Brief explanation of "CORNICE RETURNS" and "PORK CHOPS"
Older traditional (Colonial, Colonial Revival, etc.) houses that we copy repeatedly today (in and out of context) with "boxed cornices" (bottom of rafter overhang enclosed with a soffit) without gutters had roof eave/cornices that emulated Greek & Roman temples like this:
The roof rake and eave/cornice is made of 2 parts: the upper is what we call a "crown" and the lower is a short vertical trim board called a "fillet". When the diagonal rake trim meets the eave/cornice trim, the full detail (crown and fillet) continue along the eave/cornice and the fillet turns and runs horizontally across the face of the gable. This detail is called a "Classical Cornice Return" typical of Colonial and Colonial Revival style houses.
This detail becomes more complicated when a gutter is added. The 3 most common gutters are the integral wood or metal gutter, the hanging half-round gutter and the applied metal "K style" gutter.
Here is an "integral gutter" with a true Classical return:
Here is a modern interpreation of a cornice return with a K style gutter (it's a bit heavy handed IMO):
Here is a modern cornice return in copper:
A "Pork Chop" cornice return is not really a cornice return since the eave/cornice stops when it reaches the corner of the house and the diagonal gable rake trim continues, covering the eave/cornice and the K style gutter.
This is an informal "bungalow" style detail but builders like to apply it to larger more formal multi-gable houses because it doesn't require a high level of carpentry skill or expense. It's often considered inappropriate by architects and IMO can be an indication of who is in charge of the detailing: the designer or the builder.
There are other ways to detail it:
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