Your fascia soffit roofline F.A.Q. answered

Can damaged / rotted fascia boards cause damp?

While excessive condensation can be a cause of damp, in the roof area it is most often caused by loose or missing tiles, lack of ventilation, damaged guttering or rotten fascia’s or soffits, sometime called roofline.

Sometime you get cold spots showing up as mould as insulation in attic has been disturbed.  Once damp is present, other problems can occur, including woodworm, wet rot, dry rot and mould.

Note gutter issues fall into two camps, clean the gutters, if left too late your into clear the drains.

Note mould is not very pleasant, is usually about fixing external issues, more heating and more ventilation and fixing the above, totally preventable and ideally looked at by a CSRT Surveyor who will be able to advise is this an external issue, a condensation issue or both.

How do you replace a rotted fascia board UK?

Simple answer is if not a experienced joiner or very competent DIY person then best to get an expert in.

If you don’t know what your likely to find behind the fascia / soffit and gutter and how it all goes together and how you will handle hidden rot where the attic rafters meet the ceiling joists, you are out of your depth.

What happens if fascia / soffit sometime called roofline rots?

Best case it looks bad.

Next it causes internal damage, so likely stripping and redoing  the window wall.

After that your mid floor rots out and that is expensive as replacing not only the mid floor but the ceiling below and floor above.

If dry rot starts and in your cavity your looking at a 5 figure plus internal repair and still needing the externals fixed first.

Worst cast scenario, you have attic issues, mid floor issues and likely a metre back on each internal  wall and likely replacing window walls on two levels and the ground floor timbers which could require removing a kitchen or bathroom.

The quicker it is fixed the cheaper the job is.

How often do fascia boards need replacing?

If timber and you have not regularly painted it and cleared out the gutters then answer is not long.

If you have what are your options?

Part repair and look after your fascia / soffit and gutters much better.

Cheap option is an overclad, not wise your pinning on rather flimsy thin PVC to what is likely rotted out where fixed into.

Will look great until the next decent storm then it will likely be sitting in someone’s garden and maybe even hurt or kill a kid a pet a neighbour or one of your family members or trash your car or shed.

I can’t stress enough an overclad of a fascia / soffit is financially unwise and comes with massive risk, both personally and financially. At Strathclyde Roofline we are very much about do it right first time and do it once, thereafter up to you to keep on top of cleaning your gutters before your drains get choked.

Is a fascia board structural?

In short it is the support to support your gutter so although not structurally to the point your house / flat will fall down it it holding up your gutter.

Back to the overclad is a rotted bit of fascia and likely rot holding it and a 6mm PVC overclad sufficient to hold up your gutter?

Answer is not for long.

Can you replace fascia without removing gutters?

This is a bit asking can I clean my fridge without emptying it, can I lay laminates without emptying my room.

Gutter needs to come off and best option is replace with PVC and the downpipes while you at it, no point renewing your facia and soffit and refixing the old gutter that leaked and caused the rot in the first place.

Is replacing fascia hard?

If you have done it for a living you have been there seen it and done it and figured out every issue you need to overcome then hard work but can be done.

I you are doing it for the first time then would say would you be happy taking the engine out of your car and reconditioning the engine or gear box, if you feel the answer is yes and you feel the same about construction then you will be fine otherwise you are out of your depth.

If of that mind set you can likely paint your fascia and soffit and clean the gutter as long as you have safe access.

Should fascia board be covered?

If bad enough you have concerns about it then no. Only logic to an overclad is avoiding painting of a perfectly good soffit and gutter.

If rotted out the overclad , just means you will pay more to do it right the second time when it fails.

How do you fix water damaged fascia?

Why has it failed, likely lack of maintenance , whether not painted, gutters overflowing or leaking or drains choked.

Best ask an expert and read the points above.

Is there asbestos in fascia boards?

More common on the bit below the fascia which if there is called a soffit, if it looks like a dimpled grey cement or painted dimpled board likelihood you have asbestos cement and best not touch by an inexperienced DIY person unless you know how to handle and dispose of asbestos in a safe way.

Finding fascia and soffit fitters?

You would think any competent joiner would be be an idea fitter, the reality is this is not true. Joiners tend to specialise, some types of specialisation would be as follows:- shuttering, first fix, second fix, new build, kitchens, bathrooms, renewing or repairing stairs, extensions, loft conversions, fencing, renewing fascia, soffit and guttering.

Do you want to trust your home with a fascia and soffit fitter who does this for a living and has done for decades or someone that is picking up some work as their is a delay on their new build site or a slow down on their kitchen and bathroom installs, they may manage it but will likely be slow and your are hoping they can solve what ever surprises the work throws at them?

h&s roofline

Do you need scaffolding to replace your fascia, soffits and gutters, short answer is most likely and if you do it for a living you will already own the scaffolding and operatives will be trained to erect it, or if an unusually large or complex scaffolding is required you will have a trusted resource in place.

Cutting corners on H& S “health and safety” does happen but so do accidents, some of which can result in death or serious injury to operatives, and not just operatives it could be a family member or a member of the general public dropping off a delivery or just passing by, not something any off us want on our conscience.

There are huge fines and in some cases imprisonment, however that is rather irrelevant and also too late.

Hence you want appropriate h&s at all times, assess the risk and mitigate the risk, so as safe as you can make it for everyone.

Soffits fascias and guttering near me

At Strathclyde Roofline we are very much servicing the central belt of Scotland, coast to coast, it that is near you then we would love to hear from you, if not then we hope the knowledge shared above will help you find an appropriate contractor in your area that has similar values.

The questions are endless but if you have any feel free to request a survey and we will be happy to help you.