When you think of your roof, the first thing that comes to mind are the shingles that sit on top of it. It’s okay if you don’t know all the parts of the roof, as long as you are aware that these all come together to do their job properly. Besides protecting the structure of your home, the next, most important job of your roof is to make sure that the ventilation is working properly. This is where the soffit and fascia parts of your roof come in.
What are Soffits and Fascia and what do they do?
Soffits
Soffits are the material that goes between the fascia and gutters, they are installed to cover the underside or bottom part of your roof. The role of soffits are to ventilate your attic by keeping outside moisture air from coming inside the attic walls. Soffits also help ventilate with the inside moisture and heat that builds up and rises within the home. Since soffit outlines the roof-line, it creates ventilation all over the house.
Soffits also impede insects and bugs from entering your home space. Soffits provide many benefits and come in different colors and materials. The most common material is vinyl, due to the costs and benefits, however, there are other materials that can used as well, such as aluminum and wood. It all lies in the homeowner’s preferences and choice of style.
As stated above, ventilation is crucial for the roof. During summertime, if the heat is not distributed properly, it will cause your roof to overheat. This in turn, will cause issues such as mold, wood rot or mildew to arise. So soffits are not only installed to protect you and your family but also provide a passive ventilation system. By gathering cool air in and gradually pushing hot, moist air out from the top of the roof. This air is pushed through another vent in your house. In addition, there are different types of vents, such as bridge, gable, turtle vents or old school turbines. Your home should have one or a combination of these two types installed.
Typically, homes do not have more than two types of vents, because why should they? With a proper ventilation system in place, it would render the other vents as useless. To read more about these type of vents, click here.
Fascia
These are placed underneath the roofing shingles, right on the ends of the eaves. Just like soffits, fascia comes in multiple different materials to choose from. And vinyl is also amongst one of the best and favorite materials to choose from. These do need to be fixed with nails to the wooden boards, since they are not able to support themselves. These typically come in 6 and 8 inches.
The primary purposes of fascia includes: securing the gutters to the roof and help keep them in place, blocks storm rain or snow from penetrating the roof deck, protects from insects or other small rodents coming inside and helps increase the value and aesthetics of your home.
Materials
The good news for today’s homeowners is that the roofing and home exterior industry has many options to choose from. This includes different materials and styles for both of these parts of your home. From vinyl, aluminum and even wood, the great thing is that these options can pertain to every type of homeowner.
Vinyl Material
Some benefits of vinyl are:
- Affordable
- Available in different colors and styles
- Require little maintenance and easy to clean
- Chip resistant
- Resistant to mold, mildew
Drawbacks:
- Installation can be tricky
- Can discolor eventually
- Become brittle
- If not vented properly, mold can form
Aluminum/Metal Material
Aluminum soffit and fascia benefits include:
- Easy installation
- Low maintenance
- Resistant to insects and bugs
- Does not rot, chip or wrap
- Fireproof
- Better durability than other materials on the market
Drawbacks:
- Is more expensive
Wood
Wood benefits include:
- Great aesthetics, provide a more natural look
- Lots of color to choose from
- Environmentally-friendly
Drawbacks include:
- The biggest con is the durability
- Can split, rot, crack or warp
- Very high maintenance. Needs treating and staining every couple of years
- Installation and materials are expensive
When Is an Inspection or Replacement Needed?
Some obvious signs that you need to contact a roofing contractor right away include:
- Discoloration
- Air drafts or excess attic heat. Hot spots in your attic during the wintertime
- Increase in electricity bills
- Rotting areas or rust
- Winter condensation forming in the attic
- Ice dams forming during the winter
- Paint starting to peel. Look at the areas where your roof meets the exterior walls. Watch for bubbling or peeling paint in this area and close by
- Loose gutters. If your fascia is starting to rot or is rotten, then the gutters will start to sag and could potentially come loose
- Leaks. While leaks are more commonly found on the roof itself, sometimes these can begin because of water coming through deteriorated or loose fascia boards
- Small animals getting inside the home/attic. Some small critters like squirrels tend to chew on wooden parts of your wood or soffit to make nests inside
Replacement Costs
Typically replacement costs for these kind of projects vary due to labor costs, materials, etc. On average, the replacement costs around $22-$35 per linear foot for soffits and $18-$30 per linear foot for fascias. Do contact your roofing contractor and once they inspect for potential damage, will provide an estimate. While it can be a fair cost to update parts of your home, its well worth it, considering how crucial it is for your home protection. Plus you don’t want damage to spread to other parts and have to shell out more money in the long run.
If the damages are small or superficial, then its easier(and less costly) to simply repair the affected section. Of course, this depends on the feedback you get from the inspector first. Just know, you always have options.
Installation Process
The installation process depends on the material being installed. Make sure to check your local building codes as well, you want to know the correct amount of ventilation that is required for your home based on the area and wind ratings. Other factors to take into account are if the eave constructions are open or closed. Typically, soffit installations are simpler than their counterparts.
We do recommend to ask your remodeling contractor to explain in detail their installation process and the steps they take to make sure the project goes smoothly. Make sure to have the proper and qualified contractor to provide a good installation and is also able to provide maintenance. After installation, make sure that the contractor is able to provide their labor and materials warranty.
Maintenance Tips
After installation, you should not worry about your soffit and fascia. However, after a couple of years, do make sure to watch out for mildew build-up. A great tip is to do your yearly gutter cleaning routine and do soffit/fascia maintenance at the same time. If you find any mold or mildew, we recommend to combine water with bleach to make a quick cleaning solution for the surface. Make sure to use a soft brush to wipe it clean with. Also make sure during installation that the soffits are sealed and caulked correctly.
Oscar Roofing has offices throughout Indiana, in Bloomington, Carmel, Indianapolis and Fishers.
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