Replacing Roof Fascia and Soffits

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.

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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.

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.