Fascia boards and soffits are part of the roof. They protect the roof and inside of the home from weather and help with the ventilation of the loft. Maintaining the upkeep of fascias and soffits help keep up the attractive appearance of your home.

A fascia is the smooth appearance on a roof's edge, acting as a vertical barrier between the outside and the edge of your roof. The fascia protects the roofing and interior of a home from severe weather. Often the guttering is attached to the fascia, so it needs to be strong enough to hold the weight of the water, while supporting the bottom row of tiles.

A soffit is the exposed underside of a roof overhang, or eave. Without a soffit, when looking up at a house, exposed rafters would be visible which is not practical or pretty. The soffits stop the water from rotting the rafters and keeps them protected from all weather conditions. Soffits have small holes, allowing air to circulate to keep the loft ventilated. The air ventilation stops the loft from overheating in summer and prevents moisture build-up in the winter.

Having deteriorated fascia boards and soffits would put the roof, tiles, loft space and guttering in harm.

Do all UK houses have fascia and soffits?

Modern UK homes have a fascia board. Older style homes used exposed rafter feet as part of the properties character and style, so they may not have a fascia or soffit. (Some older UK homes may have asbestos soffits that will need replacing.)

Fascia and soffits can colour match the architectural design of your home or can simply be painted white for a more neutral effect. In the UK, the most common material used for fascia and soffit is uPVC. This is because it is maintenance free, not requiring painting and can withstand the wet weather of the UK without any concern for wood rot. A more traditional home may opt for using wood.

How often do fascia and soffits need replacing?

Fascia board and soffits usually last for years, they do need replacing if the fascia board becomes aged or water damaged.

Obvious signs that wooden fascia or soffits are failing is flaking or peeling paint. This is often a sign of wood rot and dampness. If you notice water in the roof void, that will be further proof that water is getting through.

If the loft space has signs of condensation – that could be a clear sign of lack of ventilation, therefore the soffit is not doing its job.

When it comes to replacing wood fascia and soffits on a home, often people opt for the cheaper option of using uPVC instead of wood. Another reason people might replace fascia and soffits, is if asbestos is exposed from old soffits.

How much does replacing fascia and soffits cost?

The overall costs involved in replacing fascia and soffits depend on the size of the roof area, whether fascia boards and soffits will be replaced with wood or cheaper uPVC and whether the roofer will need to hire scaffolding for the duration of the job and a skip to dispose of the old fascia and soffits.

Labour time to replace a bungalow or 2 bed detached house would be about 2 full days of labour. A detached 3 bed house that is a double storey will need anywhere from 3 - 5 days labour for the roofing team.

Fascia or soffit material and their cost per metre     

uPVC - £5 to £15

Planed timber - £100 to £180

Aluminium - £25 to £60 

Galvanised steel - £12 to £20

Cost to replace fascia and soffits	Per	Average total labour cost
Replacing wooden fascia boards and soffits on a small bungalow	Per day	£380
Replacing timber soffits only on a 2 bed detached house	Per day	£300
Repairing a section of wood fascia and soffit	Per day	£180
Replacing wood fascia and soffits for uPVC on a small bungalow	Per day	£360

Repair or replace fascia and soffits?

If the fascia boards are not falling apart, a cheaper option than replacing the fascia, would be cladding the existing fascia boards with uPVC panels. The cladding would protect the old fascia board from weather and be aesthetically pleasing to the house.

If the existing fascia boards are falling apart, then the cladding won’t hold and the old fascia boards will have to be replaced. When it comes to replacing fascia and soffits, the roofer will give you the option of either keeping the character of the house to replace timber with timber, being aware the need for on-going painting waterproofing maintenance or replacing the old wood fascia and soffits with uPVC which is more durable and longer lasting.

If wood rot is limited to a small section of fascia and soffit, it may be possible to repair the section rather than the expense of replacing all the fascia and soffit. The roofer will just cut out the damaged section and as long as it spans two rafters, the roofer can reattach a new section.

Soffit can be replaced without having to install new fascia. If you have gone to the expense of replacing fascia and soffits, make sure the roofer inspects for any underlying problem that caused the fascia damage. If it was not just down to age. Blocked gutters cause water to overflow and that excess water might be drowning the fascia, so the new fascia board would be damaged in no time.

What wood should be used for fascia and soffits?

Some factors to take into consideration when replacing your fascia and soffits, is the character of the property, the roof and of course, your budget.

A roofer will speak to you about the different options of wood available.

Spruce, pine and fir are budget friendly options.

Cedar, cypress or redwood are more expensive but these woods are more moisture resistant, even when left unsealed.

Remember to check with the roofer if the wood will need a protective seal or add a cap or trim to protect the wood from moisture. Sealed and painted wood will need repainting every few years to not only keep it looking fresh but to keep it weather protected.

Estimates for common roofer jobs;

Rates for other trades