Why the roofline and not somewhere else
Look at any house after dark and
https://privatebin.net/?f49d4ae161b56988#5LW2rb5eqCNZmTwiqemVmDoKgYyEYKqXowUPseFM2CfL the outline you pick out first is the roof edge. It is the longest continuous line on the building, and it sits against the sky, so it has contrast working for it. Light that line and the building reads as a shape rather than a dark mass.That is the reason permanent systems live at the roof edge, and the reason a single run there does more than fixtures scattered around the yard. It is the highest impact run on the building, measured by what it changes for what it takes.
What is up there
Roofline lighting is an aluminum channel matched to your trim holding individual LEDs, fastened along the roof edge and left there. That channel is doing double duty, holding the diodes and keeping them out of sight. Because it matches the trim, you generally have to be told where it is.
Not every edge needs it
Every plan starts with the primary roof edge, and grows from there. Gables, dormers, porch roofs, posts and upper runs all get considered, though a good plan leaves some of them dark. Outline everything and you end up with a shape and no depth, which is the most common way a roofline plan goes wrong.The run itself is worth looking at closely on a finished job, because a straight line held over a long span is harder than it looks.
The noon test
The hardware stays up, so the daytime look is part of the product. Matching the channel to the trim or fascia is not a small detail, it is what keeps the front of the home from looking decorated in summer. Mount it tight to the edge, match the color, and route the wire out of sight, and nothing about the daylight view changes.
How it gets used
Once the run is in, the rest is what you set it to. Plain white most nights, holiday color when the calendar calls for it, on a timer so nobody has to remember. The setting that gets the most hours is almost always the plain one, which surprises people who bought it for the holidays.
What makes one roofline cost more than another
Two houses on the same street can be very different jobs. Length matters less than complexity. Complexity does more: straight runs are quick, and every corner, peak and level change adds work. Two stories changes the job.
Does it go on the gutter?
Homeowners expect it to hang off the gutter, because that is how seasonal strands work. A permanent channel does not work that way. Fastening to the roof edge is what keeps the line straight for years.
How to find out what your house needs
Because every roof edge is different, a real answer needs a visit. EverCrest Lighting designs and installs roofline lighting for residential and commercial properties throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, working out of Greenville. The consultation is free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected] and ask what your roof edge would take.