What fascia and soffit damage looks like
Fascia rot hides behind the gutter, so the first signs are usually indirect:
- Paint peeling or bubbling on the board behind or just below the gutter.
- Dark streaks or stains running down the fascia.
- Gutters that won't stay up. Hangers or spikes pull out again soon after being reset because the wood is too soft to grip.
- A gutter tilting forward so water spills over the front.
- Wood that's soft or crumbly when pressed with a screwdriver.
- Soffit panels sagging, stained or hanging down, or beadboard with gaps and flaking paint.
- Wasps, birds or squirrels going in and out under the roof edge.
- Bulges or ripples in aluminum fascia wrap, which often mean the wood underneath has swollen and decayed.
Why fascia rots behind gutters
Fascia rots because water reaches it and can't dry out. On a correctly built roof edge, metal drip edge carries water from the shingles past the fascia and into the gutter. When the drip edge is missing or too short, water curls under the shingles and wets the top of the board.
A clogged gutter adds to it by overflowing at the back. In winter, ice in the gutter holds meltwater against the wood for days.
Soffit damage usually follows. Water that gets past the fascia drips onto the soffit from above, and once the wood softens, animals pull it open.
What fascia and soffit repair involves
- Take down the gutter along the affected section and set it aside if it's reusable.
- Remove any aluminum wrap and the damaged fascia. We cut back to solid wood, with joints landing on a rafter tail.
- Inspect what's behind. Rafter tails, the sub-fascia if there's one, and the edge of the roof deck are checked for rot.
- Repair the framing. Soft rafter ends are reinforced with new lumber fastened alongside.
- Install new fascia, primed on all sides including the cut ends, or a PVC or composite board.
- Replace soffit where needed, matching vented and solid panels to what was there so attic airflow isn't blocked.
- Wrap the fascia in aluminum if the house has it or you want it.
- Add drip edge or gutter apron so the same problem doesn't return.
- Rehang the gutter with new hidden hangers and reset the slope, or install new seamless gutters if the old ones aren't worth putting back.
How the age of Pontiac's housing shapes fascia repair
About one in 4 housing units in Pontiac was built before 1940. Eaves on houses of that age are built differently from a modern subdivision home, and the repair changes with them.
A newer house has a flat fascia board nailed across the rafter ends with a vented aluminum or vinyl soffit below. On a pre-war Pontiac house we're more likely to find original wood fascia carrying many coats of old paint, a crown molding along the top edge, exposed rafter tails with no fascia at all on a Craftsman bungalow, as on some of the kit homes in Indian Village, or tongue-and-groove wood soffit. Some of these homes were later covered with aluminum wrap, sometimes right over wood that was already going soft.
For the homeowner this means 3 things. First, the damage is often larger than it looks, because paint and wrap hide it. Second, matching the original trim profile takes more time than swapping a flat board, and on a house in a historic district it matters to get it right.
Third, paint on a house built before 1978 may contain lead, so old painted trim should be removed with care and not dry-sanded or burned off. Tell us the age of the house when you call.
What affects the cost of fascia and soffit repair
The cost follows the number of feet replaced and what the repair uncovers. The variables:
- Linear feet of fascia and soffit being replaced.
- Height of the eave and access beneath it.
- Material: primed wood, PVC or composite, with or without aluminum wrap.
- Trim detail. Flat boards are quick. Crown molding, beadboard and shaped rafter tails take longer to match.
- Hidden damage. Rot in rafter tails or roof decking isn't visible until the fascia is off. We show it to you and price it before going further.
- Gutter work. Removing and rehanging existing gutters, or replacing them.
- Animal entry that needs to be closed up, and nests that need removing.
When fascia or soffit damage can't wait
Most fascia repair can be planned. Call promptly when:
- A gutter is coming off because the board behind it has failed, especially over an entrance
- A section of soffit has fallen out and the attic is open to squirrels, raccoons, birds or driving rain
- Water is dripping inside along an exterior wall or from the ceiling near the eave
- A storm or falling limb has torn the roof edge open
We can secure the gutter and close the opening the same visit, then return for the permanent repair. That first step is part of our emergency gutter repair service.
Keeping new fascia dry
New wood lasts when water stays off it. Keep the gutters clear, especially before winter. A fall gutter cleaning is the single best protection.
After heavy rain, look for drips behind the gutter. Repaint exposed wood fascia when the paint starts to check, before it peels.
And if a gutter ever starts to pull away from a board we replaced, call us. It means water is getting in somewhere it shouldn't.
Fascia work and gutter work go together, which is why a gutter contractor in Pontiac is usually the right call for both. If the gutter itself is the issue, see gutter repair.
Fascia and soffit questions homeowners ask
Can fascia be replaced without removing the gutters?
No. The gutter is fastened through the fascia, so the gutter section has to come down to get the board out.
If the gutter is in good shape it goes back up on the new board. If it's worn out, this is the sensible time to replace it.
What causes fascia boards to rot?
Water getting behind the gutter. The usual reasons are a missing drip edge, a gutter that overflows at the back because it's clogged, a gutter hung too low, or ice forcing meltwater up under the shingle edge. The board stays wet and the paint traps the moisture in.
Should rotted fascia be replaced with wood or something else?
Primed wood is the standard and works well when it's kept dry, which mostly means a drip edge and working gutters. PVC or composite trim boards don't rot and are a good choice on sides of the house that have rotted before. Either can be wrapped in aluminum.
What's aluminum fascia wrap and do I need it?
It's thin aluminum coil bent to cover the fascia board so the wood never needs painting. It's useful, but it must only go over sound wood. Wrapping a rotting board hides the damage and lets it continue until the gutter falls off.
Why are there holes in my soffit?
Vented soffit panels have perforations on purpose to let air into the attic. Ragged holes or missing sections are different: those are usually squirrels, birds or raccoons getting in where the wood has softened. The opening needs to be repaired and the animals dealt with first.
How do I know if the damage goes beyond the fascia?
We check the rafter tails and the roof deck edge once the fascia is off. Dark, soft or crumbling wood at the rafter ends means the rot has spread.
Short sections of rafter tail can often be reinforced. Damage to the roof deck itself is roofing work, and we'll tell you if a roofer is needed.