What’s the fancy trim on the edge of a roof called?

Q: What’s the fancy trim on the edge of a roof called?

A: Bargeboard, vergeboard, or gableboard – it’s all the same thing. Bargeboard has two purposes. Functionally, it covers the exposed ends of structural roof beams called purlins. And aesthetically, it is an easy way to doll up a simple gable roof – think gingerbread houses.

Ornately carved bargeboard is commonly found on homes built in the Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and Tudor Revival traditions. All are architectural styles that span American building history from about 1830 to the early twentieth century. Patterns run the gamut from sunbursts to scrollwork, floral motifs to the drippy frosting look of Carpenter Gothic.

Bargeboard does tend to disintegrate more quickly due to its delicate construction and exposure to the elements, so it was likely present on more historic buildings in Montana than we realize. While bargeboard has fallen out of fashion in modern architecture, its presence on historic buildings is almost always considered a character-defining feature that merits preservation and tender loving care.

The image is of a decorative bargeboard on the C.L. Dahler house, a green-trimmed Gothic Revival building on Wallace Street in Virginia City, Montana.

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