If you are having fascias, soffits or guttering replaced on your Haverhill home, here is exactly what a well-run job looks like from the first visit to the final clean-up.
Fascia, soffit and guttering replacement looks straightforward from the ground, but the standard of the job depends heavily on what happens at each stage. Cutting corners at the survey, rushing the strip-out or skipping the ventilation detail are all things that come back to bite the homeowner later. Understanding what should happen at each step means you can ask the right questions and spot if anything is being skipped.
A proper survey is done from close quarters, not from the ground with a pair of binoculars. The roofer needs to get eyes on the actual fascia boards, look at the condition of the rafter feet behind them, check whether the soffit is ventilated, and assess the guttering for bracket fixings, joint seals and downpipe condition.
At this stage the surveyor should be noting the profile and colour of any existing guttering on sections of the house not being replaced, so the new sections match. They should also be checking whether any of the rafter feet are wet or soft, because if they are, that work needs to be priced and done before new boards go on.
A survey that is done entirely from the pavement cannot give you a reliable price or scope of work. If a quote is produced without anyone getting close to the boards, treat it with caution.
A scaffold tower or full scaffold is the correct access method for this type of work. Working from a ladder is not safe for the type of sustained work that fascia replacement involves - the roofer needs both hands free, needs to move along the elevation and needs to handle boards of several metres in length.
On a standard semi-detached or detached house, a tower is typically moved around the building as each elevation is completed. On larger or more complex properties, fixed scaffold may be more efficient. Either way, the access should be stable, the boards should be laid out of the way of the public pavement, and any skips or waste bags should be positioned so they do not block access to the property.
This is the most important stage and the one most likely to be rushed on a poorly managed job. The old fascia and soffit boards must come off completely. Fitting new uPVC over the top of existing rotted timber is still done by some contractors - it hides the problem rather than fixing it, and the rot continues behind the new board.
Once the old boards are off, the rafter feet are exposed. This is the moment to check each one properly. Soft, wet or punky timber needs to be cut back and a new section spliced in or a rafter repair plate fitted before anything else goes on. It is also the moment to check that the wall plate - the horizontal timber the rafters sit on - is sound. Problems found at this stage are always cheaper to deal with now than after the new boards are on.
Existing mortar fillets or tilting fillets at the eaves should also be checked while access is good. If the tiles at the eaves are loose or the mortar has cracked, now is the time to fix them.
uPVC fascia boards are fixed directly to the rafter feet with appropriate fixings - not to the old rotted board beneath them. The boards are butt-jointed at internal and external corners using purpose-made uPVC corner pieces, which give a clean, weather-tight finish without relying on sealant alone.
Expansion must be accounted for. uPVC moves with temperature, and a board fitted tight with no movement tolerance will buckle in summer heat. The correct approach is to leave a small gap at each joint and use slip joints or joining pieces that allow the board to expand without distorting.
Where the fascia butts up against a gable end or a party wall, a stop-end piece is fitted to close off the section neatly. The top of the fascia board should be tight to the underside of the last row of tiles or slates, with any gap filled or weather-sealed to prevent water tracking behind.
Soffit boards are fitted into a channel at the bottom of the fascia and fixed to the wall at the inner edge, either directly into the masonry or into a continuous timber batten fixed to the wall. The inner fixing is important - a soffit that is only clipped into the fascia channel can bow and drop over time.
Ventilation is a key detail at this stage. Building Regulations require adequate ventilation to the roof space, and replacing a vented soffit with a solid board - or fitting solid boards where there was previously a small gap between timber sections - can reduce loft ventilation and lead to condensation problems. Ventilated soffit board, either with a continuous slot or with circular ventilation grilles, is the standard solution. The total ventilation provision should meet current guidance, which for a cold pitched roof is typically equivalent to a continuous 25mm gap along each eave.
New brackets are fixed into the new fascia board at the correct spacing and fall. The fall is important - guttering that runs level or slopes the wrong way will hold standing water, which accelerates seal and joint failure and attracts moss. The correct fall for standard domestic guttering is typically around 1 in 600 along the run, towards the downpipe.
Joints between gutter sections are clipped together over a rubber seal. A properly fitted joint needs no additional sealant - if sealant is being applied to every joint to make them hold, that is a sign the clips are not seated correctly. Stop ends are fitted at the dead ends of each run, and outlets cut and fitted above each downpipe position.
Downpipes are fixed to the wall with pipe clips at the correct centres - typically every metre or so - and should discharge into the drain, a gully, or a rainwater butt. A downpipe that simply terminates above ground level and splashes against the base of the wall will cause damp at low level over time.
Before the scaffold or tower comes down, the gutter fall and joint integrity should be checked by running water through the system - ideally with a hose rather than waiting for the next rain shower. Any drips, overflows or standing water should be identified and corrected while access is still in place.
All old boards, fixings, packaging and offcuts should be removed from the site. The area around the house - including the garden and any pathways - should be cleared of debris. Old fascia timber often contains fixings and should not simply be left in a skip at kerbside without considering how it is to be disposed of.
A standard three-bedroom semi-detached house in Haverhill - all four elevations, fascia, soffit and guttering replaced - typically takes two to three days for an experienced team working from a mobile tower. Larger detached houses or properties where rafter repair work is needed will take longer. Weather affects progress, particularly when working at height on exposed elevations.
We work across Haverhill and the surrounding area, including nearby Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Ely and the villages between them. If your gutters are pulling away from the wall, your fascia paint is lifting, or you can see daylight through your soffits, call us to arrange a survey from close quarters and a straight quote for the work.
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Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
