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Site-built Gable Vents on a Craftsman Style Addition

Huck, member

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The backs were covered with mesh screen, held in place with a small trim piece.

The vents were built from rough-sawn cedar fence boards, and involved a lot of compound angles.

I chose to design and build the vents myself, as I did not like the way it was handled elsewhere on the original house.  Here is the detail that I wasn't fond of - you can form your own opinion.

Although my detail is a little different, it does not differ enough to be noticeable to the casual viewer.

Here you can see I have installed the four vents between the decorative truss posts on the gable end.

This detail was my own design.

I later toured the landmark Greene and Greene Gamble house, and was pleased to find that they handled the gable venting very similar to me.

Because their eaves are so deep, they did not angle the slats for water runoff, but merely built them flat and put screen on the back.  Mine however, are beveled in case any moisture should occur on the vents.

The backs were covered with mesh screen, held in place with a small trim piece.

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In adding on to a recently-built craftsman style home, I had to match the detailing of the original home.  I did take a few liberties, where I thought I could improve on what had been done by the original builder.  This occured in several places, both inside and out, and in every case I strove to harmonize my work with the original, while surpassing it in quality. 

The home, while large and impressive-looking to the untrained eye, did not show a concern for quality and craftsmanship befitting the Greene and Greene style that the owner was so fond of.  Undersized beams were sagging, the roof leaked in areas, exposed woodwork was rough cut and painted without rounding any edges.  I was not called in to address these issues, however, but solely to build an addition.  And while my addition had to blend seamlessly, I wanted it to sparkle like a gem, in comparison to the rest of the house.

In this regard, one detail I decided to change was the gable vents.  The original builder had ordered some gable vents to match the roof pitch, and then put decorative truss posts in front of them.  It looked awkward to me.

Rather than order something, I custom made gable vents to fit between the posts. aligning the slats in my four vents to present a unified whole to the viewer.  The owner was happy with my solution, and I thought it was appropriate to the style of the home.

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Cedar Wood Shed

Greene & Greene Gamble House Pasadena