and joints
Each rake run meets the eave at a corner, and that corner is where the eave metal and the rake metal overlap. Ask how the corner is cut and how the overlap is set. A corner cut to shed water and lapped in the right direction is a different piece of work from two square cuts butted together. Ask also how far each lap runs and whether it is set in the direction the water travels. A long gable can need several pieces, so the proposal should state how many joints the crew expects on each run and how far each lap goes.
What to ask before you sign
- Which profile, by manufacturer number or drawing, and how far the leg projects past the fascia board.
- Which metal and which gauge or mil thickness, and whether it matches the eave drip edge.
- Whether the rake metal goes over or under the underlayment, and whether the eave metal goes the other way.
- What fastener, what length and what spacing, and whether the holes are slotted to allow for movement.
- Where sealant goes and which product is named for it.
- How the corner at the eave is cut and lapped, and how many joints the run needs.
- Whether the rake trim is its own line in the scope or folded into a general edge allowance.
What to photograph before and after
Photograph the rake before the tear-off so there is a record of what was there and what condition the fascia was in. After the new trim is on, photograph each gable edge from below and at an angle so the lap and the leg are visible. Keep those photos with the written scope and the proposal. If a later storm moves a piece of rake metal, the dated photos and the proposal together show what was installed and in what order.
Missouri forbids a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim under RSMo 407.725, so that conversation stays with you. Keys documents the work, puts the written scope and the photos in your hands, and attends as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer.