Name the Rake Edge Shingle in Your St. Louis Roof Spec, Not Only the Field

The rake is the sloped edge of a roof that runs up and down the gable, where the roof meets the wall at the end of the house. Most roof quotes describe the field shingle in some detail and then say little about the rake. On a St. Louis roof, that gap matters. Wind from the southwest and the north arrives at the gable ends with more force than it does across the middle of a slope, and driving rain tends to find the rake first. If your spec does not say what is installed along that edge, the crew will decide on the day, and you will have no written record to check it against.

Why the rake is its own line

A field shingle lies flat and is held down by the course below it. At the rake, the shingle is exposed on one side with no overlap beyond the edge, so the nails and the adhesive strip do most of the work. Wind can lift the outer tab, and once the tab lifts, the edge is open to rain blown sideways under it. The rake is also where the fascia and the gable trim meet the roof, so a small gap there can run water into the wall behind the trim rather than onto the gutter.

This is why the rake belongs in the spec as a separate line. A roofer can write "shingles installed per manufacturer instructions" and be correct, but that sentence covers the field and the edges together. The manufacturer's instructions for rake and eave detail are not the same, and the spec should show you which one the crew is following.

What the spec should name at the rake

Ask the roofer to name four things. The first is the field shingle product and the shade, which you should already have from the color decision. The second is the starter product used at the rake, which is not always the same as the starter used at the eave. A rake starter is often a strip with a wider exposed face, and the spec should say whether it is a dedicated rake starter or a cut-down eave starter. The third is how the shingle is fastened at the rake, meaning the nail count per shingle and the nail placement relative to the edge. The fourth is whether a sealant or adhesive is applied at the rake, and if so, which product and where.

The point of naming these is not that a particular answer is correct for every house. It is that you can compare the answer with the other bids and with the manufacturer's instructions on the wrapper or the install sheet, and you can check the crew's work against the same words after the job is done.

Where the rake meets the fascia

The rake edge is usually finished with a rake trim or a drip edge that sits under the shingles and over the fascia. This is the joint that gets missed. A bid that lists "drip edge" in one line may not say whether the rake drip edge is the same profile as the eave drip edge, and it may not say whether the rake piece sits above or below the underlayment. The order matters. Water that runs down the roof should pass over the drip edge at the eave and over the rake trim at the gable without finding a gap. If the bid does not show that order, ask the roofer to draw it or describe it in one sentence.

If your house has a stone or brick gable, the rake also meets a wall, and that is a different detail. The counterflashing or the kick-out at that junction should be named in the spec, not left to the crew's judgment on the day.

Ice and the rake in winter

St. Louis gets freeze and thaw cycles through December, January and February, and ice can build at the eave and along the rake when melt water refreezes at the edge. Ice and water shield is often specified for the eave, and some bids also include it at the rake, especially on lower pitches and on gables that face north. Whether it appears on your spec is a decision you should make in writing, because it is a line item that adds cost and is easy to remove from a bid without anyone saying so.

If you have had ice damming at the rake on your current roof, say so to the roofer before the bids are finalized. The information changes what the spec should include, and a roofer who has heard it at the bid stage can price the rake properly.

What to ask before you sign

Put these questions to each roofer in writing. Which shingle product and shade go on the rake, and is it the same as the field? Which starter product goes at the rake, and is it a dedicated rake starter? How many nails go into each rake shingle, and where are they placed? Is sealant or adhesive applied at the rake, and if so, which product and where? Which drip edge profile goes at the rake, and how does it lap with the underlayment? Is ice and water shield included at the rake, and is that stated in the total?

A roofer who answers these in writing has given you a spec you can check. A roofer who answers them out loud has given you a promise, and a promise is not in the quote. If you want to walk the answers through with a Keys estimator before you decide, call the office at (314) 220-2333 and ask for the rake section of the written scope. Keys documents the existing rake condition with photos and measurements, and puts that written scope in your hands before the work starts.