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Alex Shepherd Roofing
Roofing service

Fascias and soffits

The fascia is the board along the bottom edge of the roof that the gutter hangs off. The soffit is the panel underneath it, closing the gap between the wall and the roof edge.

Together they cap the end of the roof structure and keep weather out of the rafter ends. When they rot, water gets into the roof timbers, and that’s a much bigger job than the boards.

Covering
East Lancashire & Craven
Quotes
Free, no pressure
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07840 031508

What we do

  • Replacing rotten timber fascias and soffits with uPVC
  • Bargeboards on the gable ends
  • Soffit ventilation, which most older houses lack
  • New guttering fitted at the same time
  • Repairs to rafter ends where rot has got into the structure
  • Dry verge systems at the gable

Signs they need doing

  • Paint flaking or bubbling on timber boards
  • Wood that's soft, dark or crumbling, especially at the ends and behind the gutter
  • Gaps where the soffit meets the wall
  • Birds nesting in the roof space, which means there's a gap
  • Gutter brackets pulling away because the fascia behind them has softened
  • Green algae staining down the boards

Timber fascias behind a leaking gutter rot from the back. The front can look reasonable while the board behind it has gone entirely.

Capping over, and why we usually won't

There's a cheaper approach where uPVC is fixed over the existing timber rather than replacing it. It's quicker and it looks the same on the day.

The problem is that it traps whatever is behind it. If the timber is even slightly damp it now can't dry, and the rot carries on out of sight until the rafter ends are affected. You also can't fix gutter brackets into anything solid.

Where the timber is genuinely dry and sound, capping over is a reasonable way to save money and we'll do it. Where it isn't, we'll say so, because the saving disappears the moment somebody has to go back and do it properly.

Ventilation, which usually gets missed

A cold roof space needs air moving through it. Without ventilation you get condensation in the loft, which people then mistake for a roof leak, and over time it rots the timbers just as effectively as rain would.

Most houses built before the 1980s have no soffit ventilation at all. Replacing the soffits is the cheapest opportunity you'll ever get to put that right, with vented soffit board or circular vents let into it. It costs very little at the time and it's awkward to add later.

Common questions

The things people ask us

For anything at two-storey height, yes, and it goes on the quote as its own item rather than being hidden in the price.

White is standard. Black, anthracite grey and woodgrain finishes are all available at a modest premium, and the woodgrain finishes suit stone property better than white does.

Almost always. The gutter has to come off to do the fascia, so doing both together means paying for access once instead of twice.

Often it isn't. Water on the underside of the felt, or damp insulation with no obvious leak above it, usually means the loft isn't ventilated. That's worth checking before anyone starts talking about a new roof.

Reviews

What people said about the work

Read the reviews, then ring us and see if we match up.

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