If you are having the fascias, soffits, or guttering replaced on your Milton home, understanding exactly what the job involves helps you know what to expect and how to judge whether the work has been done properly.
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A proper job begins before a single board comes off. A roofer should look at the whole roofline from the ground and, where access allows, check the condition of the boards, guttering, rafter feet, and eaves closely. This is not a five-second glance - it is a proper check to understand how much of the existing material is sound, whether any timber behind the fascia has rotted, and what the scaffolding or access requirements will be.
Questions worth asking at this stage: Will scaffolding be needed, and if so, who arranges it and what does it cost? Will the rafter feet be inspected once the old boards come off? If rot is found at that point, how will it be dealt with and what would that add to the cost? Getting clear answers before work starts avoids surprises mid-job.
Most single-storey work can be done safely from a ladder or a low-level tower scaffold. Two-storey houses generally need a scaffold lift or a full scaffold to work safely along the roofline. The access requirements affect both cost and programme, so they should be factored into any quote from the outset.
Larger detached properties or those with complex hip roofs, dormers, or multiple gutter runs take longer.
The guttering comes off first. Brackets, downpipes, and all gutter sections are removed and set aside or disposed of, depending on whether they are being replaced or retained. If cast iron guttering is being removed, this requires care - the sections are heavy and the joints are often sealed with old putty that has set hard.
At this point, the condition of the fascia beneath the guttering line is fully visible for the first time. Common problems found at this stage include rot at the top edge of the fascia where the gutter has been holding water, and corrosion or staining on the timber behind old metal brackets.
Fascia boards are generally fixed to the ends of the roof rafters with nails or screws. Removing them without disturbing the roof tiles at the eaves requires care. Tiles or slates at the very edge of the roof can be dislodged if boards are pulled off roughly, which then creates a separate leak risk. Good practice is to work steadily along each run, easing boards away without levering against the tile course above.
Soffit panels, which fill the gap between the fascia and the wall, come away next. These are often nailed or clipped into a channel in the fascia and into a batten fixed to the wall. On older properties, the soffit board may have been plastered or painted over at the wall edge, which can make removal messier.
Once the old boards are off, the rafter feet are exposed. This is a critical check. Rafter feet are the ends of the roof timbers that overhang the wall, and they are directly exposed to any moisture that has been working its way behind the old fascia. If any are soft, split, or showing signs of rot, they need to be cut back and sistered (a new length of matching timber fixed alongside the damaged section) before any new boards go on.
Any existing eaves felt or underlay that has slipped or torn at the edge should also be checked and tucked back into position at this stage. Eaves felt is the last line of defence against wind-driven rain getting under the tiles - it should overhang slightly into the gutter channel so that any water running back under the tiles drains into the gutter rather than onto the top of the fascia board.
New fascia boards are fixed to the rafter feet, working along the roofline section by section. Each board is cut to length, mitred at external and internal corners, and fixed with stainless steel or coated screws that will not rust and stain the surface. Joints between boards are made with a purpose-made joint clip (for uPVC) or a neatly mitred joint (for timber), never by butt-joining two boards edge to edge without support.
The top of the fascia board should be positioned so that the roof tiles at the eave sit at the correct pitch into the gutter channel below. If this angle is wrong, water overshoots the gutter or pools at the back of it.
Soffit panels slot into a channel on the back of the fascia and are fixed to a batten on the wall at the other end. For uPVC, panels click together with a tongue-and-groove joint, which means a continuous run can be fitted without visible fixings on the face. Vented panels - those with a perforated strip or ventilation slots - are positioned to allow airflow into the eaves and up into the loft space.
The wall batten that the soffit fixes to needs to be sound and level. If the original batten has rotted or pulled away from the wall, it should be replaced at this stage rather than used as a fixing point for new boards.
Gutter brackets are fixed to the fascia first, set at the correct fall towards the downpipe outlet. For a typical domestic run, a fall of around 1:600 (roughly 3mm per 600mm) is sufficient to keep water moving without looking obviously tilted. Gutter sections are then clicked or bolted into the brackets, joints are sealed with the appropriate sealant or union clips, and stop ends are fitted at any open end.
Downpipes are connected at the outlet and run down the wall to the drainage point at ground level, fixed with pipe clips at regular intervals. Each joint is checked to ensure it is seated fully - a poorly seated downpipe joint will drip every time it rains.
All old materials - timber boards, plastic sections, old brackets, screws, and debris - should be cleared and taken away at the end of the job. A good roofer will run water through the guttering (or wait for rain) to confirm fall and drainage before leaving site.
If you are in Milton or nearby and want to know what a proper fascia, soffit, and guttering replacement on your home would involve, call Cambridge Roofers to arrange a visit. We will walk through exactly what the job requires before giving you a price.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
