ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Replacing Roof Fascia and Soffits

Updated on November 4, 2012

Check Out The Slideshow:

How to Replace Fascia (and soffit) Boards

Fascia and soffit boards are located around the edge of most roofs in the United Kingdom and are a decorative as well as supportive aspect of the roofline.

Fascia boards are used as a vertical board to fix guttering to and they also support the first row of roof tiles, like all boards they prevent birds and pests from entering the roof.

Soffit boards can be vented or un-vented and are usually secured directly below the fascia, they are always fitted horizontally.

Bargeboards are the same as fascia boards but are fitted to the apex (gable) of the roof. Some homes have decorative bargeboards but essentially fascia and bargboads are the same thing.

Below you can find some instructions on how to correctly replace these boards with Upvc plastic. This site has step by step instructions and photos of how to replace fascia and soffits.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you want to earn money by writing articles here on Hubpages?

Interested? Sign up for FREE here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Replace With Upvc Plastic - Follow These Steps

If you are looking to fit plastic fascia and soffits then you should follow the steps below.

Removing the existing boards:

  1. Using the butt of hammer or other padded tool, push up the second course of tiles.
  2. Remove the first course of tiles and set aside for re-use.
  3. Remove the guttering and rainwater pipes.
  4. Using a pry bar remove the existing timber fascia.
  5. Using a Stanley knife trim any mastic sealant from the tops of window frames/soffit boards.
  6. Remove the soffit boards.
  7. Remove any nails from timber rafters and remove any loose dust from the top of the window frames and walls.

Installing the new Upvc plastic products:

  1. The soffit should be fitted first, nailed to the underside of the rafters and pinched onto the top of the wall and window frames with timber baton.
  2. The fascia should then be fitted directly to the rafter end.
  3. A fascia vent (10mm) can then be fitted to the top edge of the fascia.
  4. Now is the time to install the guttering, a gutter guard such as the Gutter Hedgehogand rainwater pipes.
  5. Roof eaves felt should now be fitted, overlapping into the gutter.
  6. The tiles can now be laid and the second row pulled down into place.
  7. The plastic products should then be cleaned and a mastic sealant applied to the window frames and walls.

Should I Cap Over The Existing Boards?

Capping over the existing boards with Upvc would save a lot of time as you wouldn't need to remove the tiles or the existing boards. However there are some very valid reasons why this method should be avoided:

First: Any rot to the existing boards will be sealed in and it will spread.

Second: You may create a "step" where the capped boards butt up to the neighbouring property (if you live in a semi or terraced house)

Third: If you have cement based soffit boards (rather than timber) then you won't be able to fix the new boards onto them as nails and screws won't grip into the thin cement.

Fourth: You may inadvertently prevent the windows from opening fully as they may jam onto the new boards, it's a common problem with capped jobs.

In almost all situations one should always fully remove the existing boards rather than capping them, please see the photos on this page as an example. The only time they should be left in place is if they physically cannot be removed, for example if there removal would somehow damage another part of the roof.

Examples of rot hidden behind the guttering

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)