Board and batten, no eaves

[invamped]

Hi,

I'm in the process of looking at a first home. We have found something we really like, nothing fancy just a suitable property for our needs and within our price range. We are considering putting in an offer, but I have concerns around the design of the house. It's a hardiplank panel board and batten house without eaves. I worry that this my cause issues in the future with weather tightness, leaking, rottening etc. mainly at the top where there is the square join. There is flashing there and a horizontal board on the angle of the roof. Then the battens butt up against this board.

We would get a builder in to look it all over and ask him to put special consideration into that concern. We would ask his/her opinion etc.

What do you guys think? And I being two paroniod? Should I trust the builders report and advice if he says it's not a problem?

I'm no builder but I have asked a couple how concur that a house without eaves is susceptible to more problems.

Would just like others opinions really.

Thanks

[AlexL]

Eaves are one of the best ways to protect a building's facade from wear due to rain and sun. If done properly, there is no real issue with the method you mentioned above, however do expect you'll have to paint and maintain the cladding more often. Is there a cavity behind the cladding?

[TheLibrary]

I think people are generally more cautious about homes without eaves. Putting aside the housing shortage, I would try and get a discount and reclad, repaint at some stage.

[Bob Kane]

I think eaves are over-rated.
It's nice to have them but it's certainly not a fault to not have them.
A well built house without eaves will be absolutely fine.
It the flashings around the windows are done correctly then eaves don't matter.

[Wayne]

I think eaves are over-rated.
It's nice to have them but it's certainly not a fault to not have them.
A well built house without eaves will be absolutely fine.
It the flashings around the windows are done correctly then eaves don't matter.

Yip - correct.
But an averagely built house with eaves is fine.
The problem with no eaves is that you need everything else to be done just right and, for some reason I just don't get, many builders struggle with this.

[John the builder]

board and battens can be removed easily and replaced if required,

Eaves are best as the wall is dry wet except in severe occasional storms, no eaves then every time there is rain the wall and windows get wet..

Check the boards where they meet the ground the end grain is the vulnerable part and if close to ground or unpainted can rot


Bob

A well built house without eaves will be absolutely fine.
It the flashings around the windows are done correctly then eaves don't matter.

and how do you know it is well built and the flashing that you cant see are done properly?

[Bob Kane]

Bob
and how do you know it is well built and the flashing that you cant see are done properly?

If it's built in the 50's-70's you'll be fine.
1980's onwards - get a good builder to have a look.
If it's a 90's house with a lot of silicon round the windows - run like hell.

[Merlot Mike]

I bought my 1970s non-eave townhouse 6 years ago and have had no problems. Get a proper weather tightness/leak inpection done rather than standard building report. The biggest issue I find with no eaves is that you can't open any doors or windows when it's raining.

[Merlot Mike]

Bear in mind also that with two storeys or more, eaves aint gonna offer much protection to the lower floors and even in single-level dwellings eaves wont protect against water ingress via capillary action and the like... it's really the building paper and flashings doing most of the work in both eaved and non-eaved houses.

[John the builder]

if the house has adequate eaves then the walls dont get wet and the flashings are not tested? Even 600 eaves will keep bottom storey dry.

Buildingpaper shouldnt be considered a line of defense?

[donna]

We're about to renovate - just finalised the design and half the house is board and batten. We're replacing the roof and have an addition at the rear of the home. The architect didn't want the eaves look where the flat roof slants downwards over the new addition - however I have asked for the eaves all the way around the house. It just makes sense to be overly cautious and in particular to have the overhang where the water runs off (in huge downpours) - without running down the side of the house.

cheers,

Donna

[Merlot Mike]

if the house has adequate eaves then the walls dont get wet and the flashings are not tested? Even 600 eaves will keep bottom storey dry.

Buildingpaper shouldnt be considered a line of defense?

If rain always fell in a perfect vertical trajectory then eaves would indeed give excellent protection. The problem is that rain is often wind-driven. It's raining in Auckland right now - out my window I can see the side of my neighbours (eaved) house, the cladding and flashings are very wet indeed. Building paper is absolutely considered a line of defense - for those unfamiliar with concepts like capillary action, pressure differentials and convection, take a look at the technical documentation here:

https://www.building.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/building-code-compliance/e-moisture/e2-external-moisture/weathertight-design-principles/external-moisture-an-introduction.pdf

Is it in fact expected that water will make it's way past your cladding as a matter of course. Of course eaves are nice, don't get me wrong, but there is a lot more to it.