Types of fascias and soffits

Fascias and soffits are easy to forget about but are utterly essential to keeping your home dry and structurally sound.

Fascias and soffits save
your house from damage

Fascias are the horizontal board that caps the edge of rafters around the outside of your building. The fascia can also have guttering attached to it. This makes them important for improving water drainage from your roof and keeping it in good condition. Just below the fascia is the soffit – the smooth surface below the fascia and rafters which overhangs the walls of the building. It is also known as an “eave”. Soffits have no particular structural purpose but provide a clean, finished look to your house and hide rafters which may be unsightly.

Choosing the right type of fascia

Fascias come in vinyl, aluminium or wood. When choosing which material to have for your home, there are a few things to consider. Think about what colour you want your fascia to be and choose one that matches the colours of the rest of the house. Vinyl fascias are coloured during manufacture and mostly come in plain, simple colours. If you want to create a particular effect you may need to order this specially. Alternatively you can opt for the more budget conscious wooden fascias and paint them. But remember that no matter how well you seal wood against rain, it will begin to rot at some point. A disadvantage of wooden fascias is that they are likely to need replacing roughly every five years or so.

If you are planning on moving house in the next five years, it could be worth spending a little more on vinyl or aluminium fascias so that they won’t need replacing when it comes time to move. This way they are likely to add value to your home rather than take it away. Aluminium fascias are more durable than vinyl and have a longer lifetime than the wooden alternative. The distinct look of aluminium fascias is not to everyone’s taste, however. It is worth taking your time to decide exactly what look you want, how much you want to spend and whether you will want the hassle of replacing them in the near future.

If you still can’t decide, it could be worth considering vinyl coated aluminium. These fascias have the durability of aluminium but retain the aesthetics of vinyl.

Soffit length and ventilation options

The amount that a soffit extends out from the house depends on the amount the rafters overhang from the building. A soffit can be anywhere from a few centimetres right up to three feet in length. It is also possible to install vents into a soffit to aid ventilation of your house.

Vents tend to be available in circular or rectangular shapes and are required by the Building Regulations Approved Document F2 to provide a 10mm or 25mm continuous air gap. If your soffits do not have vents or you are not sure whether to buy some at the time of soffit installation, it is possible to buy vents that can be retrofitted at a later date.

Ask your contractor about fascia and soffits

Fascia and soffits can be difficult to install. It is recommended you hire an insured professional who can fix anything that might appear wrong after the work is done, else you may cause damage to your home rather than repair. It is also dangerous to install them yourself. Speak to contractors and see who is offering the best quote, then ask them which fascia and soffits would be best for your home.