Fascias, soffits and guttering in Leeds and Yorkshire

What fascias, soffits and guttering do

The fascia is the board along the bottom edge of the roof. It carries the gutter and supports the bottom row of tiles or slates. The soffit is the board underneath it, closing the gap between the fascia and the wall. The guttering collects the rain coming off the roof and takes it to the downpipes.

They're easy to forget about until something goes wrong. When they fail, water ends up where it shouldn't: down the walls, into the brickwork and back into the roof itself.

Signs they need replacing

• Paint flaking off timber fascias, or wood that's soft, split or rotten
• Gutters that sag, leak at the joints or overflow in heavy rain
• Green or damp stains on the wall below the gutter
• Gaps in the soffit, or birds and wasps getting in behind it
• Water dripping behind the gutter instead of into it

That last one is common on older roofs. The felt at the bottom of the roof is meant to drain into the gutter. Over time it rots where it's exposed, and water runs down behind the fascia instead. An eaves support tray under the bottom of the felt fixes it, and it's easiest to fit when the fascias are replaced.

Repair or replace?

Not everything needs replacing. A leaking gutter joint, a loose bracket or a blocked outlet can often be put right on its own.

Rotten timber is different. Some firms fit new uPVC boards straight over the old timber, which is known as capping. Over sound timber, capping can be fine. Over rotten timber, it just hides the problem, and the rot carries on underneath. If your fascias are rotten, I'll tell you, and quote to take them off and replace them properly.

Replacing them in uPVC

uPVC doesn't rot and doesn't need painting. It comes in white and a range of other colours, so new fascias and guttering can suit your windows.

Your written quote lists exactly what's included. A full replacement usually covers:

• Taking off the old fascias, soffits and guttering, and taking the waste away
• Checking the ends of the roof timbers, and talking to you before any timber is repaired
• New uPVC fascias and soffits
• Ventilation at the eaves, where the roof needs it
• An eaves support tray, so the felt drains into the gutter
• New guttering and downpipes, set to fall towards the outlets
• A tidy site and a final sign-off with me

Why it's usually done with a re-roof

Fascias and guttering are replaced from scaffolding. On a re-roof, the scaffold is already up, so doing them at the same time saves putting it up twice.

There's a practical reason too. To replace a fascia properly, the bottom rows of tiles and the felt at the eaves have to come up. On a re-roof they're coming off anyway. So the eaves can be put right in one go: new fascia, soffit, ventilation and eaves tray, with the new membrane, battens and tiles laid over the top.

If your roof is due for replacement, it makes sense to look at all of it together. See re-roofs for what a new roof involves.

If the roof doesn't need replacing

Fascias, soffits and guttering can be replaced on their own. Whether that needs scaffolding depends on the height of the house and how easy the eaves are to reach. I'll tell you when I visit.

Guttering on its own

Gutters overflow for more reasons than blockages. A gutter that has dropped and lost its fall, joints that have perished, or an outlet too small for the roof above it will all send water over the edge.

That water soaks the wall below. Over time it can cause damp inside and damage to the brickwork and pointing. If it has already got into the roof or the ceilings, see roof repairs.

Where the guttering runs along a flat roof, it's worth replacing at the same time as the roof covering. See flat roofing.

One person from quote to sign-off

I look at the fascias, soffits and guttering properly, tell you what needs doing and what doesn't, and put it in writing. The price is fixed before any work starts, and I sign the job off with you when it's finished.