What are the most FAQ roofline / fascia soffit questions.
Can damaged 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 needs to be 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, likely few years.
If actually maintained likelihood you have not put this into a search engine.
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.
What is included in roofline?
A roofline is not simply one thing. Instead, it is the term used to describe the combing of four important features that together make up the roof of your property. These four features are fascias, soffits, bargeboards and guttering.
This is not solely about aesthetics this gets the water off your roof safely and makes sure it does not come into your house or flat.
How often should you replace soffits and fascias?
Not a straight forward question or answer as depends on current condition, how well you maintain your gutters and drains, if roofline is timber how often it is painted.
How do I know when to replace my fascia and soffits?
Common sense if your painter tells you it is rotten, they can’t paint it.
If you find soft spots you can push a screw driver through.
If dark and mouldy likely you have an overclad system with the original fascia soffit rotting behind the overclad, this will likely blow off in the next storm.
If it has blown off in a storm good chance rotted, and over clad system or likely both.
What are the 4 things to consider when designing anything associated with a roof?
Good operatives like to use the best materials for the simple reason the better the quality of what you have to work with the better the finish and the longer it will last.
Good design, get that wrong and you will have issues.
Consider how this will be maintained, every design or material compromise you make means more maintenance, maintenance you may not be fit to do any more or have to pay someone to do for you so more a hidden cost likely at a greater price point in the future.
Life is simple quality costs more and lasts longer, might still need some maintenance but if you bought right first time you have less to worry about. Think of a cheap jewellery, cheap power tools, the plating starts to come off, the motor burnt out or worse it can’t even do what it was meant to do.
What is most common problems with soffits and fascia?
Irrespective of what you have or buy the sun will have an affect on your property, the sun will fade / bleach out colour.
Anything timber needs protected just like a fence or fence post, some outrageously expensive timbers are a little more forgiving but basically like a timber boat it needs regular protection from the elements.
Most roofline / fascia soffit gutter replacement are PVC , you might see UPVC, this gets technical The distinction between them is whether they’re coated in plasticisers: PVC has plasticisers, whereas uPVC does not. Plasticisers make PVC malleable and flexible, making it ideal for wires, toys, shower curtains, and even clothing. uPVC is hard and inflexible, so it’s better suited to window frames and water pipes.
If you are techie you know know the difference, but to keep it really simple if your sitting in some sort of listed building / conservation area you are very likely stuck with wood and like for like replacement and frequent painting.
If not of historical importance modern PVC materials make more sense as zero painting required.
However it can be painted, cheapest open and best option when it come to UV of the sun having an effect is white as reflects the sun.
You can get fake wood type finishes but is basically a glued on metallic film on to the white and sun will degrade in about 10 years where white more suitable for 20 years , either way will need gutters cleaned and may need the occasional power wash.
Think grey slab as against colour both eventually need cleaned but the colour is basically a grey with a colour added.
Gutters and downpipes are off a similar issue you can get cast which is expensive and needs a lot of maintenance, there are cast like products that are not cast but cheaper but still expensive then you have PVC, back to white looks better longer, colours will fade but like any colour can be painted by a specialist contractor.
Interestingly I noticed people that buy cheap £500 doors if they bought white and south facing they frequently have to mess with the alignment of the locks as quite a bit of expansion, those that bought dark colours had less lock issues but when they had a profiled door it tended to split and you got holes in the door as split within the door make up.
Off topic but rule of thumb for external doors is for every additional £500 you spend up front you will likely get and additional 5 years of life from that door.
Cut off for high end stuff windows and door much like boilers is 20 years as by then handles, locks boiler parts you can’t get economically or can’t get at all.
I don’t necessarily agree with this but get the reality of longevity / price point where the best products need to be replaced to stay in business, it can be fixed but the price point up front would be a very, very small market place to the point not commercially viable hence I understand the logic.
However from an environmentally point of view a break through is required and Ai software may find a solution that makes more sense but we are working within the confines of what exists now.
Back track on issues, let us assume you actually clean your gutters so your downpipes don’t choke and back up and rot out out your facia’s and soffits, and if timber are frequently painted, you are a rare breed and to be commended.
The remainder which is the majority please fill out the form and we will help you get this right first time.
How do you fix rotted fascia and soffit?
I personally find this a strange google search, the people that know how to fix this already know how to fix this. So answer is simple if you have clicked on this and within a 100 mile radius of Glasgow fill out the form and we will call you, visit and assess and figure out how to best help you.
Zero pressure or expectations if you need help we will offer it and basically up to you what you do with that knowledge.
Options are ignore, part fix, cover up fix or actual fix.
We are geared up for actual fix as the cowboy options not how were are wire bit so if in the denial stages do not fill in the form as we are in the fix it mode not the denial mode, but still here when the overclad blows off.
What is the life expectancy of a soffit?
Very much depends on maintenance, if you have a Mercedes or BMW and regularity of frequent filter replacement and frequent oil changes they both have the quality under the hood to last way longer than those anything that is neglected.
If you painted your soffit once a year and cleaned your gutters twice likelihood you never searched this.
If done has been maintained or you have a problematic overclad then your in the right place to minimise your future issues.
What’s the difference between a soffit and a fascia?
Fascia is on the vertical face, soffit is on the horizontal face.
What are the disadvantages of soffit?
Reality a soffit on the horizontal face is a plus as if their less chance of water ingress to the cavity, which basically means less chance of internal issue..
Should soffit and fascia match the roof?
Simple answer is yes.
