Abstract A recent field survey provided eight typical soffits used in the residential houses within the typhoon-prone coastal region of southeastern China. Their aerodynamic effects in alleviating rooftop extreme wind pressures were evaluated via wind tunnel testing on a series of 1/20 gable roof house models. Local pressures, area-averaged pressures and uplift forces acting on roofs were examined. Results showed that in contrast to the model without soffits, the presence of these gutters or eaves gives a rise to a significant reduction of negative peak wind pressures at edges and corners near them. However, they hardly impact wind loads on the other roof surface. Some minor simple architectural elements attached to eaves, such as cantilevered spoiler and semicircular gutter, were observed to facilitate the reduction of extreme wind pressure at edges and corners. Additionally, the reduction rate of spatially averaged wind pressures with area was found to be dependent on the size of tributary area, rather than the shape of tributary area.