Trim and Accents
Trim and accents essentially provide detail to the home and can be used as a means of highlighting a home’s appearance. Trim and accents include such things as:
Fascia – The board used to finish the tail ends of the roof rafters and provides a finished look to the roof line of the house. The gutters typically attach to your home’s fascia or are attached to the end of the roof with the use of hangers
Rake – The board that runs along the roof line on your home
Frieze – A board at the top of the home’s siding that forms a corner with soffit
Soffit – The area that spans from the edge of the rafters and extends to the sidewall of the house to give the house a finished or closed-in appearance. Soffit will also usually hold vent areas that allows air to flow through the rafters and into the roof joists to help the home’s ventilation.
Headers – Headers are installed at the top of windows and doors to provide for construction integrity and in most homes are not visible. However, depending on the style of construction headers may be used as accents for the home, especially in those that have open ceiling rafters.
Window and Door Trim – Used to finish off the areas around these items as well as to help prevent wind from blowing into the house. Siding on the outside of the house is trimmed close to the window or door and the trim provides a more finished appearance.
Dentil Molding – In the area where the exterior walls meet the soffit, whether on the straight line walls or on the gabled areas of the house, molding is often used to provide a finished appearance. Especially when the outer wall is made of brick, the molding closes any gaps between the wall and the soffit. Some use crown molding and others use a dentil (dental) molding that, as the name implies, resembles a set of teeth.
Shutters – Used to be a mainstay in home construction, and could be closed during inclement weather. However, today shutters are usually non-functional and are used only to add accent to the house and break up large sections of the exterior walls.
